Dressing Appropriately for Your Position

By Anne Dreyer, South Africa

“Human Resources professionals estimate that 95% of people dress inappropriately for their jobs!”

Developing your signature professional style for work will contribute to more tremendous career success. Appearance still matters—how you look and behave has a measurable effect on the viewer.
Our world today has become a small global village, and with the mingling of different cultures and mindsets of all generations—all playing the game of wanting to be the best in the working arena—it has become more than vital for us to have in-depth knowledge of the mechanics and dynamics of the business environment to conduct ourselves successfully.
Thirty years after women forced their way into boardrooms worldwide via the women’s movement, we put our cause back at least sixty years in favor of casual clothing. Divested of the most potent components of the business uniform- clothing elements that have garnered respect and built fortunes for more than five hundred years. Today, women work harder to earn less and are more stressed than ever.
For example, “Casual Friday” started as a way for businesspeople to usher in the weekend by “dressing down” one day a week. Instantly, it became a daily uniform for many offices that soon spiraled so entirely out of control that women who once went to work in suits and heels started reporting to work in shorts and flip-flops, looking like they were going to the beach.

Sloppy Dress

Dressing appropriately for the office and developing a unique business style is vital. Sandals, midriff showing, and ‘recycled Barbie’ hairstyles are unacceptable!

Image vs. Talent

Today, 85% of reaching the pinnacle of your career has to do with how you ‘package yourself’- how you dress, speak, and behave- and only 15% of your success is due to your skills!
Because in this day and age of casual dress and relaxed attitudes, taking the time to dress appropriately for your industry and learning to behave correctly will put you so far ahead of almost everyone you work with or compete with that the avalanche of benefits you’ll enjoy will astound you!
Researchers have proven there is an excellent PAY OFF for dressing and behaving correctly, and some of the benefits are:
  • Complying with your request
  • Trusting you with information
  • Giving you access to decision-makers
  • Hiring you and determining your compensation!
First impressions DO matter, and it is not only about a pretty face or if you spent tons of time and money training for your career. Alternatively, even if you went to the “right” school, joined all the “right” organizations, or have an excellent resume…
If you jeopardize the way you look by showing up to work in clothes that never warranted a second thought, it is like cutting a perfect diamond, putting it in an elaborate setting, polishing it to a high sheen… and then wrapping it in a brown paper bag and wondering why no one gives it a second look.
“Clothes make the man: naked men have no influence.”: This statement applies to women as well.

Image Audit

Do your work clothes accurately and immediately identify your position, income, and level of success?
Does the way you dress instantly grant you access to the people and places that will help you advance your career?
Why sell yourself short?
Because even if you’re the brightest, most intelligent, wittiest, and most deserving woman around, if you don’t dress appropriately for your position, you’re not going to advance as quickly as you should.
By simply matching your business attire to your position accurately, you could instantly change the outcome of every meeting you attend, order you give, or interaction with other people.

Develop your unique style!

To develop style…
  • you only need a few pieces of quality clothing that can mix and match.
  • reconcile what suits your height, shape, and age from what’s currently in fashion.
  • understand which ‘looks’ are appropriate for what occasions.
In other words, become a woman who understands fashion without becoming a slave.
You can quickly learn how to develop this, and the experience of trial and error can give any woman from any background the ability to achieve a fashionable, flattering, and professional look.
Our taste affects how we coordinate colors, patterns, and fabrics. Learning about harmonious color schemes, appropriate patterns, how various fabrics drape and relate to our shapes, and how to coordinate jewelry skillfully are all critical steps in developing good taste.

Self Confidence

For a woman to create a lasting and enduring style, she must discover what suits her and find her ‘special signature.’ If a woman does not have her own ’look,’ she may either become a fashion victim or continue to wear styles of her youth…

True confidence is built on ‘knowing yourself.’ Self-confidence never grows from perfection- it is only when we know our weaknesses, learn to control them, and then build on our strengths. If we can accept the way we look and feel about ourselves, this will enable us to reflect true confidence and style!
This confidence tells others that you respect, love, and dress up for yourself and nobody else.

Style comes from knowing who you are and what you want to be in the world: it does not come from wanting to be someone else, or wanting to be thinner, shorter, taller, or prettier.

Age Appropriateness

Dress for your age…

Women are reinventing themselves; many are entering new careers and working well into their seventies. (I salute you, Judi Moreo!)

Appropriate covering is the key to aging gracefully. If your upper arms, thighs, and décolletage have seen better days, it’s time to cover them up instead of sharing the wear-and-tear with the world.

Extremes are best avoided at a certain age, as they exaggerate your less-than-positive features. However, that does not mean frumpy. It means you must modify some aspects of your style as you do during the month when you feel bloated… it’s all about adapting.

As we age, rather than being trendy and following the latest fashion, no matter how much it might not suit us (as we may attempt to do in our teens and twenties), what we need is to develop our own style – a style that suits us, our lifestyle and our time of life.

Be stylish and professional at any age

Be aware of fashion without the urge to buy the latest trends. A new, modern haircut and a tremendous new-season shoe and handbag will go a long way toward making you look modern and timeless without making you look like “mutton dressed as lamb.”

Style at any age

Develop a more sophisticated look as you age, but retain some fun elements.

Many factors may influence our “sense of style, “ and this is part of the knowledge of knowing ourselves better—to embrace our uniqueness and become confident and beautiful no matter what age!

Simplicity

Simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing, which are not expensive.

Your clothes should allow you to comfortably eat, move, sit, and breathe. Try a different size if something is too constraining, rides up, or slides off. That means that the size of your garment should be at least an inch bigger than your body. This is a small amount, and you should be able to “pinch an inch” of fabric when wearing the garment.

Make sure you have enough coverage at your neckline and hem. Give yourself a minimum of half an inch safety margin. Check that you can get in and out of the car, bend over, or sit down easily without your undergarments exposed!

Make sure your clothes fit your body, and have them altered to your shape.

Jeans are a great wardrobe staple. Look for darker denim; these are dressier, more classic, and won’t date too quickly.

Higher-quality fabrics are essential for a professional look…

Think like a French woman, “quality is essential to elegance.” Aim for quality over quantity. Sound quality is not an extravagance; it lasts for a long time and may be the better investment because you get more uses for each item.

“Your clothes should be tight enough to show you’re a woman, but loose enough to show you’re a lady.” – Marilyn Monroe

Nothing will transform a look from classy to cheap faster than clothing that’s too tight or too revealing. When underwear lines show through tight pants, cellulite can be clearly seen through stretched fabrics, and any visible color or lace shows through your blouse, you know that you’re sending out the wrong message.

It is worth investing in getting some help from a professional. This will be an investment in your Wealth. The Payoff: if you look good, you will feel good—and the best jobs and contracts will be yours!

“Dress shabbily, and they remember the dress. Dress impeccably, and they remember the woman.” – Coco Chanel

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of CHOICES Magazine