As we progress through life, our likes, dislikes and habits change. The way we like to dress and visually present ourselves changes too. Our beliefs and thinking continue to develop as we mature emotionally and physically, and again, this is reflected in our choice of clothes and dressing style. How we like to look at work today is typically very different from our early days. Our style of business dress advances with our career progression and we start to develop a business image.
It’s when we experience major milestones or events in our lives that there is a simultaneous process of change within us. The obvious ones are living with a partner or getting married, when running the household becomes part of your duties. Or deciding to aim for a promotion and recognising that going to the pub every Friday evening might not be the best way to raise your business profile.
Wherever our professional life take us, there’s a risk of getting stuck in a time warp along the way. And this often applies to the way we dress and present ourselves, and what that image conveys. It’s easy to overlook how others perceive us. If you want to get ahead or stay ahead in today’s corporate world, take charge of what is said about you. Start building a strong personal brand and present yourself in a way that inspires confidence. After all, ‘you’ are the message.
Ask yourself: is it time for a personal brand review? Just as major events in our lives cause us to re-evaluate our paths, so it’s a good idea to review our image, especially our professional one, every now and then. During our careers, most of us will participate in various training or career advancement programmes. These courses encourage forward-thinking and continuous educational development. We never stop learning.
Perhaps your professional image is a bit staid and lagging behind your professional persona. A business wardrobe should reflect your current position and preferably demonstrate your professional ambitions. Keeping up with the trends in executive dressing is as important as keeping up with trends in business matters in your industry. Understanding the importance of successful business clothing is linked to your own career progression.
Your business wardrobe need not be boring, grey or a uniform. It can provide a positive and influential presence in the business arena. Consider it as a power wardrobe with punches of authority and personality, so that your personal brand is visible and aligned to the corporate values, rules and culture in which you work. By building a wardrobe of business attire that matches your lifestyle, personality and physique, getting dressed each morning becomes stress-free – and you gain control of the message you want others to perceive.
Capsule Wardrobes, with its tagline, “For all the women you are”, is run by Maria Sadler and Caroline Wolf. Together, they combined their experience in styling, retail and marketing to set up the company in late 2012. Visit capsule-wardrobes.co.uk/ for more information on the services it provides
