After discussing some interesting albeit abstract topics lately, I thought it might be useful to address a sartorial issue on the plates of men everywhere.How best to dress for moving up in one's career is a universal concern.
Many of us head off to a traditional office day after day and finding something interesting yet appropriate to wear can at times be a frustrating exercise. Though I make no claims on having the final word about this amorphous issue, here are a few tips that I think can help.
Clearing Out the Under Performers
I recently went through an end-of-year purge and was able to dislodge a lot of clothes that had been busy taking up space in my closet. It turns out that I had been holding on to a whole bunch of shirts and sweaters – for years in some cases – hoping that someday I would rotate them back into service. Once I bothered to try them on and make an honest assessment, it was clear that they either no longer fit or were simply out of style. They had to go, and so they did.
Whatever your position, when you want to move your career forward it is important to treat your wardrobe as an extension of your resume. Look at your wardrobe with a new and very critical eye. Don’t be sentimental; be practical and honest with yourself. It's fine to hold on to one or two items that have true emotional value even though they don't get much wear, but keep it to a very small collection.
Setting a New Tone
The Wall Street Journal ran an article recently about dressing to be CEO. It has a number of practical observations that can help most men get with the program and start looking like someone who at least deserves the opportunity to prove himself. Make a point to skim through it when you have a chance.
In fact, that right there is a good starting point. You first need to make the deliberate decision that you are in the market to be promoted, to move on, or to strike out on your won. However you want to look at it, this is the act of choosing to be, and be seen as, a leader. Before we go any further, and I can’t stress this enough, get over the “my clothes shouldn’t matter” argument. They do and people will pass judgment on you based on what you wear. Just accept it and move on to crafting your professional image.
Defining Your Message
Generally speaking, the executive look is fairly universal. It is polished, clean, well-fitting, color coordinated, simple and of a high quality. Its overall effect conveys an impression of authority. And this is true across any industry. Any good leader is concious about the image he projects and how it will be interprited by others.
Sir Richard Branson, for example, may be a maverick billionaire who plays by his own rules, but his apparently casual style is well thought out and by no means slapdash. He has cultivated a trademark look – breezy and laid back – but it is executed in a very particular way. It is his CEO uniform and it works because his personality and leadership style match it. Don't fake your wardrobe or your personality.
For most of us, the kinds of sartorial changes needed to develop a profession and polished look are not monumental. You don’t need to run out and buy a bunch of custom suits to start getting noticed. Many offices today are at least partially business casual, which means the focus should be a notch or two down from regular business dress.
Making It Work
In place of a suit, coordinating separates provide both flexibility and polish. Wear dress trousers with an ironed open collar shirt and sport coat or blazer. This combination can yield many variations in style, pattern and color yet you are really only dealing with three pieces.
When choosing a dress shirt that that you plan to wear without a tie, make sure to avoid longer collar points. They tend to look as though you forgot a tie. English spread collars are a good fit with this look. Also, you’ll want to choose shirts with a high second button stance. This will give it a fitted and finished appearance, again avoiding the “you forgot your tie” impression.
Presidential candidate Barak Obama even made style news with his ability to carry off this casual yet professional no-tie look.
In place of a sport coat, you can also layer a sweater over the shirt. Polo collared sweaters are particularly nice with this look. Stick with more neutral colors like grey, blue, brown and taupe; let the shirt underneath provide the color or pattern. For casual days, avoid the temptation of letting everything go to pot and acting like you’re back in college. It is in situations like these that your true sense of style and professionalism show through.
CEOs and senior executives, at least the good ones, know that how you dress is only part of the overall package. Polishing you image is just the first step to success, however you choose to define it. You also should make an investment in yourself: study up on business and social etiquette, current affairs, politics and issues that affect your industry.
Because when it comes down to brass tacks, if you look good but have nothing to say, you might as well have stayed home.
Good start. And good advice to "get over it." You are always judged by your appearance. Particularly at first glance, there are numerous scientific studies that bear this out.
ReplyDeletePlease don't neglect the shoes. It's amazing how many men are doing fairly well, and then you get to the shoes.... The classics are classic for a reason. They always look appropriate and are never out of style. Spend the money. I'm still wearing shoes that I purchased 25 years ago. They look even better with their well-polished patina, now.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in London, I worked at the Royal Academy of Arts. One evening, the RA was hosting a party for Ernst & Young (sponsors of the Monet exhibition) - everyone showed up in suits, the dress code was business.
Sir Richard showed up wearing jeans, a leather jacket, an oxford cloth shirt, and hiking shoes. He was the most polite person I had the pleasure of welcoming to the many parties I worked at the RA. He had a big smile when he crossed the door and said "hello ladies" to me and my colleague.
Even though he was dressed down, his behaviour was beyond classy.
My husband, then boyfriend, and who was then a corporate aircraft broker and was used to dealing with million- and billionaires (including European royal families), remarked something that has stayed with me since - he said that when you are so sucessful, have so much money and have class, you have nothing to prove and you do not need to over-dress - the difficult part is pulling it off so well as Branson does!
Good point on the shoes - that can, and surely will be, a column in and of itself. My favorite pair are some wonderfully rich brown wing tips that were a present from my dad 18 years ago. They were from Barry Ltd., a footwear institution in New Haven, right next to the original J. Press. Sadly, like many other regional institutions, they too have passed from the scene.
ReplyDeleteClaudia, thanks very much for the comments - a great story and two great blogs. My wife is a knitter too and loved your yarns.
Claudia raises a point. When are you considered successful enough to completely ignore the small requests of those who are hosting you? Showing up a hour and a half late, for example. Or devising your own dress code and expecting other guests to "suffer" as requested since they haven't inherited, made or stolen as much money as you have. Wear red to a funeral and shorts to a formal wedding...
ReplyDeleteThere are small sacrifices that we should make when in polite company.
A truly polite guest would make an effort to comply with his host's stipulations or politely decline the invitation if he cannot bring himself to do so.
I don't disagree, though I think that Branson has become so identified with his signature style that one would expect him to dress that way.
ReplyDeleteHis personable attitude seems to have a bigger impact than just his clothes. We all know that it's just as easy to be a well dressed jerk.
I recall reading that his signature party trick, at one point, was to flip his airline hostesses over when they wore short skirts to the office parties.
ReplyDeleteIt's just as easy to be a well-mannered, well-dressed guest. I understand signature styles. My colleagues used to joke that I must shower in a coat and tie. I realize that taking oneself too seriously is hazardous for one's social schedule, but a little decorum can go a long way.
Trade the leather jacket for a blazer and the trainers for shoes and in today's world you're considered "business casual" for a suit or "dressed up" for a creative.
I don't mean to belabour the point and my apologies for sounding off, but the inevitable slide in dress and comportment (which will soon see the demise of the dinner jacket and bowtie) is, in my opinion, leading to a carelessness in all things -- most especially the social graces. I believe that we live in a Rousseau/Locke social contract kind of world. When we drive you stay on your side of the paint and I'll stay on mine. When we attend a function with a stated dress code, we agree to abide by it.
But I know that I am fast becoming a dinosaur in today's world. 'Nuff said, I promise. Thanks for the forum.