Dressing With Purpose

Deep down, we all feel that the way we dress affects how the people perceive us. We want to think that our dress style brings us advantages, but does it? 

Dressing with purpose is all about using the clothes you wear to project an image that helps you achieve your goals. In the workplace, the aim might be to rise through the ranks or take a senior leadership position. On the dating scene, it could be to attract a specific type of person.

Whatever it is, the idea has a lot of merits. When you start dressing with purpose, you view your clothes as a tool to transform you into the person you want to be, not merely a reflection of who you are right now. 

But what does it mean to dress with purpose on a practical level? Let's take a look. 

Stop Telling Yourself You Rock And Surrender To The Evidence

We live in an age of body positivity. No matter how dreadful we might think we look, we should embrace the idea that we're all beautiful and that nobody is ugly. There's no such thing as "looking bad."

If you dress with purpose, though, you need to take a completely different approach. What you look like is neither here nor there. It's how other people perceive you that counts in most cases. In a sense, you're trying to use your clothes to communicate ideas about how others should view. If you want to appear more authoritative, then wearing more black and smart garments can help. Getting rid of anything that looks flamboyant is beneficial in this regard too. 

Ignore Your Existing Wardrobe

Many of us are beholden to our existing wardrobes. We believe that we can only buy clothes that complement our current outfits. So we ultimately wind up buying the same types of garments over and over again. 

If you want to break out of this fashion rut, your only choice is to ignore what you already have in your closet and start again. 

Remember, if your current clothes haven't been serving you well, it doesn't make sense to continue using them. As tools, they aren't fit for the job. 

Find A Style That Communicates Your Value

When we focus on brands and fabrics, we tend to underestimate our style choices on the values we espouse. A person wearing Air Jordan sneakers gives off a radically different impression from somebody wearing a top hat. 

You want to find a style that communicates your values, not some vague aspect of your personality. The aim shouldn't be quirky for the sake of it. Quirkiness isn't a value. 

If you're struggling with this idea, try writing down your values on a piece of paper. Create a list of things that matter to you and how they might relate to the clothes you wear. If you like the idea of modesty, then that'll influence your choices. Similarly, if you want equality or freedom, those values will also filter into your wardrobe.