You have likely heard of the saying, “Dress for success.” It is an adage that holds true to this date.
Think of it this way: Do you feel professional and ready for work if you’re wearing pajamas or if you’re wearing a suit? It’s likely the latter, but many of us refuse to make the effort on our attire.
In a world where everyone is a brand, you are wasting a grand opportunity of incorporating your choice of clothing into your personal brand.
Unsure what to do? Here are five corporate clothing tips to look your best:
1. Comfort is Key – To a Point
Years ago, men would sport suits everywhere they went – the ball game, the pictures, the coffee shop – and in every type of weather condition. Ditto for women and their high-heeled shoes!
Today, comfort is paramount to your style.
While this is true outside working hours, you should try to strike a fine balance between comfort and style. In other words, you can remain comfortable and look good at the same time – it isn’t an either/or situation. It just takes a little practice and experiment to find out what you can wear.
2. Keep Your Shoes Clean & Shiny
Again, back in the day, men would have their shoes shined all the time because there was a shoeshine boy at train stations, street corners, and stores. It was easy to have great looking shoes back then.
In present conditions? Not so much.
That said, as you navigate through the corporate world, it is important to have your shoes neat and tidy. You don’t want mud, dirt, rips, and scratches covering your shoes, especially if they dirty up the workforce, too.
You may not need a shoeshine kit, but keeping your shoes presentable would be a grand idea.
3. Unsure? Dress Up – Not Down
Let’s be honest: Life would be a lot easier if we could all dress like Mark Zuckerberg – jeans and a t-shirt and maybe a hoodie. But that’s not what the corporate world is about.
Because of this idea, many of the younger workers are unsure how to dress. This is why there is a hefty amount of articles explaining why you should not wear beach attire to job interviews!
So, the simple solution is this: When in doubt, always dress up and not down.
Sport a tie. Wear a skirt. Put on a blazer. Don heels.
4. Make Clothing a Part of Your Brand
An interesting development has happened in the highly globalized economy: We are all a brand now.
Many workers need to stand out from the crowd in order to land a job, advance their careers, or get noticed. This entails establishing a social media presence, blogging on your respective industry, or appearing in the news.
There are many ways to brand yourself. But one way is to integrate clothing with your brand.
From always wearing sweater vests to sporting colourful socks, there are many methods of establishing a brand through corporate clothing. As long as you remain professional – wearing pro-wrestling t-shirts all the time does not count! – then there is nothing wrong with creating an identity through clothes.
5. Attire Can Make You Memorable
This ties into the previous point, but attire can really make you memorable to colleagues, management, clients, and other influential people to your career.
Indeed, if all of your colleagues are wearing jeans and a shirt, and you’re the lone person dressing professionally, even when you are not required to, then you will be remembered by everyone.
Moreover, you can add to it by wearing your routine corporate attire even outside of working hours!
Dressing for success is a popular and ageless motto that transcends generations. While society has welcomed casual attire in the workforce, you may not necessarily want to always wear what you would on the weekend. You have a brand, and you shouldn’t waste the opportunity of adding corporate clothing to your brand, as long as it is professional.
