Dressing for Success

Everybody knows that first impressions are important, so it’s absolutely imperative that you dress to impress. Whether you’re preparing for a job interview, a conference, or an important meeting it is important that you wear the proper attire. If you’re dressed in a shabby manner, that will be people’s first impression upon seeing you. So, here are some tips that will enable you to dress for success.

First we’re going to start with more general advice, and then move to specific tips for men and women individually. To start off, wear professional and conservative clothing. You do not want to wear anything too flamboyant or too casual and end up drawing negative attention to yourself. Be mindful of the setting you are in and dress appropriately. For men this will usually mean wearing a matching suit in traditional colors (navy, black, or gray typically) and for women this will usually mean a suit or a conservative dress. Another additional tip for women is that skirts and dresses cannot be too long, knee-length or longer should be a rule of thumb.

Make sure that your clothing is clean and well-fitted to you. It can be quite costly to have clothing personally tailored, but the benefits are extraordinary. Properly fitted clothing can make a world of difference. As with your clothes, make sure that you are wearing conservative and clean shoes. Something simple that will complement the outfit rather than anything too exuberant. In keeping with the conservative dress, it is also important that if you have facial and/or body piercings you remove them and if you have visible tattoos you should cover them. Both of these can serve as distractions and will more often do harm than good. A similar principle also serves for fragrances and jewelry. You can choose to wear fragrance and jewelry but it should be kept to a minimum so as not to be a distraction.

Finally, make sure that you practice basic hygiene. This should hopefully go without saying, but always make sure that your hair is washed and not unkempt, always keep your teeth brushed, and generally just make sure that you look presentable. Now we will get into more specific tips for women. It is a good idea to avoid blouses or sweaters which are transparent, too tight fitting, or are too revealing. Essentially, be mindful of anything that will distract from your face too much. For similar reasons you should wear flat shoes if possible, and in muted colors so that there is not any focus on your feet.

Athough we’ve already mentioned minimizing jewelry, if you choose to wear it nonetheless avoid dangling earrings, as they can be a distraction, and do not wear more than one ring per hand. Finally, we will end with specific tips for men. We’ve already said that men should wear matching suits, but a blazer and slacks is another good choice. Men should select dress shirts that contrast with their jacket and ties which coordinate with their jacket and contrasts with their shirt. Whenever possible, dark lace-up shoes are the safest bet for footwear, and always make sure to coordinate your belt with your shoes. Presenting yourself well is an extremely important skill and will get you far in life, and if you follow these tips you will always be dressed for success.