Work That Image!

It’s what you know, and not how you look, that matters. Still, looking cheap, weird or just plain inappropriate could cost you miles in the corporate rat race?

Unlike last generation’s population of faceless conformists – the ones who donned conservative suits in emulation and deference of their foreign masters, you’re one-of-a-kind – an individual. The post-modernist in you believes in the “essence” and not the “façade”. The .com boom and the nouveau riche have portended the end of the old order. Youth will inherit the Earth. Down with stuffy tradition and rules.

Not that you bear any resemblance to disposable undies, but would you pay for a pack (the expensive type) with torn wrapping? Hell, no! So you agree then, that appearances are important and your appearance matters to those who matter (they who pay). A rabid sense of empowerment, seductive fashion ads, limited budgets and a refusal to accept that men have different attitudes towards dressing, have lulled many women into thinking that a laissez faire attitude toward dressing in the workplace is OK.

However, the enlightened (and spiffily dressed) have accepted that people are paid to represent their professions/companies, and not themselves. In other words, the focus of dressing for work is not to express your personality; it’s to project a professional image that will increase your income and career opportunities.

You Are What You Eat

Who Decides What’s Right? Some traditional professions like banking and law project a distinct dignity and are thus predisposed toward the suited individual. However, the relationship-building interactions of teachers, property agents and sales people, encourage more relaxed attire to reflect a non-threatening approachability. Creative jobs such as advertising and journalism probably allow the most room for personalisation. Corporate Culture Is it casual every day or just casual Friday at your company? Take the cue from your bosses and peers. After all, you were hired to be part of an existing team so any attempts to set yourself apart could be taken negatively. Small-minded as it sounds, people are visual creatures who look for tangible signals. Expected Audience Who do you meet in your line of work? You are more likely to get the reaction you want if you give your audience what they expect. Lawyers can charge a high premium for their services because clients expect them to be more than mere mortals; so crumpled clothes and chipped nails just don’t cut it.

Navigating Dress Codes

Suits Polyester
screams cheap, wool or composites there of are timetested classics. While pants suits are acceptable, go for boot-cut over the billowing wide-legged variety. Save miniskirts for days off. At work, opt for skirts that end at the knee or just above.

Colours
Dark-coloured suits tend to look more authoritative. Pastel suits can be misconstrued as flighty or screaming for attention. While you may be a connoisseur of the modern runway trends, your male managers may still be a decade behind. Flats, thigh-high boots and stilettos are ill advised. Opt for brown or black well-cut, well-polished leather uppers with a oneinch heel. Stockings help to complete the look, and actually offer some protection from the dehydration of air conditioning.

Accessories
Avoid dangly earrings, multiple rings or bracelets, loudly patterned scarves, etc. that distract from your outfit.

Hair & Makeup
Untamed and unnaturally coloured hair can look haphazard. Makeup is a must since it covers flaws and lights up your face. But stick to neutral colours; blue eyeliner and green eye shadow is out unless your workplace happens to be the stage. Touch-ups are advised since people make assumptions about you throughout the day.

What About Personality?

To be trulycomfortable, your work wear should allow some self-expression but it shouldn’t make you stick out like a sore thumb. Pundits concur that moderation is a reliable guide. For instance, the avid mountain-climber could opt for that brooch styled after a carabina, rather than those clunky Timberlands. While body-piercing and large tattoos are completely justifiable (at home), they’re not worth it if they get in the way of how you’d like people to perceive you. Unfair as it seems, those who insist on marching to their own drumbeat may do so amidst the echoes of bells… ringing the corporate death knell. After all, you don’t want your bosses to think you’re more concerned with who you are and where you’re going after work, than with what you are in the office.

So you’re turning up your nose to the idea that appearance in the workplace counts, because you’re a living example of “rags to riches”. True enough, many companies may not care about your VPL as long as you deliver. But brains coupled with style are a killer combination, so why let someone else beat you to it?