When dressing for business or work you need to look credible, confident and comfortable.
That sounds easy doesn’t it? But as you may know that’s not always the case.
First of all your clothes need to complement you physically, it really is important to know your body shape, colouring, your face shape and your own style.
Without knowing these things it is very hard, expensive (think mistakes!) and time consuming to find clothes that look good on you.
Do Your Clothes Express Your Personality?
Next, your clothes need to express your personality, this can be done in lots of ways, but in terms of dressing for business this should be done with extra thought.
You need to look credible and in keeping with your companies ideals and the image it is trying to give, so you need to ‘blend in’, but at the same time put your own personality across. This can be done with accessories and colour, but it is sensible to keep it a toned down version of your weekend personality clothes.
Remember it has to be appropriate for the occasion’ – if during you own time you have a preference for ‘hippy or Goth’ type attire it would be acceptable for work if that just manifested itself as a bright hippy scarf or black nail polish and may be an accessory that you feel comfortable with but that wasn’t over the top.
Are You Following Current Fashion Styles?
And lastly your clothes should be current, but not necessarily the height of fashion – now of course all these depend on where you work – I can hear the person who works in the Fashion Houses of London and Paris all screaming that they need to do the opposite! Well as I said it’s fitting in with the ideals and ideas of the company or place in which you work.
Dressing for Business First Impressions
Wherever we go, it’s making that first impression (think interview or the receptionist at a company) that is all so important.
Research shows that within 90 seconds of meeting someone, we form an opinion about him or her mainly based on appearance. This isn’t consciously, but our brain reacts instinctively on an emotional level before it can analyse any information.
If someone’s appearance contradicts what they are saying then we do not believe the spoken word, because the visual message is much stronger. It can be very difficult to correct a poor first impression, so it is vital for that first meeting, particularly if your career depends on it – there may be no second chance. Every day at work we are being judged, and judged far better if we fit in with our appearance.
People who are moving from a corporate business to working for themselves should reassess their wardrobe, because you are now your companies personality and you should show that, but in a way that is going to be totally acceptable and recognizable to your clients.
A Social Psychologist – Albert Mehrabian found that 55% of a first impression is based on appearance (dress, grooming, body language, et.) 38% on the way we sound (tone and pitch of our voice accent etc_ and only 7% on what we have to say.
So find out what your body shape is, or call me for a personal consultation, and you’ll soon feel much more confident and comfortable in the clothes you wear for business.
In the next article on Business Wear, I’ll share my tips on finding the best colours to wear.
Personal Image Consultant
