Dress To Impress – Importance of Professional Attire in a Workplace

Professional attire is undoubtedly a powerful extension of an individual’s personal image. With appropriate clothing, accessories and footwear, an employee can emphasize his skills and qualities in the eyes of his employer, co-workers and clients. Several companies typically encourage or require a more defined and professional dress code to maintain a professional image.

An professional attire is one which exudes confidence and etiquette. The first impression and overall judgement is formed by the way an individual dresses. Since, the perception of a company’s client or business partners is greatly affected by the employee’s dressing sense, it is necessary to maintain a standard that communicates professionalism.

Understanding The Basics Of Profession Attire

As a business professional, you must learn the art of making an impression on people’s mind with you dress. You need to decide how you want to look and how to act accordingly, to garner positive reaction from those who look at you. Once you master this, it will surely have a progressive impact on your career.

• Color Is Important

Each color has a message to communicate.. Dark shades such as black, navy and dark grey implies power, knowledge, responsibility and success, while white or light shades stand for, formality and sophistication. You must choose a color that best represents your personality.

• Clothing Style

A professional attire is the most conventional type of business wear.  It is usually what an employee is expected to wear in the office, whether he is working in accounting, finance, or any other industry. For most women, it means a business suit with formal pants, or formal dress and jacket whereas for men, professional dress means a business or formal suit including a blazer, trousers and a tie.

Related: 6 Tips To Style A Basic White Shirt

• The Right Fit

Clothes that hang off you will certainly not look good.It will be a good idea to tailor your clothes and have them altered so that they’re a perfect fit. Just make sure the alterations you make are neither too tight nor too clumsy. Try it on and walk a bit as it will help to ensure that the alterations made are comfortable.

• Perfect Pair of Shoes

Choose footwear that is appropriate for work, gives you comfort and just like your clothes, convey professionalism. Formal shoes is the best choice for both men and women, instead of wearing flip-flops or heels which are surely not suitable for working environment. Sneakers for men and wedge heels for women should be appropriate for casual days.

• Complete Appearance

The key factors for your complete professional appearance are color, style and the fit. Style plays a vital role in displaying power and professionalism, while the color affects people’s thinking and psychology. Choose to wear clothes that fit you as if they were custom-made. A perfect balance between all these factors will contribute towards projecting a professional attitude.

• Other Details And Accessories

Along with the way you dress, you can complement your overall look with proper grooming and accessories.Trimmed mustache and beard, manicured nails, neat and attractive hairstyle will make you look more neat and presentable. Apart from this, accessories such as tie, wrist watches, and smart spectacles will make you look sharp and impressive

Dressing According to Dress Code

Along with basic protocol, appropriate dressing is one of the most common associations made to professionalism. A dress code policy helps you to create powerful first impression not just for your role but also the company you work for.

Here are some tips to help you focus on the dress code while choosing business clothing:

• Understand Your Industry

For the last few years, clothing for the workplace has turned a bit more s casual in few professions while others still remain very conservative. But you must choose an attire that identifies with your job well. So you must take into account what your company’s dress code is. Be it casual, fashionable or conservative you can experiment accordingly.

• Arrange Closet Systematically

Avoid wearing clothes that does not match your workplace or fit you well. You must arrange the clothes according to the relevance that they have with your workplace.By keeping your closet well-organised, you will save enough time and be spared from the morning struggle of wearing something appropriate for work.

• Be Selective With Business Casuals

Paying attention to casual dress code is as important as focusing on formal clothing in the workplace. You make an impression values your work and profession by looking neat and fresh with properly ironed clothes. Stay well-groomed and stand out from others in your office with your tasteful attire.

• Follow Seniors

You can take cue from your superiors in respect to what they wear and follow them. Maybe all of your peers wear jeans to work but you can opt for an attire that’s inspired by how your seniors dress. It proves that you are more serious about your work and this attitude would display that you are a promising candidate for future promotions.

But that doesn’t mean that you blatantly copy them. Take cue but do not replicate. Add your own sense of style and professional clothing which works well for you.

Importance Of Professional Attire

Most of the companies find professional dressing highly beneficial, particularly for industries that value image and also in workplaces where employees have regular face-to-face interaction with customers. Here are some factors that emphasize the importance of a professional attire:

• Shows Self-esteem And Self-respect

Wearing clothes with loose fitting, torn or messy creasing will display a deprived sense of your self-worth. People tend to make perceptions about you personality from what they see. A professional attire will help you to make a positive impact and reflect your professional aura.

• Builds Confidence

The manner in which you interact with people shows how confident you are. In the same way the clothes you wear help you in channeling the confidence you feel. Your aim must be to reflect an confidence and assertiveness as you walk into a room full of people. Therefore, you must allow your attire to contribute in building self-confidence.

• Reflects The Company’s Image

While working in a company, you will need to attend meetings, visit clients, and business conferences. In that respect,yourprofessional attire plays a significant roleof exhibiting your company image and status. Even if the meeting place is at casual location, you mustdress formally for the occasion.

A company having a certain dress code policy is percieved to be more professional amongstclients. An employee wearing smart clothes during meetings or client visits are seen as being more professional and well-respected. It builds the trust factor for both company and the client which is acually the foundation of a professional environment.

Author Bio:

Anna Barton is a problem solver, coffee trailblazer and a passionate creator. She is a Finance Consultant with an impeccable dressing sense. She is currently associated with Trustyle. She believes in sharing knowledge which is why she occasionally tailors article to keep everyone updated on the current trends. She loves to read in her free time.