The 4C’s are Cut, Color, Cloth, Comfort and they are fundamental building blocks to personal style definition. Practicing noticing the 4C’s . Never underestimate the power of a mental checklist!

How to dress your body with confidence

A woman’s guide to dressing with confidence for any age, body type, or style.

5 minute read | By Maddison McKinley

This article is apart of a 4-part Clothing-Confidence series focused on creating and living and Clothing-Confident life.

By the end of this article, the following questions will be answered:

How to dress with confidence?
How do I learn what Cuts, Colors, and Cloths look great on my body?
Which elements should I specifically pay attention to while looking for clothing to ensure it’s right for me?

“I decided that I wanted to be one of those women who portrayed confidence and personal style, I didn't want to look like an American Eagle mannequin anymore. This was not an overnight change, but by slowly incorporating bolder, brighter, more perso… — “I decided that I wanted to be one of those women who portrayed confidence and personal style, I didn't want to look like an American Eagle mannequin anymore. This was not an overnight change, but by slowly incorporating bolder, brighter, more personal pieces into my wardrobe, I was able to blend them with some 'classic' pieces (jeans, slacks, sweaters, t-shirts in navy blue, black, gray) to create MY style.”
-Elise from the *Seeking Inspirato* series
Interested in seeing real, Clothing-Confident women? Check out the *Seeking Inspirato* series.
Photo by Jessica Webb.

How to Dress with Confidence

You’ve likely heard, or been told, that there are hard and fast rules for how to dress.

Maybe you’ve taken a “personal style quiz” that advised on which cuts to wear for your particular body type, or which colors to pair against your skin tone.

Or perhaps you’ve been told to “just wear what you love and it’ll all work out”.

A middle ground exists at the intersection of these statements where the dresser is empowered to create her own style.

Dressing With Confidence Comes From the Inside

The first step towards Clothing-Confidence is to recognize that you can do this!

Trust that you will soon dress in a way you love because Clothing-Confidence already lives inside you. This process is about giving your self-expression a voice.

Say aloud “I can do this!”.

This is an introspective process. Dressing with confidence must come from the inside to be sustainable.

To use the “teach a man to fish” proverb: “Give a woman style and she’ll have it for a few days. Teach a woman style and she’ll love & cherish it for a lifetime.”

Get excited to own and hone your personal style!

“It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures”

— Oprah Winfrey

An illustration of a women who is embodying all 4C's - Cut, Color, Cloth, and Comfort.An illustration of a woman who is embodying all 4C's - Cut, Color, Cloth, and Comfort [Daily Inspirato]

The 4C’s: Cut, Color, Cloth, and Comfort

The second step to dressing with confidence is to define your unique 4C’s:

Cut
Color
Cloth
Comfort

The 4C’s are fundamental building blocks to personal style and they can be as flexible as you want them to be. They are yours to own and refine.

Dressing yourself in a way you love becomes easier using the 4C’s because you’ll know exactly what to look for while you’re getting dressed in the morning. Never underestimate the power of a mental checklist!

Let’s define each of the 4C’s.

An illustration of scissors cutting into fabric as a symbol of "Cut", an element of the 4C's [Daily Inspirato]

Cut

Dressing your body in a way you love requires that you know how to dress your body.

Find the clothing shapes that work for you by visiting the Daily Inspirato Figure Navigator.

Color

Take notice of the colors that make your skin POP.

Do deep, rich colors look good on your skin tone, or bright pastels?

Some women find it helpful to determine their skin type because there are distinct color palettes for each type.

Here’s a mini test that will help you find out if you’re skin is warm, cool, or neutral toned (note: it’s best to conduct these observations in the natural light):

Cloth

Which fabrics make you feel like you’re bringing out your best features, and are comfortable to wear?

Give attention to how a piece of clothing’s material feels on your body.

Sometimes we treat the top half of our body differently than the bottom half.

For example, apple-shaped bodies may have to stay away from chunky fabrics in the lower half of their body while wearing it on the top half is no problem.

Wool

Silk

Spandex

Cotton

Denim

Linen

Velvet

Satin

Also consider which fabrics will last the best for the months to come. Here are some tips:

Consider purchasing a de-piller to maintain the fabric’s integrity. Explore best clothing fuzz remover I’ve come across >
Hanging your clothing to dry after a machine wash can increase the lifespan of your clothing. Read more >

Comfort

Nothing matters if the outfit is cutting into our gut while sitting, am-I-right?

Ensuring that all of your pieces are comfortable is a necessity.

Be sure to try on each piece for at least 3 minutes before committing to purchasing, or wearing them.

Try sitting, squatting, lifting your arms above your head–anything you can do to test if the piece will work for your environment.

Really look at yourself in the mirror

Now that you have the 4C’s as a resource, it’s time to take a look at yourself and your closet through a whole new lens.

I suggest that if you don’t have a full length mirror, to buy one. Wayfair Full Length Rectangular Mirror >

I say this because many of the women I have spoken with have mentioned a similar phenomena I’ve coined Mind, Mirror, Reality.

Mind, Mirror, Reality is defined as the inability to see what your look actually looks like until reality hits you with a picture, or a realization that the look didn’t suit you well.

This happens to all of us, all of the time. However, the purpose of the 4C’s is to minimize this from happening.

The more in tune you are with your body, the more likely your reality is going to feel fantastic.

COMPLETE

Thank you for reading “Series 1: How to dress your body with confidence”.