Dress For Success 2015 - NBIZ Magazine Home Page

DressforSuccessBy Desiree R. Lindbom-ChoThe irony of the title of this article lies with this fact:as I sit in my home office, busily typing away, a fly onthe wall would only see a disheveled work-from-homeparent with a sloppy pony tail, old yoga pants, andpurple slippers. Yet, I consider myself reaping the benefits ofa successful endeavor to freelance and write from home. Whatdoes it really mean to “dress for success,” and how does aperson’s physical appearance affect business?An Old AdageThe phrase “dress for success” was coined by researcherJohn T. Molloy in the 1970s in his book of the same title. Init, Molloy describes how American men actually “dress forfailure,” and touts that his advice on how to dress is based onresearch he did that consisted of polling top executives. Molloy’s book is outdated by today’s standards. After all, fashionis always changing, and phrases such as “women have beenindoctrinated by the fashion industry” and “the neighborshave some assets that his money could not buy—class, education, and sophistication” do not help Molloy’s advice seemcredible. Yet the heart of the message still rings true:whether we like it or not, people in the world at large,and business people especially, are judged based ontheir appearances.In addition, maxims about dress and appearanceabound in the English language: dressed to kill,dressed to the nines, dressed up with nowhere to go,and the clothes make the (wo)man are just a few.How people dress and carry themselves permeatesour very language and, therefore, our culture.A Presidential LookWhen Kennedy and Nixon debated ontelevision for the first time for a U.S. Presidential election, history tells us that image was20 NBIZ February 2015

everything. In fact, anecdotal storiesclaim that those who only listenedto the debate on the radio felt thatNixon won while those who saw thetelevised debate felt Kennedy won.Though Nixon’s advisors warned himthat his appearance, including hisfive o’clock shadow, would be judgedby viewing voters, he ignored theiradvice and claimed his ideas wouldbe enough to win the voting public.In fact, many believe Kennedy’ssharp dark blue suit against the greybackground of the stage swayed theelection in his favor.Even after a President is votedinto office, appearances are critiqued. In October of 2012, PresidentBarack Obama famously told VanityFair that he only wears grey or bluesuits to cut down the amount of dailydecisions he has to make. An internetand media firestorm criticizing hischoice in clothes then ensued whenhe wore a light tan suit in Augustof 2014. While many fashion gurusapplauded the choice, others turnedit into humorous fodder for socialmedia. Journalists Jake Tapper andAndrew Kaczynski respectivelytweeted, “Khakiphony on Twitter,”and “Obama is doing his next pressconference in Pharrell’s hat.”whenever he rolled out a new product.Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook,favors grey t-shirts and jeans.Arguably, these are some of themost recognized leaders in business.Their motivations for wearing thesame type of outfit time and timeagain differs, however. Jobs used toclaim that he actually wanted all hisemployees to wear uniforms but thenchose a uniform of sorts for himselfwhen feedback in response to this ideawas unsurprisingly negative. LikePresident Obama, Zuckerberg has toldmedia outlets that he believes he hastoo many decisions to make and hasPersonal BrandingPresidents aren’t the only oneswho are aware of style and publicopinion. Just saying the phrase“the man in black” evokes imagesof Johnny Cash and his musicacross generations of listeners. Asimple catch phrase from one ofhis song titles, in addition to regularly wearing black to his concerts,created a personal brand that hasendured past Cash’s lifetime.Musical superstars aside, in aworld where entrepreneurs havemore and more direct public exposure, personal branding is also seenin the business arena. While a recentarticle in Forbes notes that personalbranding consists of creating anideal based on someone’s history,narrative, and message, somebusiness moguls depend on physicalappearance and style as a part ofthis branding. For instance, the lateSteve Jobs, cofounder and formerexecutive of Apple, was famous forwearing jeans and black turtlenecksNBIZ February 2015 21

“You’ll know your look is authenticwhen people make comments aboutyour skin looking radiant or you[looking] healthy. If the outfit shows upbefore you do, it’s not harmonizing withyour energy.”numerous grey t-shirts to take awayjust one daily choice on what to wear.Although these may be the truereasons behind their thought processes, what Zuckerberg and Jobs didwas create the personal brands weassociate with their public personasand companies. Zuckerberg capitalizeson his brand, embracing impressionsSaturday Night Live comedian AndySamberg does of him. In 2011, he eveninvited Samberg to introduce a keynotespeech he made at the Facebook f8Conference. Samberg appeared asZuckerberg, dressed in, you guessed it,a grey t-shirt and jeans.About 10 years ago, Mad TV similarly poked fun at the way Apple rollsout new products, and when comedianMichael McDonald depicted Jobs, hewore none other than a black shirt andjeans. Tim Cook, current CEO of Apple,seems to recognize the importance ofbranding. When he rolled out the newApple Watch last September, he didnot wear a power suit. He wore jeansand an informal, dark, button-downshirt—untucked—furthering the casual,comfortable feel often associated withthe company.22 NBIZ February 2015 (Re)Branding an ImageImage consultants abound, provingthat finding the right look for one’sown self is a not as simple as puttingon jeans and a business-casual shirt.Kay M. Smith of Texas-based EnergyDressing notes that this is due to theevery day bombardment of media allaround us: “Magazines and televisionsell us on trends and so-called fashion.We try to copy a look that a model orcelebrity is wearing, but it never looksquite right on us.”While some might still advisepeople to wear power suits in businessand certain colors to convey certainmessages, society is shifting away fromthese norms to consider a variety offactors such as occasion, context, andindividual comfort and authenticity.Smith notes that previous businessdress centered on wearing basic colorssuch as black, brown, grey, or navy inconjunction with red to appear boldor blue to be more approachable. Shesays this is The Stepford Wives adviceof the business world: “You’re toldexactly what to wear, what to do, howto act, and what to say [rather thanbeing authentic].”Helen Perry, Houston-based corporate and personal image consultant,agrees, noting that current trendsin dress are focused on impressionmanagement, which she defines as “aprocess by which people might alterthe perceptions others hold of them.”She recommends considering howto be authentic to one’s self, lookingat how one wants others to see him/herself, and/or being tactical byconsidering public perception.Smith further explained, “Authenticity is the willingness to be vulnerable. By transforming a person’s imageto be more authentic with who they

are, perceptions change.” As part ofher consulting services, she observesphysical features, mannerisms, vocaltone, and other traits to recommenda more authentic image to help herclients get positively noticed in thebusiness world.Perry further advises that regardless of whether the image is for youor your company, authenticity, professionalism, and consistency mustbe maintained while being currentand respectful. Smith cautions,however, that currency in a look doesnot mean being trendy. She notesthat updating a hair style is morebeneficial than donning an outfitthat detracts from your own image:“You’ll know your look is authenticwhen people make comments aboutyour skin looking radiant or you[looking] healthy. If the outfit showsup before you do, it’s not harmonizing with your energy.”Perry also writes for the MetropolitanHouston and South Texas Better Business Bureau and notes in a recentarticle that how one acts is just asimportant as one’s dress. In additionto the tips most of us already knowand follow, such as being punctual,putting away mobile phones to bepresent in the moment, and beingconfident, she offers other, perhapsless obvious advice. For instance,she recommends being aware of yourown nervous habits to gain controlover them: “No one wants to hear anervous laugh or the jingling of coinsin your pocket.”In turn, employers looking to hiresomeone should also be aware of thesedetails. Although we are told not tojudge a book by its cover, Smith claimsInterviewing AdvicePersonal branding and rebranding is only one facet of the consultation services offered by Perry andSmith. Making a good first impression during a job interview is justas important. When I asked Perryhow she advises people in differingprofessions to dress for an interview,she said, “Job candidates must dressas the culture dictates or one notchabove. A property engineer whoworks on heavy equipment wouldlook ridiculous interviewing in abusiness suit.”In addition, the clothes must fitwell, and Perry suggests investingin natural fibers that drape betterthan manufactured fibers: “If a bugwon’t eat it, don’t buy it!” While thiscan be an expensive endeavor, Perryalso notes that a 400 cocktaildress is not the same investmentas a 400 blazer. The more oftenyou wear something, the greater itsvalue. Smith concurs that clothingmust fit well but also notes theimportance of the overall look: “Aperson should not expect to gethired if they’re showing cleavage,wearing heavy black [eye]liner,wearing poor fitting clothes, orlooking disheveled in any way.”Both also agree that clothes arenot the only consideration one haswhen preparing for an interview.NBIZ February 2015 23