Diana Jennings - Speaker, Image Consultant and Personal Branding Expert

What Message is Your Business Wardrobe Sending?

I watch very little television but when I do, one of my favorite shows was “Dancing with the Stars”.  I’ve always admired ballroom dancing and enjoy watching how the couples on the show inject their personalities and often bring an updated twist their routines.  It’s also fun to listen to Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno voice their expert opinions when judging. 

I do think though that Len at times took a lot of flak from his fellow judges and the audience when he criticized the dancers for taking creative license to an extreme.  It was after all a Ballroom competition.  What sometimes happened was that the essence of the classical dance got lost within the modernized choreography therefore could no longer be considered genuine ballroom dancing.

Similarly, companies are now faced with re-evaluating casual Fridays and dress in general.  What originally started out to be relaxed dress, a break from the formal suit and tie environment evolved to jeans, tee shirts and flip flops.  It went so far as women exposing mid-drifts and cleavage. 

Think about dressing for work and the temptation to focus on the trends in fashion and not on the company or your position.  What happens is that your message of professionalism, quality of work and the brand of your organization gets lost in translation.  If you’re going to take some creative license with your business attire, make sure that you haven’t diluted or changed the message that you want and need to communicate about yourself.

The Company "Summer" Dress Code

Before the weather really heats up, you may want to think about sending out a reminder of your company’s dress code policy.  It’s not enough to state that you expect employees to dress in an “appropriate” or “professional” manner.   You need to be as specific as possible and include images that illustrate examples that best support your corporate brand.  It’s also helpful if you include photographs of appropriate and inappropriate styles.   

Regardless of how relaxed your environment may be, it is in your company's best interest if your dress code include sections on:

• Hair
• Clothing
• Visible Undergarments
• Body Piercing and Tattoos
• Makeup
• Head Coverings
• Footwear
• Fragrance
• Casual Dress

The more detailed and specific your dress code policy, the less likely you are to encounter problems or employee distractions in the future.

Wearing Pantyhose at Work

One of the most common questions I get from women during a group presentation is regarding hosiery. How important is it for a woman to wear pantyhose to work? My answer is, “In business, it is extremely important for women to wear hosiery.”

Many readers may consider this “old school”, but you need to know that a woman who bares too much skin at work is taken less seriously than her male counterpart whose casual dress tends to be more traditional.

The trend of going bare legged is just that, a trend. And it’s the trends and new styles that create a professional fashion dilemma for many women. As sheer as they may be, think of hosiery as a barrier between you and the outside world. Their absence in a business environment leaves you exposed and communicates a personal message rather than a professional one. For more information, read my article:

Download Why_Wear_Hosiery.pdf

Projecting Your Brand

Image and appearance isn’t all that matters, but it is what people notice first. You can be qualified for the job, but if you don’t look the part you’ll leave doubt in people’s minds. A strong personal brand has the right blend of skills, education, experience, appearance and proven results.

During my years in Silicon Valley, I observed competent individuals whose careers faltered because they did not posses a strong personal brand. I was particularly aware of this because the brand that I communicated opened doors for me professionally. Unfortunately, there was an occasion when my skills weren’t quite where they could have been causing me to bite off a little more than I could chew. Boy, did I learn my lesson.

The bottom line is that to get ahead your image and overall brand needs to project the quality of your skills, talent, product or service if you want people to take notice and remember you. And if what you project is greater than what you are capable of delivering, good for you but you better get a move on fine-tuning your skills so that you don’t lose credibility.