Those Monday morning blues can often be hard to overcome as you wander through the doors of your office at the start of the week. Even if you adore your job (as many of us do) your two days of R&R coming to an abrupt end can prove to be a shock to the system. But there is something you can do, which should help you to break through that Monday melancholy and perform to the max… power dressing.
And who better to talk about how you can do this than former model and TV presenter Emma Willis? Willis chatted about the topic recently as she launched her edit from Next’s Summer 18 collection.
Discussing this further was Dr Aurora Paillard, senior lecturer for Psychology of Fashion at the London College of Fashion, who chatted about the psychological benefits of power dressing at the office. So, whether you’re looking for that ideal outfit, be it for men or women, we have you covered to inspire workplace greatness.
Selecting your power outfit to drive office success
We know that it’s all well and good to simply say that power dressing will improve your workplace mood, but how can you find the outfit that defines you? It sounds like a tall order on the face of it, but Willis tells us that power dressing is not all about standing out from the crowd.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure to be individual and different… It’s not important to me to feel individual but more to trust my gut and to feel like me in it,” she said.
Ultimately, you know the outfits that will make you feel comfortable which have your identity woven into them, and this can be the key to providing a boost to your office performance levels. You don’t have to attempt to be the office peacock if that just simply isn’t part of your personality. However, if that doesn’t narrow down your options enough, Willis explains how one outfit makes her ‘feel fabulous’.
She added: “I think a suit gives me the most power – I mean, I don’t know if it actually does, but wearing one makes me feel comfortable and confident.”
But as Emma says, it could be a more casual outfit that inspires you to smash those everyday goals that you set yourself – there is no prescribed power dressing norm.
Maintaining your mindset with what you’re wearing
Emma’s words are also backed up by Dr Paillard, who emphasised the importance of encapsulating your identity within your clothes choice, because it will leave you feeling more relaxed.
Dr Paillard continues: “Your wellbeing will be higher if you’re wearing clothes you’re comfortable with and show who you are.”
Obviously, your wellbeing is key to how you will perform at work, and if you can get an extra edge from what you’re wearing, then it is highly likely that this will lead to an upturn in your performance levels at the office.
“When it comes to power dressing, it is proven that if you wear such clothes, or for example red lipstick, you will perform better and you will feel happier,” shares Dr Paillard.
So, if you are in search of a way to unlock that extra piece of potential within you to ace that big meeting at work, your choice of outfit could well be the answer.
