Today, I’m thrilled to share with you the best fashion-as-self-care-tips I’ve learned from the creative minds of Bianca Norris, Morgan Hale, Valerie Mayen, Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax, and Mark E. Menzie. Hopefully, these tips will encourage you to shift the way you utilize fashion and open your mind to taking care of yourself with the garments you wear.
Over the past several months, here at The Creative Cookie, we’ve spoken to 5 fashion industry professionals about what fashion as self-care means to them. Personally, I’ve grown all the wiser about turning what I wear into a tool for self-care, and hopefully, you have too. Vanessa Friedman at The New York Times recently released a piece titled “Can Fashion Be a Form of Self-Care?” falling in line with exactly what we’ve been talking about at The Creative Cookie. In the article, she said, “This is turning into a season of swaddling clothes; of adult snugglies and softness; of clothes so squishy they are like a portable form of self-care.” Without the interaction of human touch, why not make the clothes you wear as comfortable and cuddly as possible? Below are some tips from our favorite fashion professionals that you can incorporate into your life!
Fashion as self-care can mean:
1. Anything that brings you healing and joy- According to creative Bianca Norris, “Fashion doesn’t have to mean heels and a sequin top. If your concept of fashion is putting on a sweatsuit and that’s what makes you feel great and comfortable in your own skin, then that’s fashion.” Personal style means something different to everybody and staying true to that style instead of following popular trends is a form of fashion as self-care.
2. Comfort- Artist and weaver Morgan Hale said, “Wearing something that feels comfortable on my body makes me confident.” Clothes that make you feel confident are clothes that provide self-care; Morgan found this confidence through jumpsuits and overalls. For her, they are the best way to be comfortable and self-assured.
3. Putting in a little bit of effort- Valerie Mayen, an alumnus of Project Runway told us, “When I take the time to put on real clothes and fix my hair and put on some makeup and be intentional about what I’m wearing, it does make me feel different.” In the midst of this pandemic, it’s so easy to put on sweatpants and get on Zoom without leaving your bed. However, sometimes getting ready like you would pre-pandemic can lift your spirits and give you the push you need to get through the day.
4. Something fun that you made yourself- One of the many things that the 10-year-old craft expert Ella Rose Berhe-Lumax has created is a yellow scrunchie that simply makes her smile. She said, “It’s just really fun to make them and really easy to make them.” A year into this pandemic, quarantine crafts can still be fun and they can act as a form of self-care when you get to flaunt your creations.
5. Self-expression- Designer Mark E. Menzie believes that “by expressing myself through fashion and showing the world that this is who I truly am, my confidence, peace of mind, and overall well-being are brought full circle.” By being yourself and owning it in the clothes you are wearing, you are treating yourself well and using fashion as a tool for self-care.
We can all learn a little something from these accomplished fashion professionals! I hope these tips brighten your day, give you a reason to get dressed up, and provide some inspiration for you to utilize fashion as a tool for self-care.
