Polished Professionals
  • Work & Style
  • Health & Beauty
  • Shop Social Media Posts
  • SHOP THE BOUTIQUE
  • CONTACT US
  • About M.E.L.




Polished Professionals 

Conquer The Workaday World With Style & Poise
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

3 Steps to Dress For Success

2/10/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Recent research shows that if you are dressed more formally, you will have an edge in business transactions. What does that mean? It means what we have known for a long time; people make most judgements based on what we see, not on what we hear.  In fact 80% of people's judgments are based on such nonverbal cues.

You really want to make sure it is your ideas, work product and accomplishments that are standing out to an employer or audience, not that you look disheveled or inappropriate in the work place.  In order to make sure your great ideas are really heard and your work is what stands out, how should we change the way we dress?

​Take it one step up and consider:


1) Make sure your duds fit well. A tailor is your best friend. Nothing hanging,nothing  wrinkled, nothing pulling, and nothing you are are constantly rearranging. For my tall girls (5'10" and taller) here and here are of my favorite places by buy suits for work that are modern, reasonably priced and have long and extra long pants , shirts and blazers!  For my petite girls, my bff is 5'2" and she swears by this retailer for great, petite suits for work.

2) Ensure your pallet says power. Darker colors generally translate better in business than lighter colors. Also watch many patterns that may come off as less professional than solid colors pallets. You have seen me wear the above and below pictured suit a lot - I have it in three colors - a blue-gray, a black and a tan.  And I agree the darker suits are stronger, especially if you are going for an interview. I have also linked the matching dress and matching skirt. I mix these pieces with other wardrobe staples all the time so I get a lot of wear out of them. They are classic and versatile. This is a lightweight wool - that even works in the heat of Texas - and has a little stretch to it so it always fits well.  My go to under shirts is linked in sleeveless turtleneck in 4 colors and in a basic tee in 2 colors (both $120). I know these are a little pricier than a plain t-shirt but trust me, they are so worth it. They feel amazing, always fit well, never pill and never wrinkle.  YES!

3) Finish strong with good accessories. Shoes should not be scuffed and purses should be appropriately "business." Structured bags usually can help with this. Jewelry should fit you like your clothes do and nothing too flashy.  Be comfortable in what you put on and tasteful.  For some of my favorite bags that are structured to look more like a briefcase but are still more fashion forward than that try this bag in 4 colors (similar to my quilted bag and just $60) and a chevron tote (total dupe for $2500 YSL bag and just $60).  If you want an investment piece my Gucci bag is linked here.  Also on one my go-to jewelry designers is Laura J. Finery. Her white beaded necklace and bracelets are shown in pics below and with code POLISHEDPROFESSIONALS you can get a great discount on any of genuine gemstone finery!

As a caveat, all of these suggestions should be tailored to your business area. If you are in a creative environment like ad design or fashion merchandising, add some flare to your patterns or accessories. Show how artistic you can be. See below how I paired a graphic tee with a suit.  More ideas on this here. If you are in the legal field, consider more conservative color pallets and accessories and show them how much thought you have put into every detail!

Now go out there and grab your success!
Picture
Picture
Picture
1 Comment
Nikki Living Life link
2/13/2017 08:18:48 am

You are definitely dressed for success. Just fabulous.

Xx
Nikki
www.nikkilivinglife.com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    About MEL

    M.E.L. is an attorney and small business entrepreneur whose mission is to help professionals conquer the workaday world with style and poise.

    Amazon Shop CLICK HERE
    POPULAR BLOG POSTS
    4 Tips to Make Networking Easier
    WORK PRESENTATIONS WITH POISE
    Interview Like A Pro

    POPULAR YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS

    Law School Series
    Business Skills To Hone Now
    Polished Professional's Handbag Edit
    FOLLOW POLISHED PROFESSIONALS AT
    Last Minute Gift Guide

    RSS Feed


    ​Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
Website by ITSourcePro
  • Work & Style
  • Health & Beauty
  • Shop Social Media Posts
  • SHOP THE BOUTIQUE
  • CONTACT US
  • About M.E.L.