By: Janette Davis
Dressing in business professional attire sounds a lot more intimidating than it is, especially when you’re just starting out.
Going in a new direction by making a career shift into a position that requires business professional attire is a huge step toward creating a more abundant future for yourself.
But you have to look the part to play the part. Dress for success, as they say.
And really, if you think about it, the whole world runs on business. Everything is business.
Business professional attire may not be a style choice you ever wanted to make, or had to make before.
We know, it’s super boring. It’s plain, modest, buttoned-up, tucked in, and serious.
There are ways to dress it up by adding patterns or making it bougie, but that can get expensive. When you’re just starting out, you can’t always afford to go out and get a whole new wardrobe.
The good news is, you don’t need a lot, and you can work your way up to a more professional wardrobe over time. A great way to treat yourself for reaching a professional goal is to buy yourself another wardrobe item.
You can either splurge on one nice thing from a department store, or you can set a budget and go ham at the thrift store. Just be sure that whatever you bring home can be used frequently in your professional wardrobe.
Think of buying clothes as an investment in yourself, to help elevate your professional image.
The most important tip to dressing in business professional attire is to just look clean- clean hair, clean nails, clean skin, clean mouth, clean clothes with no wrinkles, no lint, and no pet hair. Even if you come dressed in business casual until you can work up to a more professional wardrobe, if you are at least clean, you will meet the base standards for the dress code.
Create a Foundation
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The next best tip for creating a business professional wardrobe is to get on top of your mix and match game. You really only need a few different outfits and one pair of shoes that goes with everything.
Create a foundation: a couple of shirts, a couple pairs of slacks, a blazer, one nice pair of shoes-and for the ladies, one or two modest dresses or professional skirts.
These foundational pieces can be mixed and matched in a few different combinations and can be alternated through the week. I promise, no one cares that you wear the same three outfits over and over. They may not even notice because in a professional work environment, people aren’t focused on those kinds of details. They are focused on their personal and professional goals, not whether or not you wore the same outfit 2 days ago.
Bonus: When you only have a few things to choose from, you won’t need as much time to get ready for the day. This means that you will spend less time picking out what to wear, and have more time to focus on your professional goals, or just be able to get to work early–because if you’re not early, you’re late.
So, Why Business Professional Attire?
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What’s the big deal with wearing a collared shirt, slacks, a blazer, a plain and modest dress, or a suit and tie? Well, there’s actually a few really good reasons.
The fact is, everyday, whether we do it intentionally or not, we are selling ourselves to everyone we meet. When it comes to marketing, people tend to be drawn to things that have nicer packaging.
The way we dress, a.k.a. the way we package and present ourselves, and how we show up, is how we market ourselves to others. Deep down, no matter what we tell ourselves, we crave to be accepted by other people.
We crave for other people to have a high opinion of us. Now, we don’t have to dig that deep into it, but the point is, we do care what others think of us. On a subconscious level, how we dress tells people how to treat us and how to respect us. If you’re honest, you would admit that you treat people differently when they show up wearing sweatpants and a wrinkled shirt versus when they show up wearing a clean suit and tie.
Also, subconsciously, how we dress shows people how much we respect ourselves. Taking the time and care to present the most positive image of ourselves is a form of self-respect and self-care.
When you truly care about yourself, you will prioritize your health, your image, and your reputation.
You will take the time to keep yourself clean and healthy, inside and out, through diet, exercise, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and maintaining hygienic practices.
You will take the time to look at yourself in the mirror to see what others will see as they interact with you. Again, you don’t have to analyze that deeply. Just be aware of your image and what you are presenting to others.
The Social Aspect
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Additionally, how we show up to meet others shows how much we respect them.
Socially, when we feel respected by the people we are interacting with, we are more inclined to listen more intently to what they have to say.
If we want someone to care about what we say or think, we need to first show them that we respect them.
When we show up in a professional manner, we automatically communicate that we respect ourselves and others, and we tell others how to respect us.
Communicating these three things is crucial in business, and can be the deciding factor of whether you fail or succeed.