Elegance is more than a social media trend that is used to sale things on liketoknow.it apps, it’s a timeless quality that epitomizes sophistication and discernment. The allure of elegance attracts those who are looking to elevate their life into one of beauty, grace and a finer way of being in the world. Elegance draws on elements of simplicity, quality, tailoring and grace. The essence of elegance is a timeless quality that transcends fashion trends, it is the cultivation of refining ourselves from the inside out to become a woman of a higher quality.
Elegance can be practiced in all areas of life and the pursuit of elegance is one that is personal to each of us and no two journeys will be the same. While elegance can be somewhat subjective, there are some things that remain present in elegance such as simplicity, sophisticated style, cleanliness, poise, and quality. I find these attributes to be the main pillars of cultivating elegance.
In a world that seems to fall more victim to an apathetic informal way of being, elegance brings back a touch of sophistication that is sorely missed nowadays. Elegance remains a timeless allure for those who seek a more beautiful way to live life.
Whether through style, mindset or surroundings, elegance is a personal choice that elevates the everyday life into an exquisite expression of oneself.
10 Tips to incorporate elegance into your everyday life
-Maintain Good Posture, Move Gracefully
Body language speaks loudly, so practice sitting up straight, walking with the head held high and shoulders back, standing in a relaxed position and more.
-Refine Your Wardrobe, Dress Well, Match Attire to Occasion
A closet of quality basics and a few occasion-specific pieces is all that is needed. Refine your wardrobe with well-fitted clothing that enhances your silhouette and exudes sophistication. Choose accessories sparingly and invest in high quality items.
-Focus on Self Care, Both Body & Mind
Elegance is not frazzled, messy or dull. It is calm, clean and vibrant and that is why self care is a must for creating and maintain elegance. Read books on elegance and style, take time to meditate and be in nature, visit a spa, get a facial, keep hands and feet clean and moisturized, get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water.
-Be Well Read
Elegance is always being able to have a conversation on different topics and interests. When one is well-read, they can discuss things with others in a poised and informed manner.
-Show Kindness and Respect
In all things. There is no reason to be unkind to others, even those you disagree with. Practice being okay to agree to disagree and not challenging others in a way that is disrespectful or angry. Keep your poise and show understanding and respect while in conversations to project an essence of elegance.
-Indulge in Culture
Museums, art exhibits, symphonies, operas, ballets, films, concerts, travel, these are just some of the ways that you can indulge the arts in your life. Expose yourself to things that you may not have before and find a niche that you love and cultivate an appreciation for it.
-Maintain a Level of Privacy and Cultivate Mystery
Cultivate some mystery around yourself by being selective of what you share. This is not to say that one should not share anything about themselves, but there are areas of life that one should keep private. Things such as personal struggles, future plans, personal goals, inner workings of your relationship, speaking of how much something costs or something that sounds boastful should be kept private. It’s okay to divulge these things to very close confidants or a therapist, but these should not be discussed to acquaintances, people you just met or on social media.
-Embrace Simplicity
In all things as stated above. Simplicity is a key component of elegance and therefore must be adhered to when cultivating elegance. Practice simplicity in style, mannerisms, surroundings, finances, goals, accessories, mindset, choices, everyday life.
-Be Discerning and Selective
With the advent of commerce such as temu, shein and amazon it seems easier than ever to get cheap stuff. However, cheap stuff creates a cheap life and not an elegant one. Overall, many have lost their ability to be discerning and selective about what comes into their life. Their stuff, time, social media followings, places visited, travel destinations, everything seems to be driven out of a place of scarcity, so being able to let someone else influence your decision has become norm and has overall diminished the quality of life. Learn to tune out the chatter and do research into what is quality. Start to be selective into what you allow into your life in all things.
-Upgrade Your Surroundings
It can be hard to cultivate an elegant mindset if your surroundings do not reflect the same back to you. Cleaning up our spaces, closets, cars, offices, and beauty cabinet will help create surroundings that will reflect back a lifestyle of elegance. It sets the stage to do the inner work. Some quick tips to create elegant surroundings might be having fresh flowers in the home, playing instrumental music in the background, cleaning and decluttering the home, bringing in elevated elements such as marble or gold accents, and lighting scented candles. Cultivate surroundings of elegance and it will in turn help you keep elevating to a state of elegance.
Beth says
My daughter is getting ready to leave for a semester abroad this weekend. The other night at dinner I brought in crystal candlesticks and lit candles. She said, “Why are you lighting candles for dinner?” I told her I had decided my 50s were going to be fancier so lit candles in crystal candlesticks on a random Tuesday was going to be more common!
ThePetiteTresor says
I think that is so lovely. Elegance as an everyday way of life really elevates each moment and I love that you want to do that for yourself, even on a random Tuesday 🙂