Her jacket was ecstasy, her blouse was sapient defiance. Her stride and expression creating a harmonious dualism, she elegantly vagabonds as the image of euphoria. What is the style of the confident, the casually competent woman? It is clear enough that a woman’s personality and affect are major players in the determination of her style, but the inverse relation is lesser-known: How can day-to-day fashion decisions affect our demeanor? How can a mature and sophisticated woman choose an image that allows her virtues to blossom?
“Clothes are the closest thing to our bodies. They’re our second skin. (...) It’s stressful for us if we don’t feel comfortable in what we’re wearing. It stresses us and this means that we don’t have the cognitive capacity to deal with the problem at hand.” In a recent interview, Carolyn Mair, PhD laid bare the issue of fashion-induced cognitive dissonance. Too many women are not achieving to their full capacity because they spend invaluable contemplative real-estate on the appropriateness and comfortability of their clothing. It is too often the case that blessed problem-solving time is spotted with disquieting thoughts of insecurity - “Do I look okay?” Current research has additionally unveiled the phenomenon of enclothed cognition, which occurs when a person acquires the attributes of her clothing. When a person dresses attentively, she tends to become more attentive. When a person dresses creatively, her creativity comes to the fore. Recently, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have caught on to this phenomenon, vowing to wear only comfortable, relaxed clothes in the workplace and advocating for their success, for their mental health.
Visualize, if you can, a life where fashion decisions cause no anxiety, where women simply slip on their best and trust in its aptness and tolerability. In this life, the only fashion-related thought that happens beyond noon is “I know that I look good”. In this life, a woman sees her professional life flourish in the wake of her self-assurance. In this life, daily relationships multiply and become stronger because of the attractive and self-trusting personality that she wears under her outfit. It seems idyllic. Is it unrealistic? Absolutely not. Any day can be the day that you begin to dress with the attitude that you want to have. Confidence snowballs. Inject a bit into the present to magnify your presence. A salient effort today will mean a oceanic payoff in the future. Equipped with the understanding that our clothing influences us as much as we influence our clothing, it is time to take control of this supereminently relevant nuance and begin weaving ourselves into a life of focus and realized potential.
Standing monumentally at the intersection of style and comfort, (IN)LARKIN’s athglamour line is the integrated introduction and the climax of your mindful wardrobe. We want to see you in peak condition, and that’s why we hold this wisdom at the very core, as the fundamental essence of our brand. In these threads, you can keep your mind fixed on your life’s craftsmanship - in business, in relationships, and in your own home. Don’t ever worry about thanking us, it’s why we're here.