How fashion can empower women

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Vada Voices

Featured image by Tiko Giorgadze

Article by Stella Green Thompson

Fashion can influence a women’s personality, ingenuity and confidence, and this can certainly make you feel more powerful. Whether you’re a woman in the business world, an arty woman, or a woman from any other sphere of life, finding the fashion style that suits you – and helps you present your best self – can make you feel bolder.

Here are my top tips for finding a style that works with you rather than against you, and which helps you feel like the real you.

The colour boost

If there’s something that withstands the fleeting fashions of each generation, it’s the power of colors. Wearing all white or all black might not say much about your personality – it’s a nondescript option which might suit the boardroom or a funeral, but it’s not the only option out there.

Opting for vivid and luscious colour variants will undoubtedly make you more vibrant and courageous. This year, pastels and muted tones are apparently in, but you can be as bold as you dare.

A power outfit of blazing red cigarette trousers matched with a yellow blouse makes a statement. Alternatively, consider the laidback but striking effect of a bright blue cardigan with ripped flowery jeans.

You don’t have to settle for plain skirts, either, but can choose something loud like an animal print skirt with an emerald green tee and black leather jacket. You’ll immediately look like a boss.

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Prioritise your comfort from within

Staying comfortable and fashionable should be the priority of women in style – forget the days of ‘no pain, no gain’!

Bear in mind that our bodies change over the course of a day, a week, month, a season, a year, and so on. We can be bigger or smaller, retain water or bloat.

We might also need to leave some room for exercising – whether that’s cycling to work, talking a walk at lunch, or doing yoga stretches to limber up on a morning.

So it makes sense to choose clothing that you’ll still be able to wear even during changes to your body and which don’t restrict your movement. Don’t buy smaller clothes in the hopes you’ll one day fit into them – give yourself some room to breathe, literally.

One of the best ways to prioritise your comfort from within is choosing the right underwear and brassiere. Women often complain about their undergarments being too tight, loose, or uncomfortable.

Poorly-made undergarments may restrict proper breathing and movement. They can retain moisture and bacteria, which can be a problem when you perform physical activities.

In addition, poor quality underwear can be itchy and lose shape with frequent washing. They wear easily, leaving you buying another set of underwear sooner than expected.

Even if your underwear won’t be seen by anyone else, it’s not worth skimping. High-quality undergarments are durable, soft and allow your body to breathe naturally.

While cotton had long been the staple of underwear fabric, it pays off knowing the features and benefits of other types of underwear, as our knowledge increases and designs change. Increasingly, designers are using bamboo underwear for the unique qualities it brings.

Bamboo fabric has natural antibacterial properties that can help ward off odor and germs from your undergarments, leaving you feeling fresh, comfortable, and confident. It’s also quite robust compared to other materials.

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You can checkout Bamboo Underwear to find out more about the best styles of bamboo fabric undergarment that are trending today.

Step out of your safe zone

Taking an eclectic perspective on fashion will make you feel vigorous, fierce and ready to confront the world. In order to stand out from a crowd and revive your look, you need to change your fashion choices. You will do that only by stepping out from your comfort zone. Be bold. It can be empowering to try something new, something wild, something that you would never have considered wearing before.

If you are not a fan of the red lipstick cliché, match it with a bombastic outfit like a golden dress and black jacket. You can also boost an old outfit by throwing on some colour that draws the eye – putting the attention on your new centrepiece.

You need to feel good in what you wear, but wearing intriguing outfit choices or just changing your regular routine from time to time will empower you more than settling with boring combinations. You don’t need to be uncomfortable – you can throw some shiny new pumps on with a hunting jacket and a pair of skinny jeans, all tied together with a striking T-shirt or blouse.

Go for ritzy accessories

Following on from above, a small detail such as a blinging necklace, paired well, can add a touch of luxury, boosting your entire look in a blink of an eye. All it takes is a single well placed accessory, like a bedazzling piece of jewellery, a one-of-a-kind vintage pendant, some peacock feathers, a velvet hat or a glitzy belt to break up duller colours.

Sites like Refinery29 and Pinterest offer some great ideas on how to combine jewellery pieces that you own with cool and funky outfits. One of the ways that you can really exude your personality and creativity is by wearing unique or unusual items.

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For instance, on the Jewelry Jealousy blog you may find loads of ideas and inspirations on how to find the perfect jewellery pieces to accompany your stunning clothing combos.

Find your signature look

Many women aiming to show off their sexuality and more assertive side at work can reinforce that state of mind with the right clothes. If you’re a fan of muscular outfits, there is no reason not to show your signature look at work. You can go for baggy pants, printed tee, and khaki with a bold blazer. White snickers blend perfectly with this kind of look.

Allocate time to discover what suits you the best; don’t settle for the ordinary (again!). But also feel completely free to express your attitude, your sexuality, and even your musical preference. Only don’t wear pointless slogan tees, that may send a misleading message about your character.

Express your sensuality

Fashion choices can show the world who you are and how you feel in a given moment, but also your sexuality and creativity. You can opt for super-femme styles or something ultra-butch. Work whatever works for you – and don’t be afraid to mix it up. The most effective way of fashion empowerment is by showing your state of mind and personality through clothes that are genuine only for you.

You might be a big fan of greys and browns, for example. So you can opt for a brownish leather belt on grey pants and pair that up with a baggy black blouse. Modify mass-produced items by wearing a bag or shoes that represent your personality and make them uniquely yours.

Fashion remains an art form. Only when you learn how to use fashion to suit yourself will it empower you and give you the confidence to stride out into the world like a boss.

About Vada Voices

Vada Voices showcases the best that our readers have to offer with a range of one-off articles, reactions and comments. To get involved with Vada Voices please email adamlowe@vadamagazine.com.