I recently started reading the book Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style by Kate Betts and I am really touched by her message. She uses Michelle as an example but the book is mainly about the power of personal style and she's managed to articulate the way I feel about style better than I think I ever have. The opening paragraph of her book is as follows:
"In many cultures - French, Italian, Russian, and Japanese, to name a few - why style matters is self-evident and arguing in defense of it is like arguing on behalf of music or art or even clean water and fresh air. But Americans are ambivalent about style. We are by turns attracted to and afraid of style, fascinated and suspicious. We confuse it with transient fashion trends and logo-splashed clothes. Too often American women subvert their sense of style and don a uniform instead. They play it safe so as not to detract from their intellecual contributions. Style is frivolous; style is for airheads. Tenacious conventions pit style against substance and suggest we have to choose one or the other as a defining focus or sensibility: you can work for shoes and bags or you can work for world peace. But not both."
I sometimes worry that other people think what I do is superficial or frivolous and I have to stop and remind myself that I don't think it's silly. I think style can be so powerful. There is a quote that I believe is from Chanel and I cannot find it at the moment but it says something to the effect of, your clothes do not change who you are but they can change how you feel and that, in turn, can change who you are. Feeling good in what you wear and how you look can give you confidence, which can change your life. Once you've changed your life and are happy in it, you can move on to changing and improving the world around you. You can have fabulous shoes and bags and world peace. Plus, it's just nice to be surrounded by beauty. It's part of human nature to be attracted to things that are visually appealing and we all tend to be happier and more relaxed when we're surrounded by things that comfort us and that we find attractive. So, don't worry that the people at the office won't take you seriously or that your intelligent friends will think you're silly for dressing with style. In fact, the confidence you gain by doing so will make people stop, think again and take you seriously for you who are and what you have to contribute.
