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Most women have what I call a clothing fantasy. You can recognise it by the "if only" comments you make to yourself. "If only I had a body like hers, if only I was younger, if only I had blonde hair, bigger boobs and blue eyes." Sound familiar?
I'm not going to tell you to forget about those "if only's", because I think it's important to address them.
I'd like you to go into your fantasy world. In your fantasy world, you can be whoever you please, you can look the way you want and wear what you want. What would the clothing look like? How would the clothing make you feel?
The reason I ask you to give this some thought is, unless you know what you desire, you can never even begin to achieve it. So okay, you may not look like Claudia Scheiffer, but you can start to put some of your dream world into your real world.
Here is a good example of using your fantasy to create your dream look. When I recently asked a client of mine what her fantasy was, she told me she would wear a sexy, red dress that clung to her body and made her feel sensual. In her real world however, she would not feel comfortable in a dress that clung to her curves, but she did feel comfortable in a beautiful red top that made her feel sexy and sensual.
If you are not sure what your fantasy is, here are some tips on discovering it:
1. Select some of your favourite fashion magazines.
2. Flip through the magazines and tear out those you respond to. It could be a general look, a colour, fabric, style etc. Don't analyse it too much, try to be spontaneous with this exercise.
3. Once you have a few pictures, spread them out on the table. Look for similarities, differences etc. You may discover that you like a classic look with an artistic flair or a casual look with a touch of elegance.
4. Now ask yourself how you would feel if you were to have this look? Would you feel sophisticated, funky, elegant, sexy, comfortable, feminine etc?
Once you know how you want to feel, you can start to create a look that will bring about those feelings.
Here are some tips on matching the clothing with the feeling:
1. Go through your existing wardrobe and look for items that bring about the desired emotion when you wear them.
2. Are there items that you need in your wardrobe to create that feeling? If you have an idea of what they could be, make a shopping list. i.e. if you are wanting to feel romantic and feminine, you might need tops with lace trims, something with ruffles, soft flowing fabrics and colours.
This might feel like a timeous process, however remember that it takes less time to give your wardrobe some thought and plan well than to spend hours aimlessly shopping and filling your wardrobe with things you don't wear.
Remember that creating the look you desire is not just about the clothes, it's finding a way of expressing who you are. By creating a look that mirrors the emotion that you desire, you're living out your fashion fantasy.
Tracy Gold is Women24's fashion expert.
Click here to ask her a question.
