Dressing Down for Success

This morning Carl “tweeted” a link to a Wall Street Journal Article about CEO’s dressing casual. Its a good read, and its right up my alley. I hate wearing suits and ties.

Favorite quote of the article: “A suit has become something you wear when you’re asking for money.”

The article includes a video:

To me this is about more than just dressing in something that fits your industry. When you create a company of your own, it is up to you to fully develop your brand. A sign, logo, website, and letterhead is just the beginning. Everything, including what you wear and what kind of furniture you have in your office, is part of your brand.

If your brand includes the image of perfection, perhaps a high quality, tailored suit is the best choice. I once heard of a company that had very specific rules about dress- right down to the socks. You weren’t even allowed to iron your own shirts! Their point was that they always wanted to be dressed in a more polished way than their clients. They wanted to give an image of exclusivity, quality, and success.

Your clothes and your style have to fit your brand. If you are known as a fun, relaxed, company and you show up somewhere in a full dark suit, people will know something’s wrong. Conversely, if you are a high-end Realtor and your brand is all about being polished, showing up in jeans and a blazer may look strange.

So, instead of reexamining your wardrobe so you can buy brooks-brothers shirts with custom buttons, try re-examining your brand. What are you trying to communicate to your customer? Out of the following things, what fits and what doesn’t fit?