How to Dress for Success?

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Making good first impressions can be crucial in getting a good job or perhaps landing that dream contract from your company. The amount of success you get is determined by your interviewers, who will evaluate your performance based on various factors. These include several non-verbal cues, including the fit, style, color, and appeal of your clothes.

Furthermore, aspects such as your accessories, your greeting, posture, and the way you carry yourself are all crucial. The clothing you choose demonstrates high levels of respect and professionalism to your interviewers. Thus, dressing well is directly proportional to your ability to become success in your professional ventures.

While designer handbags, shoes, accessories, and suits are suitable, they are mostly displays of wealth and success. Unfortunately, when looking for your next big opportunity, most interviewers want you to dress the part before you make the amount of money that relates your work level.

The best part is that you can still look good, even when spending on a budget. There are various ways you can dress the part, without having to go for designer products. Here are some few tips you can use to dress for success.

Factors to Consider When You Want to Dress for Success

What is Comfortable for You?

Once you have a sense of the expected dress code for your business or job, you need to think about clothing that is most suitable for your needs.

For ladies, do you love wearing dresses and skirts, or do you perhaps prefer blouses or pants? For the fellas, does a suit and tie tickle your fancy, or do you prefer a more casual vibe at your professional setting.

You can come up with an ensemble wardrobe with just a few pieces, which you can mix and match to create many outfits you can wear for the week. Brands such as Beta Brand, Columbia, and Lucy, are nowadays making clothes that can stretch like yoga pants, but with a professional look.

If the idea of dress pants or skirts that have standard waistlines tickles your fancy, then consider these brands as part of your dressing gear. Unfortunately, women have a lot of leeway in the wardrobe arena as when compared to the men. Women can traverse through various types of clothing, including pants, suits, skirts, dresses, and more.

If the thought of dress pants or skirts with regular lines does not sit with you well, then various options are still available.

Furthermore, when it comes to shoes, the options are endless. They include strappy sandals, with open toes, which you can use to show matching toenail polish. That said, men wearing the same is considered a taboo. As stated before, learn your dress code expectations before trying to create a wardrobe.

Preparing your Ensemble Wardrobe

The next step is to plan for a basic shopping spree, even if you are on a budget. A few tips to consider include:

• Do an inventory of the closet
• Customize a budget
• Get a friend with experience to help

You might also have to check inside your wardrobe to determine what you have and the items you will need. Generally speaking, you can save all your neutral-colored clothing items, and then match them with your outfits. Ensure that you try everything on. Prepare a list of the things that go along with your new dressing line.

Do you know where you will be shopping in relation to factors such as your preferences and comfort? While some linens tend to be expensive, it’s better to buy something that costs more because it often has quality.

Fortunately, if the friend you recruited gave you feedback at this point, then you should have more help in getting good shoes for success.

Go for Classics and Neutral Colors

Just as previously mentioned, neutral colors are excellent because they rarely go out of style. More so, the neutral colors go well with most clothing types. The common neutral colors include:

• Black
• Grey
• Beige
• Black
• Navy blue

Why is white not on this list? Great question. The main challenge with white is that it’s difficult to clean. If you want to go for a white cloth, go for something simple short or a long-sleeved shirt. Avoid wearing white blazers or trousers, as these are not the norm in professional workplaces.

Peruse and Choose your Fitting Room Items

You can start by looking at jackets and bottoms. For the ladies, one fashionable blazer is a good idea. For the men, owning a good sport coat, that goes well with other items in your regimen is also great. It can even make jeans respectable in a professional setting.

Avoid falling victim to trendy styles, which are sometimes not suitable for professional environments. For instance, skinny is still popular, but may not sit well with some people.

Various options are available for such people. A good example would be the straight leg pants or simple A-line skirts for the women. Furthermore, men can go for the flat front or pleated pants, which you can also blend with several items in your ensemble.

When it comes to shirts, go for a button-up blouse or shirt, or a sweater, small jacket or cardigan. The men should go long sleeve shirts, with a blazer or leather coat.

Try on every compatible clothing item you come across at the store. You never know, you might find something you like, even if it does not look stylish on the hanger. Once you try on everything, you can start customizing your outfits.

Remember, you should bring several items from home if you don’t start from scratch. Thus, include them in the process of choosing your outfits. It would be good to have your friend with you, to help you make a better decision during the selection process.

Accessorize!

Why is it good for you to go for neutral colors? Well, because accessories are where you are going to introduce pops of sophistication, texture, style, and texture to dress regimen

Every department store should have several sections where you can find accessories. These include everything, including scarves, lady handbags, high heel shoes, and stockings for the ladies. Men should opt for socks, dress shoes, and briefcases.

Remember, this aspect of shopping might be much more fun for the ladies. That said, there are still several men who always enjoy shoe and tie shopping.

Here are a few tips for good accessories:

• Go for quality rather than quantity. It’s also good for you to have only two shoe pairs that will last you a year – rather than six shoes that you have to replace regularly.
• Less is more. Yes, that`s right. A simple scarf or pair of gloves can modify your look in various ways. You don’t look like a rainbow when it comes to accessories. The same applies when it comes to jewelry.
• Match. That fade and die tie might look fancy, but if it does not match your other items, keep it in the cupboard for now. You can keep working on your wardrobe, and maybe that tie will match your wardrobe later.

Dress for Success on A Budget

Rent an Outfit

For those who have a crucial job interview, and you don’t have that perfect suit, consider renting out one for your needs. There are various shops through which you can rent good suits. Platforms such as Rent the Runway, make it easy to access several high-quality lines for professional purposes. It’s an excellent alternative if you want to make a good impression, but are not ready to spend big.

Go Thrifting

You may be surprised at what you will come across when thrifting. Thrifting includes various locations, include thrift shops and Goodwill. You never know the type of items you might find in thrift shop racks. Take time to visit a few of these stores, and check if you can get a pair of good dress shoes for cheap.

Online Consignment Shops

If you don’t have any success with thrift shops, then consignment shops are also excellent. You can use mobile applications such as ThredUp. It’s a platform that provides you with access to unique design pieces at affordable process. Remember that they often have many shoppers, and it’s crucial for you to act fast on the orders. You can even sell any items in your wardrobe on these sites.

Finally

There is no room for poor decision making or improvisation when it comes to dressing for success. You have to make good choices because this determines the level of your success when it comes to dressing well.

The guide above is a starters guide to help you become a well-dressed individual. You have several options when it comes to dressing good, even when you want to spend on a budget. Platforms such as consignment shops and thrift shops are excellent for dressing well on a budget.

Whether you want to land that dream job, or perhaps pitch an idea to a company, dressing for success is essential.