Dressing Against the Occasion

We are taught to dress for occasions. For the interview, the wedding, the dinner. There is a costume for each context and we learn to put on the right one.

But somewhere in this education we lose something. We lose the ability to dress for ourselves — for our current state, our actual mood, the person we are today rather than the person the occasion demands.

Intentional Dressing

Intentional dressing is not about ignoring context. It is about ensuring that within the constraints of any context, the choices are yours. That the fabric you chose was chosen because it suited your body and your sensibility, not because it was what was expected.

A person who dresses intentionally is always recognisable as themselves, regardless of the setting.

The Slow Choice

The deliberate wardrobe begins with slowing down the act of choosing. Not standing at the rail for longer — but spending more time before you acquire. Asking: will I still want this in five years? Does it accord with what I actually believe about beauty and quality?

The answer is usually that you need less than you think. But what you have should be exactly right.