Dressing to Impress at Work

People will judge you based on your looks. It makes perfect sense — sight is at the first place in our hierarchy of senses. We use sight to notice things long before we would be able to notice them by any other sense, except maybe our sense of hearing in some cases. And vision accounts for most of the information our brains process. So the information your appearance provides will matter a lot.

But it also depends on the context. You can go to the corner shop in your sweatpants and with uncombed hair, and no harm will come from it. But if you go to work looking like that, you’ll probably be in a lot of trouble. In fact, the workplace, along with our romantic life, is the area where our looks matter the most. And if you’re not sure just how you should be looking when at the workplace, here are a couple of tips that will help you.

Follow the Dress Code

The easiest way to make sure your appearance leaves a good impression at work is to follow the dress code. Some businesses will point it out to you when you start working there. Others will let you figure out the overall vibe on your own. If you’re in doubt, you should either ask or look to your immediate superior for their choice of workplace attire.

Even if you have to follow a strict dress code at work, you might still be able to personalize it slightly. One thing most businesses will not mind is choosing the type of watch you wear to work. If you want to impress, you should try getting a luxury watch. The upscale watches send a message that’s not easy to miss without it being too much into people’s faces. And you can look for pre-owned watches if you want to reduce the cost of getting one.

Be Wary of Casual Fridays

We’re seeing a trend of businesses adopting a more casual dress code. Whether your business is one of those that decided that every day is a casual Friday, or it still allows casual attire only on Fridays, you should know that there is such a thing as dressing too casual.

Usually, all you need is common sense to determine how to put together a casual attire for work. Don’t show more skin than usual, no matter how proud you are of your abs, chest, or arms. Don’t let parts of your underwear show. Don’t come to work in anything that’s not clean. And finally, don’t wear clothes you’d wear for a less important occasion, like going to the beach or the bed. It’s still work, after all.

Consider the Clients

Even if your workplace has a more relaxed dress code, there might still be situations when you need to dress to impress. For example, you might need to impress clients, and if their workplace culture isn’t as relaxed as yours is, your jeans and flannel shirt will not leave a good impression.

You don’t have to mirror your clients’ dress code if you want to impress them. You’re in a different type of business with its own dress code, after all. But if you want to leave a good impression, you should dress at least a level above what you usually wear to work.

Work attire has several other rules. Always try to be modern. Pick clothes with modern cuts, and make sure that they fit you well. If you can’t go for modern, go for the classic. But again, take care that the fit is good. If you’re not sure what to wear, always pick clothing that makes you look the most professional. Above everything else, make sure that you appear tidy. And always remember that dressing for work always means dressing to impress, even if you can wear more casual clothes.