Look Book
A great way to develop your personal style is by creating a “look book”: images of outfits that you enjoy for the shape, silhouette, or any other minor or major detail. Once you have collected several pictures of ensembles that elicit your admiration, look for consistencies in your picks. You will begin to see what overall styles or individual pieces you gravitate toward, which will help in eliminating impulse buys that do not integrate seamlessly into your new and polished image.
Dressing the Part
In a magazine article written by my friend and fellow freelance writer, Elizabeth Saunders, she gave excellent advice on creating a personal and professional “brand”. One particular sentence has reverberated in my mind since reading the article. A college professor had once told her to “decide how you want the world to see you and then cultivate that image”. Not only is this advice brilliant in both the personal and professional realms, but also in regard to developing a personal style. Luckily for those that were not blessed with the gift of an innate sense of fashion, impeccable style can be learned.
For someone in the professional world, developing a style that resonates well with co-workers and employers is integral to your success. Once you decide what kind of an employee/employer/co-worker you would like to be, develop your style accordingly. Together, this creates your professional image. For further proof of the impact your image has upon your life, look to the stars. When a celebrity or political figure needs to gain believability in a role or sway the public, note how a wardrobe change transfixes a nation to buy into the entire image. Now the message being conveyed matches the person sending the message. Some of the greatest figures in history had an innate sense of theatre, which they used to their advantage when choosing ensembles to outfit their images.
In other words, if the world was your stage, how would you dress your character?
For someone in the professional world, developing a style that resonates well with co-workers and employers is integral to your success. Once you decide what kind of an employee/employer/co-worker you would like to be, develop your style accordingly. Together, this creates your professional image. For further proof of the impact your image has upon your life, look to the stars. When a celebrity or political figure needs to gain believability in a role or sway the public, note how a wardrobe change transfixes a nation to buy into the entire image. Now the message being conveyed matches the person sending the message. Some of the greatest figures in history had an innate sense of theatre, which they used to their advantage when choosing ensembles to outfit their images.
In other words, if the world was your stage, how would you dress your character?
Catch-26
I have found myself in a catch-22 (or 26, rather, since I will be turning my "scary age" in one month). I began this blog after realizing that many other young professionals are struggling with the same internal debates regarding life, love and work. As Edith Head once said, "You can be anything in life if you dress for it"; I believe that the self is not something that should be found, but rather created, thus I hope my blog can serve as a guide to cultivating a polished image.
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