The cold damp months are quickly replaced with the hot days
of summer and we are compelled to rip off our clothes and enjoy the sun! Suddenly
we are overwhelmed with bare-chested men and women with bra straps on show.
Occasionally we forget that our exuberance can be offensive to those around us.
This devil-may-care attitude sets a terrible example for those who look to us
for guidance. Children learn these attractive habits by watching their parents
and other mentors exhibit this behaviour and conclude that this is both
appropriate and acceptable. This is precisely how children (and we when we were
children) learn their patterns of behaviour. This is no mystery to understand
but the solution to a more civilized world seems all too elusive. Setting
guidelines for what people should and should not wear is the province of HR
departments, the military, and hopefully our own households. What we wear
speaks volumes about our personality, our self-respect and the respect we have
for those around us. Image and first impressions are important to both our
social and business worlds. It’s important to remember that we are constantly
representatives of the companies for whom we work and for our families.
Here are a few guidelines that might be good to keep in mind
when dressing for the day.
1.
For formal occasions make sure you are wearing
suitable clothes for the occasion. It helps that the clothes are clean and fit
properly. Polish shoes.
2.
For informal business meetings, one can dress
down a notch. However, informal does not mean jeans and runners. Business is
business and
3.
In public indoor spaces, wear a shirt and shoes.
Especially in food shops and restaurants, there are health codes in place
dictating minimum attire.
4.
The beach and the park are excellent places for
sunbathing and the attire, or lack thereof, that go with it. One expects skimpy
bikinis and bare flesh on parade in such places. Once one ventures back onto
the streets, it’s best to cover up.
5.
Wearing pajamas or being unkempt when going to
the store is sloppy and reflects the general state of one’s life in general.
This is at least the impression others will form. Think about what impression you
want to convey before heading out the door. People do notice.
6.
Resist the temptation to wear baseball caps
indoors. Even if it’s early and you’re having a bad hair day, hats worn indoors
reflect laziness and a total disregard for others. Simply because society has
slipped into a state of sartorial disrepair, one’s perceptions of others and
the associated feelings does not change. In the immortal words of the great
Andre Agassis, “Image is everything!”
7.
Dress down Fridays have become out of control.
Their original purpose has been abandoned for so long that most people don’t
have any idea why it began. It was an idea that got real traction during the
90’s. Some office managers thought it might improve company morale and
de-starch the white color atmosphere that pervaded the dot com industry. Some
office workers actually paid into a
charity pool to raise money and awareness of community activities. I think its
usefulness is over. What about “dress up” Fridays? Would you take a lawyer or a
banking officer seriously if they were dressed casually? Call me ‘old-fashion’,
but I avoid making appointments on Fridays because I find conducting serious
business dressed too casually kind of creepy.
I have recently been in a discussion on LinkedIn about
sleeveless dresses on women in the workplace and how it diminishes their
perceived authority. I don not agree because I think one’s power really comes
from within. That said, visuals do come into play more often than we may want
to admit. By being more conscious of how we look, how we dress, and how we
comport ourselves, we do show others that we have respect for them. This is the
very backbone of etiquette – putting others ahead of ourselves. Amazingly
enough, making a bit of effort to present a clean and tidy image makes us feel
better about ourselves. Even when our lives may be in turmoil, our attire does
not have to reflect that. It is never inappropriate to put one’s best foot
forward!
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