Dress Smart - The Packaging Of You – How To Clothe Your Self
YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
As David McNally and Karl Speak stated so well in Be Your Own Brand, “A brand reflects a perception or emotion maintained in somebody else’s mind… It doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think. It matters a whole lot what other people think.
YOU ARE THE BRAND
With corporations spending millions on establishing brands, redefining brands, and expanding brands, it should come as little surprise that you, too, have a brand: Yourself. And how you package that brand will be integral to the path of your career. By understanding that your identity can be defined by the way you dress and by deciding what clear message you are going to send out, you are defining your image and not allowing other to shape it. for you. This is the first important step to taking control of your career.
CLOTHES AS BRAND ATTRIBUTES
Tom Wolfe always wears a white suit. Johnny Cash is the Man in Black George Will favors bow ties. Pat Riley lives in Armani suits. Men such as these define themselves by what they wear. Their trademark styles immediately telegraph who they are and what they stand for.
Signatures such as these have long been understood by politicians. Consider some past presidents: Bill Clinton sported Donna Karan suits, suggesting that he was the very model of a modern man. Ronald Reagan epitomized the man who wears red power ties. Jimmy Carter chose cozy sweaters to imply that he was a warm and fuzzy president, a man of the people. And John F. Kennedy famously brought about the demise of the men’s hat because he refused to wear one.
The same principles apply in business. A boss who rolls up his shirt sleeves at work is telling his staff that he is unafraid of hard work. A young assistant who carries a briefcase is letting everyone know how hard he will work and how organized he is. In the early stages of a career, having a signature look is hardly important. In fact, if one is too stylish it may actually be a distraction for many in the office. Early on, you want to show people that you are competent and reliable. There will be plenty of time to amass that Hermes tie collection.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
What may be appropriate in your office may not be ideal for the world at large. Simply following a dress code blindly, without taking your audience into account, can be perilous. For instance, a black suit, which is perfectly acceptable attire in New York City, may seem off-putting and too edgy for those in the South. Likewise, a white-collar manager who works mainly in the office might seem out of place if he dressed in a suit and tie to meet the branch office in the Midwest. The message you are delivering may loud and clear, but you may be delivering it to deaf ears.
THE CONVERSATION YOU NEVER HEAR
Like ancient Greek poetry, an office dress code is rarely written down. When you are hired, you are unlikely to be told how to dress for your first day on the job, and this may leave flummoxed. So what can you do? Simple: Look around you and ask. When you went on interviews, what wear the people who hired you wearing? What were the people who work for them wearing? Pay attention and follow suit. If that fails and you are still unsure, ask before you begin. It will only reflect well on you one more example of how conscientious you are.
Similarly, if you have already been working somewhere and you are inappropriately dressed, you may not hear it until it is too late. Don’t show an employer a weakness such as poor dressing. It’s too pay attention to your peers. Who knows, the dress code may be changing right before your eyes and you wear busy waiting for the memo.
“Be your self’ is the worst advice you can give some people.”… said by TOM MASSON
Dress Better, Spend Less: Wardrobe Economics -
DRESSING FOR THE JOB INTERVIEW
You spent years getting the education, weeks setting up the appointments, and days polishing the resume, so don’t let a few minutes of bad clothes or poor grooming undermine all that. This is your first, and perhaps only, encounter with a potential employer, and you need to make the most of it.
Think of a job interview as a blind date, albeit a professional one, You and your interview have a finite amount of time to figure out if you have similar interests, compatible work ethics and skill sets, and whether you are comfortable enough with one another to spend eight hours a day together. And, just as on a blind date, you want to make the best first impression. Appearance counts. It’s not that you have to be attractive to an interviewer, but you do have to appear professional and highly competent because if you don’t the next guy will.
INVEST IN YOURSELF
Preparing for a career comes with start-up costs, but there will be a return on investment a salary. While it may hurt the bottom line at first to buy a suit, shirts, ties, and a nice pair of shoes, you have to trust in your ability to get a job and understand that this will be a relatively low-risk investment. The right suit, paired with be a and tie, will provide you with a good shirt and tie, will provide you with enough c9onfidence to walk into any interviewer’s office. It’s a confidence that speaks not only to your skills as a potential employee, but also provides you with peace of mind; while interviewing, you shouldn’t be thinking about what you’re wearing.
DOLLARS AND GOOD SENSE
Tempting as it may be to go out and purchase expensive first suit, it would be very unwise. Looking good has nothing to do with how much money you spend, and at this nothing to do with how much money you spend, and at this point in your life, why blow your budget on a $1,500 suit, when one for $250 will suffice? You need to determine what your greatest needs are and understand where to put the most money and where not to.
SHOP SMART. QUALITY = VALUE
If splurging on an Armani suit isn’t answer right now, what is? Quality. Whether it’s a handsome suit or a good pair of shoes, it is more important to buy items of quality rather than name-brand designs. To understand how quality can make a difference, go to a department store and try on some high-end suits notice, how they are constructed, how the fabric feels to the hand. Then, head over to the cheaper racks and look for suits that resemble
WARDROBE ECONOMICS
To dress well without spending a fortune requires foresight. If you know what you are willing to spend the most on, and roughly how high you can afford to go, you will be a much smarter shopper. One of the most basic rules when staring out is to stick with the classics: Blue suits, white shirts, simple black lace-up shoes. These items can last you for years and will never go out of style.
The majority of your investment should go to that first suit. After all, it is the armor that will protect you as you head off to interview, and you need to be flawless. A single-breasted navy suit in medium-weight wool is the way to go. You can wear it all year, and it won’t go out of style before your third promotion.
Think about the elements that will go best with it: Shirts, ties, shoes. And again, remember that you don’t need to spend a lot to get good quality: A $25 tie can look just as sharp as a $150 tie.
REALITY CHECK
Whether you are graduating from school with a small national debt in student loans or wear recently laid off, the idea of spending money on clothes may appear laughable. Deal with it; if you don’t have the vision and courage to bet on yourself then what’s the point? It always hurts to win but so does losing. Pay attention, read care-fully, make a list and stick to it. You are buying your uniform for your first job, a new job, a new start what could be money better spent?
Good reading can be found at
Who Wears What To Work - Industry Dress Codes.
“The ideal look, as you claw your way to the lower middle rung, is that of a hip funeral director… To the delight of your boss, your sartorial restraint will signify a comforting subservience.”
SIMON DOONAN
Author, writer for The New York Observer
No industry standard is foolproof different companies within the same industry often have their own rules but there are some general guidelines that tend to remain cons...
The following article also comes highly recommended:
Cracking The Business Dress Codes .
DRESS CODES OF BUSINESS
Company dress codes are not well defined and are rarely written down. They are mostly gleaned by observing: “What is there basis dress code that every office usually falls into, as one personal dress code. Follow these guidelines and you will be safe.
CORPORATE DRESS CODE
The most formal standard of dress there is, the corporate dress code means suits with shirts, usually white and ties. This the...
Perhaps you would like more about
Your Clothes Talk, And People Listen.
“We’d all like to be taken for what we’d like to be.”
MALCOLM FORBES
“In corporations where a shirt-sleeve atmosphere reigns, it is possible to acquire high visibility by always wearing a jacket, which makes one look more solid, conservative and reliable than anyone else.
MICHAEL KORDA
Power!
In the high-tech, high-speed world we live in, instant gratification is often not soon enough. We like our ...
The following article also comes highly recommended:
Interview Wardrobe - From Dress Smart - Wardrobes That Win In The New Workplace .
“It is possible through the skillful manipulation of dress in any particular situation to evoke a favorable response to your positioning and your needs.”
JOHN T. MOLLOY - New Dress for Success
“The more you know, the less you need.”
AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL SAYING
If you’re So Smart, Why Do You Dress So Stupid?
-Clothes & Career
“Let us be thankful for the fools; but for them the rest of us could ...
Perhaps you would like more about
Do You Dress Smart? - From Dress Smart - Wardrobes That Win In The New Workplace.
You only seven seconds to make an impression. Clothes make the difference! So dress smart!
Here is a short question and answer game to test your knowledge.
1. - I work for a traditional law firm with a strict corporate dress code. I am traveling with my boss to a three-day conference that we leave for no a Sunday afternoon. Can I wear my weekend jeans and sneakers on our flight?
2.- Do I need to wear a suit to my intervi...
Please visit
Business Wardrobe Trends.
Watch out, “Casual Friday!” “Dress-Up Thursday” is coming to town and he means business! Now that the corporate casual scene has completely enveloped the American tailored clothing market, a backlash is in the making. With billions of dollars in retail sales at stake and a continuing degeneration in corporate American values at risk, this is no longer a subject to be joked about.
"... a casual business environment...
Great custom tailoring information can be found in
How To Dress For A Wedding - Guests Attire.
Advice for what a wedding guest should wear to every type of wedding.
You've gotten the invitation for your friends' wedding, happily circled the date on your calendar and started shopping for their gift, when all of a sudden it hits you – what are you supposed to wear??? The etiquette for proper wedding guest attire can vary greatly depending on the style of the wedding. You'll have to become a little bit of a detective, bu...
Or the highly acclaimed article on
The S-numbers Game - The Super In Mens Wool Suits.
The men’s floor at any upscale retailer has suits in a wide range of prices colors and cuts. But many have one thing in common: The now-ubiquitous labels that promote the quality of the fabric with number like “Super 110s” and “Super 150s.
Just as cotton bed sheets trumpet thread octane, suit makers are using these number to tout their wool. Higher numbers translate to narrower fibers, which makers say are softer to th...
Please visit
Choosing A Mens Custom Tailor.
God made man.
A Tailor makes a gentleman- anon.
Working in an office every day with a virtual who's who in the business world affords me the opportunity to see a lot of designer clothing labels. Time and again I see young executives, up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and even established movers-and-shakers waltz in with today's most prestigious designer brands. Before I educated myself and learned what to look for in a wel...
Please check out
How To Store Your Custom Clothing At Home.
Every closet should be lined with cedar. Cedar protects against moths that will attack garments, particularly those with a residue of sweet spills. Cedar also absorbs other body odors; consequently clothes just come out of a cedar closet smelling better. Why construct an Inner Sanctum any other way?
Every man has a different way of organizing his closet, but what’s important is that it’s organized. In an extremely...
Please visit
Dress For Interview Success.
While the college campus may be the perfect forum in which to exhibit your flair for the latest in fashion style, the interview is not the place to do so. With very few unusual exceptions (my apologies to Apple Computer), sandals and sweatshirts are out. Oxfords and business suits are still in. I don't like a necktie (noose?) any better than the next person, but it is still a fact of life in interviewing. Even though many companies ...
Also see
Buying Or Renting - What Is Best For The Tuxedo Or Dinner Suit.
Unless you're exchanging vows on a beach in Kauai, your best Bermuda shorts won't make the cut -- you'll need formalwear in which to greet your bride. If you have season tickets to the opera, you may already be a tuxedo owner, all set to look snazzy on your big day. But otherwise, the question is whether to rent or buy.
TO RENT OR TO BUY?
Money is the main factor in your decision. Renting will cost about 10% to 30% of the price of...
The following article also comes highly recommended:
The Easy Fix - The Seasons New Jacket Styles - Change The Jacket, Change The Look.
There may be one shortcut into men’s fashion this autumn: the sport coat. Sure, men could take the trouble to get familiar with the season’s head-to-toe checklist of fashions, form the right dress shirt (stores are pushing spread collars) to shoes (brogues, wingtips and lots of brown). But compared with women’s styles tend to stick around longer in the men’s department, which is on surprise to all the guys still wonder...
Great custom tailoring information can be found in
Custom Made To Measure Suits And Shirts - How To Sell.
Firstly, here are some acronyms you might want to know about -
MTM - Made to Measure
RTW - Ready to Wear
CM - Custom Made
CMT - Cut Make Trim
Selling MTM clothing is no different from selling any other type of clothing. You identify a need, and you present the customer with options that fill his need. Once you appreciate this simple fact, you’ll come to realize how appealing and lucrative selling MTM can be. As a resul...
Good reading can be found at
Cotton - Hemp - Jute - Custom Clothing.
COTTON, cool, soft, comfortable, the principal clothing fiber of the world.
Its production is one of the major factors in world prosperity and economic stability.
Cotton "breathes". What would we do without cotton? Since cotton wrinkles, polyester was added to give it wash and wear properties for a busy world. In recent times, the consumer determined that polyester, although easier to care for, took away the cool from c...
Also worth visiting is
Flight Suits - Your Wardrobe When You Travel.
IT'S the beginning of another summer travel season, and passengers at some of the busiest airports look little different than if they were shopping at a mall, their increasingly casual wardrobe of T-shirts and shorts having eclipsed any remnants of the golden era of travel, that time before airline deregulation led to cheap tickets, when dressing for the airport meant dressing up.
But take a closer look, and it's apparent ...
Perhaps you would like more about
Clothes Do Make The Man! - Or At Least The First Impression.
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression"
-- Will Rogers
How important really is what we wear?
Is there a cause/effect in how we are treated by the world? Does it make a difference in getting someone to help you in a Department store, or being seated at a good table in a restaurant? Can’t people look through all the superficial and see the real us?
Fortunately, we have some scientific evidence to suppor...
Also see
Mens Custom Clothing In Wool Specialty Fibers.
WOOL fabric brings to mind cozy warmth. Some wools are scratchy giving some people the idea that they are "allergic" to wool. Although wool fiber comes from a variety of animal coats, not all wool's are scratchy but rather extremely soft. The wool fibers have crimps or curls which create pockets and gives the wool a spongy feel and creates insulation for the wearer. The outside surface of the fiber consists of a series of serrated...
Also see
How To Hire A Custom Tailor To Make Mens Suits And Mens Shirts.
If you can't find the clothes you're looking for at a store, consider having them made. Good tailors can create garments that reflect your personal style and fit your figure impeccably. They also can perform minor miracles when you need an item updated or altered.
The Steps:
1. Ask friends or your favorite online custom tailoring site for recommendations. A local fabric store is another possible source for referrals. ...
Good reading can be found at
About Cloth - Natural And Synthetics.
NATURAL FABRICS are created from fibers of animals coats, silkworm cocoons, and plants' seeds, leaves, and stems. Click on the natural fiber below for information on each fiber and their weaves.
Wool -
Fibers from animal coats: Sheep, goats, rabbits, alpacas, llama...and so on.
Cotton - Fibers from the cotton plant's seed pod Silk - Fibers from the cocoon of the silkworm Linen - Linen is from flax, a bast fiber taken...
Or even
Clothing Colours And Their Meanings.
RED: Wear red when you want to appear assertive or spontaneous. Avoid it when you want to avoid conflict or dispute.
Blue: Wear blue when you want to appear trustworthy and loyal. Choose dark shades of the color when you want to appear businesslike. Wear pale shades of blue when you want to appear innocent and naïve.
BLACK: when you want to appear reserved, unapproachable or authoritative... or dynamic and exciting when w...
Also see
You Can Wash Silk At Home.
The following newspaper article has some suggestion concerning read-made silk clothing -
Labels reading “dry clean only” are a a put-off to many who view them as surcharges on their
Original investment. A silk blouse that is going to cost you $25 in cleaning fees over te nest year is on longer a $100 blouse, but a $125 blouse.
And sine silk, cotton and other natural fibers have been around a lot longer than the dry...
The following article also comes highly recommended:
Alan Flusser: Back To Basics.
Alan Flusser? He is the man who dressed Michael Douglas’ Gordon Gekko character in the film Wall Street. He is an author of four informative books on men’s clothing and style. He is a dandy in the original sense of the term, a man who loves both clothes and to dress stylishly. I have always, admittedly, been a fan of his tastes. Recently, I had a special chance to meet up with Alan Flusser at his custom shop and play a different r...
Also see
Accessories For Mens Custom Clothing.
You know the importance of a great wardrobe, and you take extra care to make sure you have an adequate amount of shirts, sweaters and pants to take you through every season with just the right touch of style. And shoes... you have learned the value of the right pair, especially when women make it known that you've got the shoes to make "it" happen.
But there are other items available for men that can make the difference between supe...
