Ladies,

Soft silky stretch knit fabrics, plushy soft fabrics, elastic waistbands, stretch denim, the list goes on of the luxuries we have in current fashion options. In the current day, fashion overflows with beautiful cuts and fabrics all in comfortable to wear manner. It is a sad irony that it is in this age that women choose to wear sweatpants or gym clothes as their daywear as though anything else will hinder their comfort.

Our clothing is a way that we carry ourselves with grace throughout the day. Taking off wrinkly shapeless pajamas, lounge wear, and gym wear, and putting on something nice, communicates a lost etiquette. It looks like we are happy to be here with people, we are grateful for a new day, we want polite behavior, and polite interactions. Moreso, it communicates to your husband that you care what you look like for him. It seems as though when women do care about their appearance it is always chalked up to them being vain or superficial and shallow. But actually, it can be a loving gesture to your husband and your children. By fixing up, you are bringing dignity to your family, to the way you represent them in public, to them to seeing you being a woman of dignity about the work of her home and family, as though it matters. You should also dress them well, appropriate for different occasions and the seasonal weather, and likewise yourself. You are your family’s guide for these things, and they need to see it modeled in you as well.

You have options. Here are ten things that I do to make sure that I feel comfortable in nice daily outfits.

1. Wear the Right Waistbands for Leggings & Tights

Wide waistbands lay over the belly flat instead of cutting into it like narrow waistbands. However, the size must be right for any waistband to not cut into you or fold on itself, making it even narrower and pinching your belly worse. Which is another great point: any waistband that is too small will cut into your mid-section. But some waistbands are designed to squeeze you even if they are a wide waistband such as spanx or anything labled “tummy control” or “control top”. Stay away from these if you want to be comfortable. The fact is, you can be held in and have great smoothing effect and jiggle control even with regular leggings and tights that are not meant to do that. If you buy the right size, even without over compression, you can get that sleek look and feel without it being too tight.

2. Wear denim with stretch

Denim has improved with the stretch factor, but it is still important to buy a quality pair of jeans since some stretch denim can be thin and flimsy. I wear sturdy soft stretchy denim and it is smooth and buttery, a true improvement on denim of the past. I never knew denim could feel so comfortable until I tried on different brands and realized how different jeans can be made.

3. Size up

Brands are all cut differently so there is no point in being caught up in your size number and being afraid to size up. If you find your clothing to be uncomfortable, it might be because they do not fit correctly. From tight bra bands, to tight waistbands, to tight hairstyles, be aware of what you need to loosen up. In items meant to be fitted such as leggings, learn to differentiate between “fitted” and “tight”. Leggings need to be fitted to not look sloppy and baggy, but they should not feel “tight”. With jeans it is even more important that it is large enough to feel comfortable since jeans can easily feel restricting. Proper fit does not equal tight unless it is a bathing suit. Loosen up the sizing.

4. Wear wire free bras

Still want coverage and shape but comfort? A “wire free bra” is the closest thing you will find to a comfortable structured bra. For even more comfort but without the structure, there are stretchy bralettes without closures or wires.

5. Seamless silky underwear

I am not sure how other women tolerate the pain, but underwear causes rubbing and pinching on my bikini line where my leg meets my torso. I switched to wearing cotton spandex shorts under dresses in warm weather. But when I need underwear for one week of the month, I found that a high cut, seamless, silky underwear is the most comfortable. Click here for the link to them on Amazon.

6. Wear the right Tops for Movement

So much clothing poses the issue of looking and feeling fine when standing still but upon moving around reveals belly, cleavage, falls off shoulders, etc. I find clothing that shifts to be very uncomfortable. I need my sleeves to stay up to do dishes and not get wet….how annoying is it when a sleeve gets soaked and you have to change your shirt? So many tops have very wide and low necklines it is quite easy for bras and breasts show a lot. I wear sleeves that do not ploom off of me, can be pushed or rolled up, or are higher on the arm if they are ruffled or poofy. I wear necklines that stay put. I wear tops that can be tucked in, or that do not bag off of me. Tops that do not shift.

7. Wear low heels

A high heel is fine if it is under 2.5 inches, anything over that does not qualify for comfortable to me. The best part about only buying low heels is that they actually get worn because I reach for them daily! So instead of having a wardrobe full of beautiful shoes that I never actually wear, I have a wardrobe of beautiful shoes that I actually wear.

8. Wear the right structured clothes

The term “structured clothing” can conjure up the idea of stiff uncomfortable fabrics, or even fabrics and cuts that hide your shape too much. But structure does not necessarily mean the fabric is unforgiving. You can have a great structure in an A-line dress while the fabric is silky and drapes softly on you. So the shape of a garment can lend it some structure, not just the fabric. On the flip side, you might need structure to the actual fabric and in the right spandex blend it will look structured but stretch with you. You can always get the kind of structured garment you need in a comfortable way. Beware of structured clothes that feel too stiff, unforgiving to movement, or do not drape well.

9. Wear classic clothes and less trends

Compare a button-down blouse or a cardigan to all of the weird features infused into fashion like ties on sleeves that hang down and get caught on stuff, or way too many zippers on moto jackets to look “edgy”. The feeling of clothes getting knotted and clinking all over the place is uncomfortable. Wear simple cuts with practical features for movement and it’s more comfortable!

10. Wear Midi Length

The midi length hemline is the only length a lady can bend in, sit in and move in and be unhindered in comfort and class. Middle of the thigh length is common for dresses and skirts and even higher for shorts. But those short lengths can show off more than you ever wanted to when you move around. A midi length hem is the classiest and more comfortable length for skirts and dresses, complimenting all heights and figures.

This is a bonus tip that I live by

Only wear soft fabrics. There is an abundance of silky soft fabrics in our day, but oddly if you are not careful you don’t realize how some items are not soft enough to want to put on every day. I realized at some point that there were many items in my wardrobe that I never reached for, but I liked the look of and that’s when it dawned on me, the fabric was either stiff, gritty, bad texture, not soft! I am picky now about the softness of my items, from simple t-shirts to dresses to sweaters and jeans. And just in case you are not a shopper, I happen to know that there are buttery soft fabrics in every item out there and that is why I have a hard fast rule now that it has to be soft.

Dressing well has never been easier with all of the options now days, even if all of the options feel overwhelming, at least many of them are geared toward being comfortable! We do not need to rely on sweatpants for comfort.

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