Clothes are opportunities. Fashion, getting dressed, gives us a chance to express different dimensions of ourselves. Different looks have different psychological effects. Our life is a kaleidoscope of possibilities — the possibility of meeting that important person who brings life, light, and new vistas.

What outfit do you put together when you want to express the core of who you are? Look in your closet. Are you excited about what you see hanging there? Is every piece like one of those shimmering, glistening pieces of glass in the kaleidoscope — ready to create a pattern that can support and even change your life? Or are you seeing sameness? Same color, same style, no style really?

Is your closet full of color like your vibrant personality? Or is it smooth and creamy like honey and cream over strawberries? It could be warm and rich like polished antique wood and brass.

What words would you use to describe how you feel and how you want to be perceived? These words can help you create exciting, intriguing, fun, or powerful looks. When you put words to your ‘looks’, you are playing with the Psychology of Style.

What outfit has YOU written all over it? This is often a favorite ‘stand-by’ outfit that you always get both compliments and feels most like yourself when you wear it.

What do you choose to wear when you want to stand out in the crowd? It’s that WOW outfit that turns heads for the best reasons… where you have ‘nailed’ that dramatic look and we still see and experience you not the clothes?

If you’re looking forward to a romantic encounter, what do you have in your closet that says you are a woman and vulnerable, yet strongly yourself?

There are times when you want to be quietly understated and elegant — times when it wouldn’t be appropriate to be in the spotlight. What outfits support this look, yet remain interesting and intriguing rather than dowdy, dreary, or blah?

Thinking conceptually about your wardrobe in this way is the key to using the Psychology of Style to your best advantage. It’s also fun.

What do you wear when you want to play? When its time to let out your wild side?

Like a kaleidoscope, every day the prism turns and new colors and patterns emerge. We all have so many different dimensions to our personality. Clothing is like those little colored pieces of glass. Twist your wardrobe and put new patterns together to express all the colors that are you.

What do you wear when you need to be propped up? — You haven’t had enough sleep because you’ve been working hard or partying; or you are getting over the flu; or are grieving the loss of a loved one. Wearing dull, flowing, clothes that drape can keep you in the pit of depression, while other fabrics and construction details can literally prop you up and keep you going.

Take a closer look at your closet. Try on outfits you tend to wear when you are feeling low, or excited, or afraid, or happy and healthy. When you look in the mirror check out whether it is a “you-at-your-best” outfit. Is it a dramatic or romantic outfit, or is it playful, quietly elegant, or an outfit you wear when you want to take charge? If you can’t figure out what the outfit is saying about you then it probably should not be in your closet.

If you can’t figure out what the outfit is saying about you, then it probably should not be in your closet.

The Psychology of Style is a reality we all live with everyday whether we are aware of it or not. The outfit you are wearing right now is saying something about you.

Get up and stand in front a full-length mirror if you have one nearby. This might be a little scary, but it’s important that we start to look objectively at what we are communicating about ourselves through our clothing choices. The reality is, everyone else who encounters you today is looking objectively. They might not be able to articulate what they are seeing, but, believe me, they feel it. This feeling, this sense of who a person is, is something we all do when we come in contact with each other.

Ok, are you in front of the mirror? What are your clothes saying about you? What’s the first impression? Be honest. If it is in line with how you’re feeling right now, with what you want to say about yourself, then bravo! You are using the Psychology of Style to your best advantage. If you’re not sure, or your look is saying something that isn’t in line with how you’re feeling or what needs to be communicated today, then make a few mental notes, take a full-length selfie and email them to yourself. What would you like to be expressing about yourself right now? What’s working, what isn’t?

Turn the prism of your wardrobe and imagine what you could be wearing…let the world know who you are. There’s no one like you. Help us celebrate what makes you special.

Figuring all this out on your own can be daunting and frankly, difficult…which is why we are here to support you. You can’t be an expert in everything!

Watch our free Style Masterclass and discover the 7-step path to embodying the best version of yourself.

If you are interested in training to become a style expert, or just hungry to keep learning more about the psychology of style, check out our Style Core Institute on-demand webinars and courses for training options.