Written by The Strategy
All too often, I still cringe when I hear someone dismiss the fashion industry as one that’s “just about clothes,” for the main reason that the fashion industry is not and never will be just about clothes. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that people buy into every day, a means of communication without speaking, and a reflection of any given time whether it be today, next season, or ten years ago today; it’s just as impactful and influential as the people wearing it, and if anything, tells more about an individual than where he or she works. In fact, some of the hardest life lessons I’ve come to learn have been taught through fashion. Hence why it’s not suprising to me to see fashion influentials like Kanye West and Beyonce making waves at Harvard and business schools alike.
We’ve learned a lot about fashion over the years, and we thought we’d let you all know what we all know. Get your pens and notebooks ready. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
1. Quality over Quantity. The hardest of them all, but the best way we know to build a killer closet. Once you adopt this “less is more” mentality, you’ll begin to realize the value of a dollar and raise your shopping standards accordingly. Of course, this lesson applies to all areas in life from friendships to internships to food choices. Before long, you’re pile of quality things will add up and you’ll soon have a large quantity of quality things (say that five times fast).
2. Don’t take yourself too seriously. No one else does. As much as we all like to dissect fashion to its threads and more often the people wearing it, fashion is meant to be fun and creative. So instead of spending hours in the mirror “fixing” yourself to impress, dress however your heart desires without having that second guess. Likewise, life is meant to be one giant experiment, so you might as well have fun with it.
3. Nothing lasts forever. This is especially true in an industry where people are always six to nine months ahead. One day we’re into peplums, the next we’re into oversized tees. Bras to no bras. Exaggerated liner to “no makeup” makeup looks. Therefore, it’s almost impossible to keep up with trends these days, and not every trend is going to work on you. Skinny jeans not your thing? Not to worry – just like senior prom and post graduate unemployment- this too shall pass.
4. Failure is success if we learn from it. OK, so maybe it wasn’t the best decision to cut your hair in hopes to be mistaken for Charlotte Le Bon. Maybe you’re better off accepting the fact that you will never look like Charlotte Le Bon. Even those amongst the best dressed lists have had their share of fashion faux pas; the important thing here is that you learn from them to avoiding making the same mistake twice or six times again down the road.
5. Confidence is the best accessory. They often say that, “it’s not the dress that makes the woman, but the woman that makes the dress,” and we at The Strategy couldn’t agree more. No matter who you’re wearing and who dresses you, if you do not carry confidence in what you’re wearing, it will show. Hence why only a handful of scarlets can pull off a killer pantsuit on a red carpet. (Yes, Lorde we’re looking at you).
The one exception? Money can’t buy happiness. Because when life knocks you down, there will always be Hermés.
Written by Shannon Sauder
