Vixen’s Guide to: Dressing to Impress

April 10, 2006 by Vixen

group of male and female dolls The saying that first impressions do last is utterly true. The way you look every time you step outside your door has the power to either negatively or positively influence how to you feel about yourself in certain situations. Most of us have learned to dress from our tender years of teen emancipation, however once in a while I have come across a few people that have no idea how to dress properly.

As women we are different and come in varied shapes and sizes. What looks good on your best friend might not necessarily look good on you. Also, what used to look good on you while you were in college might not even be able to fit properly now.

To feel confident every time you get dressed doesn’t always pertain only to the clothes. Self-confidence begins from within, however dressing to knock ‘em dead maintains the fact should you confidence ever waver.

When deciding to revamp your wardrobe, have a few friends over. Bring out your favourite and most worn clothes. Show them pictures of your outfits on you, try them on, and let them pick and choose which ones are their favourites. By getting peer evaluation, you can have a more pragmatic look at what works best for you that isn’t centred on necessarily what you always normally wear. Pay attention to what your friends say. Notice the material, colour and cut of the outfits they suggest and plan accordingly. They will tell you the stuff you need to get rid off. Anything that you haven’t worn in a year should be donated to Goodwill as well. This includes shoes and purses.

For starters, you have to play up your assets. I mean your ASSets. Every woman has assets, and you know how guys are fascinated by them. The foundation of every good wardrobe are jeans. There is nothing that plays them up better than a pair of well-fitting jeans. Well-fitting. This does not include anything that cuts off circulation to your legs or anything that is so free flowing that you can make 2 jeans that fit you just as well.

Finding the perfect pair(s) of jeans is a quest that needs at least one full shopping day. When you are going to try on jeans, you should go with a really good friend that won’t mind telling you how fab your butt looks in them. Try designers and brands that you haven’t tried before, you might be surprised. I love finding jeans at discount stores like TK Maxx (TJ Maxx in the US) where the other labels send their overstock. Sure, they might be irregularly cut or last season, but if it’s a good fit, who cares? When trying on the jeans, remember that they will probably shrink in the laundry. While they are, on try walking. If you fall or stumble, chances are they aren’t a good fit. Also try sitting in them. Good jeans will only need minor adjustments when you sit and stand. If they are low-riders, please I beg you, use a belt! Showing thongs is soooo last century. If you find the perfect jean, pick up a few more pairs of the same label (if you can afford to do so). Every woman should have a dark indigo jean, light blue jean and one that is in between. The more variety in the jean closet, the more you can play up your butt.

Another great cornerstone is the right top. Once again, note the kind of tops your friends suggested. Pay attention to the areas that you want to show off and the ones you would rather hide and plan accordingly. I love tops that have my beautiful back exposed or something that accentuates the bust and loosely grazes the waistline. So empire cut tops, backless or spaghetti straps are the tops for me. Once you figure out the style that works best for your body, keep to the formula. If you have belly fat, don’t buy tops that are too tiny or that hug your rolls. Go for more free-flowing garb, with more cleavage showing. If you don’t like your arms, wear tops with nice long sleeves. When looking at a top take each feature separately and once again, it’s all about playing up those assets.

To tie it all together, the benchmark of every good outfit is accessories. Accentuate your bust with a necklace, elongate your neck with a choker or be fun and playful with bracelets. Draw eyes to your nice long fingers with an eye catching ring in a unique colour. You can get cheap but nice jewellery nowadays from boutiques and stores like Claire’s and Accessorise. My best friend found this really nice amethyst ring from TJ Maxx for a steal price of 10 bucks. Accessories help to bring the outfit all together. Heels, boots, purses and scarves; anything else that helps to add colour and life to your outfit falls under this category. If you are on a budget, get accessories that can fit multiple outfits in your closet.

And now the sense of smell. Have you ever just smelled something and been able to visualise that scent on a person? That is what your perfume does. Please do not shower in it, dousing yourself to intoxication. Pick a scent that you love, that you feel represents what you are about in that moment and spray it on some pulse points. I like to just dab some behind my neck, between my breasts and on my wrists. Too much perfume can cause eyes to water and him to wonder if you are auditioning for a part as a skunk. But the right perfume applied correctly has the power to cloak you in a mystical element that intrigues the viewer.

Above all the clothes must scream YOU. Your personality, your lifestyle, your choices. If you dress up exactly like the mannequin you saw in the store and don’t inject anything of yourself into your clothes, what good is that?