When you have a special occasion on the calendar, do you take extra time to figure out what you’re going to wear in advance to dress appropriate?
I do.
We recently celebrated my son’s Bar Mitzvah, and for this event I thought hard about how I wanted to look – respectable, fashionable and fun.
About a month prior to the occasion, I started my search for the perfect outfit. And to make my shopping as streamlined and efficient as possible, I distilled what these words meant to me.
Respectable – high quality + appropriate
Fashionable – stylized + cool
Fun – vibrant + playful
An Outfit That’s Aligned
This not only summed up how I wanted to look, but also how I wanted to feel. These words served as my north star. They were the guide posts to keep me aligned with who I wanted to be at Milo’s Bar Mitzvah.
I ended up finding the perfect dress right away. And I must say, the long sleeved, high collared, floral printed, extreme A- lined silhouette did align me with how I wanted to feel on that very special day. The north star words worked! They guided me to dress the part of the woman I wanted to be.
It’s true that most of us put way more thought into our outfits for a special event. These are, after all, the highlights of our life. The moments we want to remember forever.
But why not apply the same intentionality behind your clothes all the time? Why not set yourself up to feel like the woman you want to be EVERYDAY?
Getting Dressed With Intention
This doesn’t mean you have to start outfit planning a month in advance. (Although I do know women who adore their Sunday night ritual of getting into their closets, trying on their stuff, and putting together outfits for a week.) It just means putting more thought into what you want to project into the world. And thinking about how you want to show up in your life. Because your clothing is definitely related!
The north star strategy is something I use with all my clients. It really helps to nail down a particular feeling you want to embody. But the thing with these north star words is they’re not stagnate. They’re dynamic and evolving…always shifting!
Respectable, fashionable and fun were right on for the family event earlier this month. They’re not words I’d use to align with in my everyday. In fact, respectable is rarely considered in my daily attire. Yet it popped into my head when thinking about the Bar Mitzvah dress.
That’s the other thing with your north star words. You don’t have to think too hard about them. They should come to you pretty easily. It should feel natural.
Dress Appropriate For Who You Need To Be
If you’re curious about bringing more of the true you into your style, and showing up as the woman you want to be, consider applying north star words to your outfit planning practice. Take a few moments to reflect on how you want to feel during the day. Or who you need to be. And align those words with the articles of clothing in your closet. Just hold up the garment, and ask yourself, does this connect to my north star words (say the actual words)?
To help you get started, watch the video where I talk about the power of I AM words. Once you create your little mantra / affirmation beginning with I AM, nailing down your north star words will be a breeze.
What 3 words describe how you want to look and feel today?