Power Dressing
As the style quotient in professional settings of business, law and government is on the ascent, power dressing has come to assume greater importance than ever for the working women of today. Power dressing entails a whole host of details on how to best dress yourself so that you can present yourself as a person of authority and responsibility, and with the insistence upon presenting yourself in a fashionable manner as well as a stylistic individual. For women, power dressing is in fact a matter of much more interesting options than men, since the accompanying accessories that can go with the attire can provide a variety of innovative choices. It can be classified broadly under two categories-the business professional look (the most conservative sartorial version), and the informal business professional (a more relaxed version). Both however, carry some general do’s and dont’s, and it is better to follow these in order to dress right for a corporate environment.
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The Suit: In either categories of business, it is always better to dress conservatively in a new job,in colours like black, navy and charcoal,and fabrics like cotton and silk are the most appropriate. The fitting of the suit,however, should not be either too loose ot too
form-fitting, as both communicate the wrong signals. -
Shoes: Shoes with upto 1-2 inches of heel work fine, as long as they are not flashy or jazzy, and are preferably in black or brown. Wearing flesh toned hosiery over fishnet or wild design stockings is more preferable.
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Accessories: Accesories should preferably be kept to a bare minimum, as a professional environment is not the place to show off your sartorial knowledge. A simple brooch, a pair of earrings or a plain chain work just fine,and body art like piercings or tattoos should be avoided.
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Hair: The hair should be kept clean and neat, and the hair colour should be natural looking. Avoid wild hair colours like blue, pink, platinum streaks, etc., as well as hair glitter.
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Make-up: The make-up should not be loud or funky in any way, since a professional outlook requires that you be presented soberly. Depending upon the work environment, however, you can experiment slightly with the lip colour, restricting it to natural tones, as well as apply a light coating of foundation for the skin. Eyes are best kept unmade, or at the most, a simple lining of eyeliner or kohl can work well.
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Nails: Short, well manicured nails work the best, and long, colourfully painted nails are best avoided as they send out the wrong impression to the employer.
Although the rules given here are a more generalised version of the things to be kept in mind while power dressing, one however, can experiment or restrict their look depending upon the work environment. Above all, it is important to keep in mind that fashion does not necessarily have to be divorced from work, and each can work in a complimentary manner given the right choices.
