Your appearance is the most immediate way you make a first impression and it takes only thirty seconds for people to form a judgment about who they think you are! Your style is your visual business card.
Every time you step outside your house, you’re sharing information about who you are. It becomes especially important to share the most accurate information about yourself when you are going to a business-related event.
To give yourself every advantage in ensuring you are making the most accurate and powerful impression, here are my top three tips to dressing for your success.
1) Dress for Your Profession
In every profession, there is an unspoken code or “uniform” of professionalism and appropriateness for your appearance. If you are in a traditional profession and you dress trendy, revealing or counter to the culture, this can create a lack of trust and hold you back from potential opportunities.
The reverse is true in creative fields. Your creativity is expressed in your personal presentation. If your appearance is lacking a flair for the dramatic to show your style, even in small details, you could also be missing out on important opportunities.
Take a close look at the women in the top tiers within your industry. Take note of their appearance from top to bottom. This will give you the best barometer of what it takes to make it to the top of your profession.
2) Dress for Your Socioeconomic Target Audience
Your clients and target audience need to know you can relate to them. They need to see a little bit of themselves in you, even if you are several steps ahead.
Is the economics of your audience value oriented, moderate, luxury or exclusive? It is important for your clothing to reflect the economic range of your target audience for you to be relatable so they can quickly feel comfortable.
Realtors have perfected this principle. If a realtor is working with low priced homebuyers, they will dress in a professional, yet moderate manner. If a realtor is representing million dollar plus luxury properties, you can bet they will look like a million bucks. Realtors understand the value and power of first impressions and economics, they want to quickly establish rapport with potential customers so they make sure to get it right.
Analyze the economics of your audience and take a look at your wardrobe to make sure you are in alignment.
3) Inconsistent Style
Consistent style shapes expectations, creates reliability and builds trust. If you show up dressed in a consistent style people know who you are and what they can expect from you.
Oprah is a great example of this style strategy. She consistently dresses in her Classic style day in and day out. We know what to expect. She may have experimented with her hair, but not her clothes and accessories. She knows how to build rapport and trust with her audience by using visual wardrobe cues to keep us feeling comfortable.
This same strategy can be applied to women in business. It is important to know your style and stick to it everyday. In addition to having several sizes in their closets, many women also have several styles, experimenting with different looks.
For women over 40, this is a time to get serious about knowing and accepting who you are and showing it. You can still be very expressive within your style, making a statement, having fun with it while still building trust and credibility.
4) Not Updating
Many women in business feel like they are too busy to go shopping. They make quick impulse purchases and don’t put time or effort into their clothing choices.
The risk of putting your appearance on pause is that you could be presenting an outdated image. The hotel industry is a great example of understanding the importance of staying modern and up to date.
Hotels know that when a customer enters their parking lot, this is the very first point of entry for making a judgment about the quality of their brand, shaping expectations. This is taken to the next step when walking into the lobby towards the front desk. If the lobby is not properly maintained and updated, there may be some hesitation about sleeping on their sheets.
The same applies to your appearance. If you are not well maintained and updated, it may put the quality of you personally and your work into question. Take the time to update your wardrobe at least once a year, twice is even better to ensure you are staying modern and updated in your appearance to present the most quality image.
By being mindful of these style principles, it can give you an advantage towards making the most authentic and accurate impression about who you are.