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Image is Everything
by Ali McNally, fashion correspondent
Confidence: It’s in that pair of jeans that make your butt look amazing, the fitted white tee you’re wearing in countless photographs, or those vintage heels that make your legs look slimmer. These items may not fit your definition of fashion, but they’re the ones that not only give you tons of compliments, but also tons of confidence. Image consultant Milena Joy says personal style can have a great impact on self-esteem.
“It’s a snowball effect,” she says. “If you have an outfit that you know makes you look good, you’ll feel more confident and have more energy. When you look good, you feel good, and all of a sudden you do good things.”
While clothing shouldn’t dictate how you present yourself, wearing clothes that fit well can do wonders for your self image. “Feeling good about yourself,” says Joy, “is reflected in how people see you.”
One of Joy’s clients, who considered herself overweight, started crying after trying on an outfit Joy picked out for her because she wasn’t used to wearing clothes that fit her properly. “She was used to wearing boxy clothes that would hide her body. It’s just about the right materials—I helped her find the right outfits to show off the body she didn’t know she had.”
“Finding a unique personal style,” adds Joy “doesn’t always have to be based on the constant hunt for the latest trends.” Rather than racking up a credit card with “disposable” trend pieces, Joy advises to choose classic pieces that fit your body type.
“There’s a total emotional connection to clothes,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that they have to be ‘designer,’ and it doesn’t mean that they have to be super latest-greatest in fashion. You just have to feel good in them.”
Finding a personal style that works for you depends on your body type, but Joy gave us some of her recommendations that work across the board:
· Choose dark colors. “Deeper, darker colors are always more sophisticated looking. If you don’t want to buy a really expensive evening gown, you could get by with a day dress in a darker color and some dressy earrings.”
· Have a great all-purpose wrap. “We live in Denver, and it’s cold! The wrap is an affordable staple to have in your closet.”
· Go with the highest heel that you feel comfortable in. “When you wear heels, they make your legs appear longer and leaner, especially when you’re wearing a skirt or dress.” For the clumsy ones who refuse to wear heels: “Get a very light flat. The lighter your shoe is, the lighter you are. You don’t want a shoe that has a lot of clunk. In addition, a nude shoe will elongate your leg. It blends into your flesh so it’s almost as if your foot disappears.”
· Keep the dress length either at the top, middle, or, at the longest, the bottom of the knee. “Once you get lower, you start to hit around your calf— it makes your legs appear wider, which in turn makes you look wider. When you wear a skirt that’s as long as your knee, visually, you only look as wide as your knee.”
· Have one accessory that’s your statement piece. “A big cocktail ring, earring, or necklace, for example. You can get really creative to add that personal touch. But remember, you don’t want all three or it’ll be too much.”
Contact Milena:
www.milenaconsulting.com
4530 W 37th Ave
Denver, CO 80212
(303) 585-0589
See our events section for a fabulous holiday party hosted by Milena.
2 Responses to “Image is Everything”
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Beg to differ- confidence comes from the inside out; not from the outside in.
Confidence comes from both within us, and from the outside in. I feel much more confident and ready to take on the world when I have a great outfit on rather than my sweats. It does have an effect - probably more so for women than men because we don’t have the big egos that a lot of men do.