Business attire has become increasingly important for careers as every employee represents the Front Line for his/her organization. The pendulum swung too far to casual, now proper dress for business has made a comeback. Guidelines were vague in how to define “Casual, Casual Friday or Business Casual.”
Today, dress is broken down into different levels for one’s profession and lifestyle, each requiring its own look. The new levels of dress are defined as: Corporate, business, business casual/professional, smart casual, casual and leisure. Knowing the proper look and dressing appropriately for one’s career not only builds credibility but raises the quality of service expected by the employee and the organization. A uniform or dress code builds teamwork and morale, allowing the employee to feel confident and respected by their clientele.
The phrase “I am a walking business card,” inspired me as an Image Consultant to the importance of proper dress to make every item at every level count. In business if casual is called for always choose smart casual. It is better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed. Leisure never belongs in the workplace unless of course one’s profession is sports related. It has been proven that when a person is dressed smartly, he or she will be more productive.
