Making Style a Part of Your Life     

Are you stylish?

It’s a weird question to consider. Plenty of people would laugh it off. Style and fashion are, after all, the stuff of glossy magazine shoots and shallow people. Many folks out there don’t give a second thought to fashion, and many of them are actually proud of it!

But here’s the thing: Stylish dressing doesn’t have to be an obsession, and fashion doesn’t have to be religion. If you choose to make style a part of your life rather than the focus of your life, you’re going to find that you look and feel better. Fashion is no cure-all, and it’s not the most important thing in the world, but neither is it completely unimportant. You really will get a little bit more out of your life, your work, and your relationships if you take a little interest in the way you dress — and you won’t have to subscribe to a bunch of fashion magazines to do it. Here’s how to make fashion a part of your life.

Set it and forget it with timeless classics

One of the things that turns folks off of fashion is the flash-in-the-pan nature of style. Spend big bucks on designer garb, and you may find that what you purchased looks woefully dated just a couple of seasons later. That’s annoying.

But this isn’t the whole story. While cutting-edge style can be a fast-moving thing, certain things just never go out of style. If you can find some fashion staples you love and build your wardrobe around them, you’ll get a “set it and forget it” kind of style that will help you look good without putting too much effort in every day. And then, sure, you can add the flash-in-the-pan stuff here and there — but only if you want to.

Dress up your hobbies

Many among us think of fashion as something reserved for certain spaces. We need to look good at the cocktail party, we reason. But at the beach? Not so much.

But this is all wrong. This view of fashion is all about the other people we want to impress or fear are judging us. The real reason to embrace fashion is to look and feel great, and that means caring about how we look when we’re doing the things we love.

So if you love riding motorcycles, for instance, don’t wear ratty old gear (in fact, if the gear is too old, it might not even be safe anymore). Instead, upgrade your look by investing in protective jackets and boots that look as cool as they are reliable. Get brand-name Icon helmets, timeless leather jacket, tough-looking boots. There’s a reason motorcycles are considered so cool, and fashion is undeniably a part of it.

It’s not just motorcycles, of course. Gear up with great-looking running shorts, hiking boots, swimsuits, bicycle helmets, or whatever else your hobby demands. Look good while you’re having fun!

Hit the town

Fashion isn’t just for cocktail parties — but it is for cocktail parties, too! A great blazer or a beautiful white cocktail dress can make you feel like a million bucks at your next social gathering. And there’s nothing shallow about that. Socializing is good for you, and feeling comfortable in your own clothes will help you feel comfortable in your own skin. Having the right clothes for any occasion means embracing every occasion, and that’s a wonderful thing for anyone.

Embrace your body

Another common issue with stylish clothes is that they seem, all too often, to be put together for the models that wear them on the runway. How are we supposed to fit in these things and feel great about our bodies?

Here’s a tip: Figure out your body shape, and start shopping for it. You’ll likely find that certain retailers offer clothing that flatters your body shape, while other retailers offer clothes that tend to look lousy on you. By learning your best bets, you’ll make shopping a whole lot easier and will gain clothes that really look fantastic on your body — not just on the model’s!