The Age-Old Question of What to Wear
The maxim ‘dress for success,’ is about as common as ‘the early bird gets the worm.’ (And I would argue both equally relevant in the insurance industry.) But while many take the latter to heart, rising before the sun to get a head start on their daily to-dos, they let their appearance fall to the wayside.
Although it sounds shallow, people respond to well-groomed, attractive individuals. By no means am I suggesting a shopping spree or an extreme makeover, just that each of us pay a little more attention to our appearance, because you can bet everyone else is.
So you need to increase your style IQ? Don’t be too hard on yourself. Some of us have math skills, others excel in culinary pursuits and a few have a sense of style.
Some notes for the fashion-challenged readers.
Pleated pants. A certain body type can pull off pleats—you probably don’t have it. Although they used to be hard to come by, non-pleated trousers are now readily available and flattering to all.
Brown and black. In the past, the mixture of brown and black was frowned upon. But in these progressive times, it can be done. But if you aren’t a fashionista, I’d keep like colors together. There are far too many intricacies to this particular rule to go into at this time.
[Aside: When shopping, remember blue looks great with brown, black and gray and looks good on all complexions.]
Pinks, purples and other bright shades. I say go for it. Adding a little color can brighten up even the dullest of wardrobes. The insurance industry has caught a bad rap for being too stale. Mix it up with some color and stand apart from the rest. (If you’re going to wear a bold-colored shirt, stick with basic black or gray on the bottom.)
White after Labor Day. Obviously, the white shirt is the staple of any professional man’s wardrobe. But women have long been told the wearing of white after Labor Day is a faux-pas. This is one I’d like to crush here and now; it is perfectly acceptable to wear white any time of the year. White slacks pair well with a whole slew of tops and can increase your number of work-wearable combos.
White socks. These are meant to be worn with casual attire. If you are wearing dress pants, you also need to wear dress socks.
Levels of formality. This is subject to change depending on where and with whom you work. As an agent, you are constantly meeting and speaking with your customers. Your attire says a lot about how professional, knowledgeable and dependable you are. Regardless how casual your office, remember the following:
- As my grandma always says, you should leave something to the imagination. Anything too tight, too short or too see through has no place in a corporate environment.
- Make-up and jewelry are accents and should be worn as such.
- If you shrink your pants, get new ones. Even the most stylish pants look tacky when your socks are showing.
A few changes can perk up your look, increase your confidence, and improve your sales.
Comments
Viva flat-front trousers!
And remember, the only person who's ever pulled off white socks with dress pants is Michael Jackson. Music accomplishments aside, he's hardly a good fashion compass. :)
Posted by: Megan Mahan | February 28, 2007 11:14 AM
Dang...time to return the Admiral's suit jacket...
Posted by: James Omdahl | February 28, 2007 08:43 PM