On feelings & choosing clothes
Written for DAUB by our friend and artist Tara Victoria
What we wear is an outward expression of the people we are. The things that make up our personality, our interests, passions, aesthetics, etc. influence our clothing choices. They can also be a reflection of how we feel about ourselves day to day–like wearing oversized clothes if we’re feeling uncomfortable in our bodies, or putting on our favourite t-shirt when we’re feeling confident.
My wardrobe used to be made up of way too many clothes that I never wore because they fell into the “one day I’ll wear that when…” And every time I went through my closet to figure out what I was going to wear, they were like dark, ominous clouds–reminders that I wasn’t good enough to put them on…yet.
At some point, I read somewhere that having those pieces in your closet is pointless; not to mention terrible for your self-image/mental health. If you haven’t worn the thing in 6 months (and it’s not a seasonal piece), donate it! It’s almost like the Marie Kondo method–ask yourself: does holding onto this bring me joy? Is it giving me peace of mind knowing those pieces are in the back of my closet holding me hostage to a “someday?” Your body is likely never going to fit into those jean shorts you wore in High School, and that’s just because, well…science. Our bodies change so much over the years–hormones, aging, lifestyle changes, having kids, you name it. And it’s okay for them to…we’re human.
When I released those pieces and kept that rule at the front of my mind every time I purged my closet, I found my relationship to what I wore changed and it also shifted how I decided to purchase new clothes. In the same way that we can select our clothes based on how we feel, how we feel in the clothes we wear can impact how we feel, inwardly.
We tend to have an emotional connection to the things we wear, maybe not to every single piece of clothing–like the socks with holes in them you threw away last week. But to some we do, whether that’s because of how we feel while wearing them, nostalgia, or the ethos of the brand we purchased them from. Of course, I’ve got more than a few band tees from concerts that bring me back to a happy memory every time I put them on, but I’ve tried to be more intentional and aware of how clothes make me feel when deciding what I’m going to spend my money on.
Even if it’s just the clothes I’m going to wear to the gym to workout in. That’s where I spend a significant amount of my time and somewhere I’d like to feel more confident because that tends to directly impact my mental state going into a workout (plus, athletic wear also tends to be my go-to when working from home). I love finding brands that I align with that make clothes I actually want to wear and feel good wearing. Those things have now become my compass when navigating what new items to purchase. And because of those things, I was so jazzed to learn about Daub + Design, what they stand for, the quality of their clothes, and how they are made. Pieces like these are now staples in my wardrobe and ones that feel really good–not only to own, but to wear, daily.
So next time you’re looking through your closet, wavering on keeping one of the “somedays,” remember that there’s clothing out there you can replace it with that will make you feel 100 times better, that you can wear, today. Plus, who doesn’t love a good reason to update their wardrobe?