• Free resources
  • Getting started
  • Home
  • Work with me
    • One-on-one services
    • Events
    • Group programs
    • The corporate closet
    • Life beyond the closet
  • Client love
  • About Ketura
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Free resources
  • Getting started
  • Home
  • Work with me
    • One-on-one services
    • Events
    • Group programs
    • The corporate closet
    • Life beyond the closet
  • Client love
  • About Ketura
  • Blog
 
 
Joyful Closet

DISCOVER. CONFIDENCE.

To schedule a discovery call, please email Ketura@JoyfulCloset.com

or call 202-352-7120

  • Recent Posts

    • What not to wear to work in the summer
    • How to make new outfits from old clothes
    • Trump Merkel Photo and the Power of Clothing
    • Cute tote bags
    • How to wear new colors
  • Archives

    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
  • Categories

    • Accessories
    • Color
    • Executive presence
    • Fashion Over 40
    • Getting Organized
    • Networking
    • Personal branding
    • Personal change
    • Personal Style
    • Plus-Size Fashion
    • Professional style
    • Shopping
    • Stylist's Bookshelf
    • Total Transformation
    • Travel Style
    • Trends
    • Uncategorized
    • Women's Leadership
  • Tags

    Accessories closet audit closet editing Clothes to Covet collage Color Color Current Affairs DC DC fashion and style DC fashion and style blog dressing in color Etcetera evening attire fashion Getting Organized Holidays image consulting J.Crew jewelry Lifestyle Accessories Michelle Obama outerwear personal shopping Personal Style Plus-Size Fashion polyvore red red dress Sarah Palin seasonal color analysis Shoes Shopping Spring 2010 Stella McCartney style styling The Body Beautiful travel Trend Watch uniform Uniqlo utilitarian valentine's day Washington DC fashion and style

Why style matters even when the world is a total mess

Posted by Ketura

Audrey Penven via Flickr

Last week I with a client for a shopping trip.

I could tell immediately that her heart just wasn’t in it, and I asked her what was going on.

Turned out, she had seen several employees laid off earlier in the week at the small firm where she works. What’s worse, her own job, while not imminently under threat, was no longer as secure as it had been before the election. She was having trouble wrapping her head around skirt shopping when her friends and former colleagues were suffering and, in the larger context, political upheaval, uncertainty, and dismay is in the ether.

Put another way: Who cares what I’m wearing, goes this line of thinking, when the world as we know it is falling apart?

Here’s my response to that legitimate reluctance to invest in one’s image at this time.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman for Reuters

We’ve seen plenty written how to survive times like these—that this current environment requires a marathon, not a sprint, and maintaining this effort over a long period in turn requires extreme self-care. Part of that effort is nurturing our self-love and confidence, stoking it so it says strong, especially in the face of doubt and disappointment, even anger.

What’s more, many of us are finding ourselves wanting to speak up, agitate, protest, and resist, whether by writing letters, showing up at demonstrations, advocating for causes and people we believe in, or doing whatever our own convictions requires. To do that—to summon this level of energy—requires presence. And presence, as we know by now, is in large part about image: How we hold ourselves, how we use our voice and our body language, how we express ourselves verbally, and of course how we present ourselves through out clothing—whether the occasion is a rally at the White House, a town hall protest, a sit-in, a decisive and important team meeting at work, or a networking event where crucial conversations will take place and relationships formed.

Seen in this light, what we wear has everything to do with how we survive and thrive and act and resist in times of trouble. It has to do with the faith we feel in ourselves, the relationships we forge with others, and how we show up in those relationships and at work and in the large world where we want to be heard and have an impact.

Need more proof: Sally Yates. Viola Davis. Meryl Streep. And Elizabeth Warren.

When you think about it like this, can you really afford not to invest in your image?

(Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and personal stylist in Washington, DC. Please contact her at Ketura at JoyfulCloset.com to schedule a complimentary get-acquainted session.)

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

This entry was posted in Executive presence and tagged Washington DC fashion and style. Bookmark the permalink.
← Previous Post Next Post →

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Home
  • Work with me
    • One-on-one services
    • Events
    • Group programs
    • The corporate closet
    • Life beyond the closet
  • About Ketura
  • Client love
  • Blog
  • Free resources

Copyright 2014-2018 • The Joyful Closet • 202-352-7120

WordPress website theme design and installation by the MightyLittleWebShop.com