Since May is Fashion Month at GoHorseShow, I thought it would be fitting to combine two of my favorite subjects–Clothes and Psychology. To my surprise, they go together like boots and spurs. Try incorporating a few of these tips into your next outfit and you might just find yourself in the winners circle!
The Basics
We all know that you only have one chance to make a first impression, and in the case of horse showing, it’s a very fast impression at best. Based on the great fashion information from GoHorseShow this month, the main takeaway to remember is that fit and function trump all when you step in the show pen. No matter what your budget is, everyone can afford to wear clean and well tailored clothing that is suited to the task. Spend time before the show and make sure that your clothes fit properly and are clean and pressed. There is nothing worse than an expensive outfit that looks like it spent the winter crammed in the dressing room of your horse trailer.
Clothing affects how others see us
Like it or not, what we wear influences the opinions that people form about us. Since the basic style of show clothing is dictated by the rule book and not the fashion police, the main way to influence others is through color. Here are a few tips to consider when choosing what to wear:
• When people wear red, they are seen as strong and bold, so if you need a mojo boost, then give red a try.
• If you are naturally a bit anxious and look a little tense in the pen, then blue is your color. Associated with peace, calm and the sea, 40% of the global population say blue is their favorite color, and who doesn’t like looking at their favorite color?
• Purple is the color of royalty and is associated with wealth and luxury, but since it is rarely found in nature, it can appear a bit artificial, so you might use purple as a nice accent color to ensure you don’t end up looking like Barney the Dinosaur.
• Need to relax? Try going green. It is the easiest color on the eyes, and is refreshing as well.
• We all know that wearing black can make us appear thinner, but it also has another by- product, it’s the color of authority and power, and quite frankly, it goes with almost any horse color, so it is always a safe pick.
Clothing affects our actions and behavior
Have you ever had a ‘go to’ outfit? You know, the one that when we put it, our day gets a bit brighter and it seems like we can do no wrong? While our outfit may seem almost magical, it isn’t magic at all. The reason why this happens is called Enclothed Cognition, and it is a very real phenomena. In a nutshell, a study was done at Northwestern University with a white lab coat. Participants in the study were asked to identify the color of a word that was flashed on a screen while ignoring the actual word. There were two groups, one group wore regular street clothes, and the second group wore a white lab coat. Guess who made the least amount of mistakes? Yep. The folks wearing the lab coats made less mistakes than the other group.
So the bottom line is, “The influence of wearing a piece of clothing depends on both its symbolic meaning and the physical experience of wearing the clothes,” says Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky, researchers from the Northwestern University study. “There seems to be something special about the physical experience of wearing a piece of clothing.”
When we select our show outfits, the key is to find something that gives us that special feeling. That way, when we look the part of a World Champion, we take on the persona of a World Champion and we rise to the level of our outfit.
Lucky Clothes
For the same reason as that special outfit, we may have items that we always wear because we believe they bring us good luck, and quite frankly, if we believe something will bring us luck, chances are, it will, and here’s why. When we have a good luck charm, it reminds us of the success we have experienced in the past, and when we show, we are riding the wave of all of those great memories and carrying them forward into our next performance. It is important to know that the ‘Luck” doesn’t come from the object itself, but from the feeling that you bring to the object. That way, when your lucky socks are ready to go to the great beyond, you won’t lose all of you luck, you just need to infuse it into a new pair.
The Best Fabric for Show Clothing
Whether you wear bling or a plain shirt, the best outfits are made from confidence. When we’re confident, we sit a little taller, smile a little bigger and we exude an undeniable presence that can’t be created with fabric and rhinestones, because it comes from the inside, not the outside.
Kirsten Farris is a regular contributor to GoHorseShow.com and a Certified Sport Consultant, Certified Equestrian Fitness Trainer, and the Author of The Workbook for the Equestrian Athlete – A Guide to Showring Success. Kirsten and her horse, Lyles Al Lie, were the 2012 and 2013 AQHA Select World Champion in Hunter Under Saddle. For more information contact her at: kirsten@equestrianathlete.com © 2013
