Elegance is not a rule. It’s just one possibility.
- Daniela Mansur
- Jan 15
- 3 min read
In recent years, I’ve noticed a movement within the image industry that genuinely concerns me: the idea that there is a “correct” way to dress — and that this way is called elegance.
This so-called elegance almost always comes packaged in the same way:perfect hair, flawless makeup, visible aesthetic procedures, clothes that fit a very specific standard, expensive handbags and shoes, recognisable brands.
As if this were the final destination for anyone who decides to take care of their image.
But it isn’t.
When elegance becomes an imposition
The problem is not elegance itself. Elegance can be beautiful, powerful and completely appropriate for many people.
The problem begins when it is presented as the only valid option.
When image professionals — especially those with large audiences and authority — communicate that dressing well necessarily means dressing elegantly, they exclude far more people than they include.
They exclude lifestyles.
They exclude routines.They exclude bodies.
They exclude cultures, religions, identities and social contexts.
And we are in 2026.
Defending a single way of dressing at this point is, at the very least, outdated.
There are many forms of beauty — not just one
The truth is simple: every tribe has its own beauty.
There is beauty:
in streetwear
in sporty and functional looks
in boho, hippie and alternative styles
in modest fashion
in creative aesthetics
in casual, well-resolved dressing
What changes is not value — it is visual language.
The real question should never be “Is this elegant?”
It should be: “Is this coherent with who this person is, how they live and what they need to communicate?”
Dressing well is not dressing alike
When everyone is pushed towards the same visual outcome, image stops being expression and becomes standardisation.
Image is not about fitting people into ready-made templates.It is about reading, understanding and translating identities.
In my professional practice, there is no single aesthetic result to be pursued.There is diagnosis. There is listening. There is strategy.
I consider:
personality
routine
real tastes (not aspirational ones)
the tribes a person belongs to
cultural, social and professional context
visual universe
From there, a coherent image is built — not an elegant disguise.
Authority does not live in a suit (or in high heels)
I work with many male clients who do not wear suits — and still communicate authority, presence and credibility.
Just as I work with many women who do not wear high heels — and lose absolutely nothing because of it.
Authority is not in the garment.
It is in coherence.
When image respects who the person truly is, it can support any message: leadership, creativity, confidence, spirituality, technical expertise or warmth.
The opposite is also true: when image imprisons, it exhausts, drains and creates distance.
Questioning the dictatorship of dressing is also a professional responsibility
Those who work with image are not merely service providers.They are spokespeople.
That is why we must constantly ask:
who does this discourse include?
who does it exclude?
who does this standard actually serve?
Defending only one way of dressing perpetuates an aesthetic dictatorship that no longer reflects the complexity of the world — or of people.
Image as freedom, not as a prison
Caring about image should not be about reaching an unattainable ideal.It should be about harmonising the many forms of beauty that exist — including your own.
Image should not imprison.
It should liberate.
And dressing well is not dressing elegantly.It is dressing in a way that is true, strategic and coherent with who you are.
Want an image that represents who you are — not a standard?
If the discourse around “elegance” doesn’t resonate with you, the problem may not be you — but the model you were sold.
In my image consultancy, there is no single aesthetic result to achieve.There is reading, listening and strategy.
I analyse your personality, your routine, your real tastes, the environments you move through and the tribes you belong to — to build an image that is coherent, functional and true.
No constraints.
No aesthetic dictatorships.
No fantasies of elegance that don’t fit your life.
👉 If you want an image that communicates who you are today, get in touch and learn more about my approach.
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