Kelly Saiz
The 90/10 rule states that 10% of life is what happens to you while 90% is your perspective or reaction. Let’s apply this to style: the clothes in your closet are 10% of your style, the other 90% is presentation. It’s very liberating to leave 90% of one’s appearance to the imagination. You cannot put a price tag on an impeccable air.
Here’s how I would break down the right kind of presence:
1. Posture and Body Language
No one, short of royalty, is expected to walk around all day with a back as straight as a lamppost. However, good posture is unparalleled in terms of appearance. Besides the fact that those with better posture are more noticeable and leave a firm impression of confidence, pulling your shoulders back also draws your core in, accentuating thinness. Keeping your arms out of the way (i.e. not crossed in front of you) is a sign of openness. If you want to walk with more poise, try keeping your chin up, placing one foot in front of the other, and making long strides.
2. Disposition
Think about someone in the past that was captivating, maybe you only met him or her once or maybe you never even had a conversation with him or her. The thing that impressed you, more than their clothes or anything else, was their disposition. You don’t have to smile constantly to have a pleasant temperament. The foundation of a good constitution has been, and will always be good manners.
3. Hair and Makeup
I am a firm believer that hair and makeup should never overshadow the rest of a look. When in doubt, go with less. I’m so tired of seeing kids showing up to school with thick rims of black eyeliner around their eyes. This is a school, not a Mötley Crüe concert. No one really wants to mess with their hair too much in the morning, but it’s always nice to see someone play around with it a little.
4. Dressing for yourself, not other people
Don’t dress to just impress other people. More often than not, this is incredibly obvious. Ultimately, dressing for other people will just exhaust you as much as it will exhaust others. You can’t control what other people think about what you wear, so why concern yourself with catering to them.
5. Appropriateness
It’s always good to wear the things that make sense to you. That being said, if your mother asks you to put on a sweater in the morning, do it. Even though you might cringe, trust your parents’ judgment. Sure, everyone will make mistakes when it comes to being appropriate, but keeping it in mind when you get dressed will never hurt. Modesty and strong proportions will always be in good regulation.
The overarching theme here is confidence. To make an impression, a person needs to have confidence in their being. Even if someone possesses “nice clothes,” true style will only be achieved through the precision of the other 90%.
