We have all heard of the term dressing for success although with a changing culture this term can mean different things to different people. In this episode of The Business Woman TV our resident stylist Colette Werden, shares her four tips on how to “dress for serious success”.
We’ve all heard the term ‘dressing for success’, but what does it really mean? As company cultures continue to evolve, dressing for success no longer means wearing a suit or dressing in corporate style. These days what it really means is ‘authentic self-packaging’ whereby our image is an illustration of our inner identity; it’s aligned with our personal brand, our strengths, personality and values.
So what does image have to do with success? We’ve all heard how important a first impression is. But here’s what’s actually happening. As soon as you step into a room, people make up to 11 decisions about you in seven seconds, all based on the way we look and how we present ourselves. Some of these decisions include: credibility, believability, trustworthiness, and whether you look like who you say you are.
But dressing for success need not be difficult or time-consuming. There are some basic principles that will ensure dressing for success becomes an effortless process that you can nail every single day:
1. Get clear on how you want to be perceived
Understand the woman you are, and where she’s going, and dress her accordingly. What’s important here isn’t the clothes, but the woman who is wearing them. Ensure that what you’re wearing is the best reflection of who you are and make sure that what you’re wearing is serving your message – not undermining or destroying it.
2. Learn how to dress for your body shape
The quickest way to diminish the perception of professionalism is by wearing an ill-fitting outfit. Let go of the traditional body shape methods and get acquainted with The Ratio System™ founded by yours truly. It’s a new simple way of dressing that helps achieve a longer, leaner silhouette, by creating “one third (torso), two third (leg)” proportion sizes on a woman’s body.
It’s the quickest and easiest way to ensure you’re highlighting your assets and camouflaging parts of your body you don’t like so much.
3. Create a wardrobe that supports you
Your wardrobe is so much more than a space where your clothes are hung and stored; it’s a place where you create yourself every single day. Ensure that your wardrobe is supporting your lifestyle, your goals and your style preferences. Remove all your weaknesses out of your wardrobe and ensure that everything left is serving you and your message.
4. Develop your personal Style Guide
One of the most common questions my clients ask me in my styling sessions is “how can I save time getting dressed?” One of the best techniques is developing your own personal Style Guide. Create all your outfits in your wardrobe – mix’n’match and have a bit of fun with it. Then photograph them and save them into an e-book. Save this e-book onto your iPhone or tablet and all you need to do when you’re looking for an outfit, is refer to your Style Guide and you’re ready to go.
With these four steps, dressing for success becomes effortless and consistent.
Colette Werden is an Image & Style Specialist who helps driven businesswomen and female entrepreneurs achieve confidence, presence and magnetism. She cites her “obsession with confident women” and her drive to empower females that catapulted her desire to launch her image development hub for driven female entrepreneurs and professionals. Colette helps women make their mark in their industry using their biggest marketing tool – their image. For more on Colette Werden, visit: www.colettewerden.com,
