The Clothes (May) Make the Wo(man)

I'm almost finished with my Research Methods in Psychology class and a semester long experiment/research paper. The experiment is based around how clothing affects the way we feel about ourselves, as well as how it affects other people's perceptions of us. The experiment has been fun, the results section however, has been a nightmare. Statistics are not my strong point. 


I went to bed last night relieved that after hours of writing and testing, I was finally 90% done with this project. I woke up to an email sent by my professor at 1:00 in the morning basically telling me that my statistics were written in an incorrect format and that I needed to redo the entire section. Sigh.....back to the drawing board. In the meantime, let's talk about clothing and style.


I love clothes. I don't necessarily have the budget to afford to dress the way I would like to (but that doesn't stop me from buying less expensive options, probably more often than I should). When I do have money, I prefer to spend it on vacations, but I love fashion nonetheless, always have. If I were to describe my style, I would have to say it is feminine, classic, a little preppy and on the formal side. I'm definitely conservative and I love to be dressed up. I think I may own two t-shirts. These are a few of my favorite looks:

I want that chain necklace and those shoes!

I'm a big fan of blazers, scarves, floral print and anything Tory Burch. I'll admit, I know all of my labels and I can often eye a certain designer's piece on the red carpet without it being announced. I was born with a rich woman's taste and a budget that doesn't match. 


Rachel Zoe is quoted as saying, "Style is a way of saying who you are without having to speak." I couldn't agree more. I believe that style is one of the greatest ways to express one's self. I also believe it has a significant influence on the way we feel about ourselves internally, especially as women. When we feel beautiful, it radiates and others pick up on that. Evidence has also supported that attire may even affect our cognitive thought processes (Hubka, M. (2012). Enclothed cognition - Does how you dress alter your approach and interaction?)! So far, the results of my experiment are pretty much on par with these thoughts. I'll have to do a follow up on the final product later. If you're interested, check out my fashion board on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mandylynn323/fashion/   


How important are clothes to you? What is your style, if you have one? How does appearance impact how you feel?