Last week it was slightly warmer in our offices. Now, normally I work in an icebox. I'm naturally a cold-blooded person (no laughing and no comments!) and that makes for some rather chilly days. Everyone else can seem to work like this, but not I. I wear an unnamed promotional item from one of our clients and a sweater wrap and sometimes even a blanket too.
Last week, FC wore a sleeveless top. In air conditioning. No cardigan, shrug or sweater. Here's the kicker though. The top looked like some sort of nightgown. A cream coloured sheer nightgown. EW! EW! EW! It's September. And remember, SHEER NIGHTGOWN=bedroom attire. It's not office attire. Unless your office is... Well, I'm just going to let you finish that sentence in your own mind, dear readers. Demerit points 30
One of her most horrifying outfits was yesterdays. Now, I'm not perfect here. I've been known to wear some things that should have been left in the closet. The point is if I look in the mirror and realize I made a bad choice, I leave it in the closet. I don't wear that outfit again. Monday's was a gem. It was the world's tightest, too-short sweater. You could see her belly. And her muffin top. And her camel toe. Wrong. Klassy with a K. The truly wrong thing is that she wears this outfit A LOT. Evidently she does not own a mirror. Demerit points 20
In advertising, we talk a lot about the whole package. What does it say about a person when what they are selling looks trampy, poorly fit or just plain ugly? It says that they are advertising themselves as being easy or not taking themselves seriously. I didn't go to Catholic school, so I didn't get to wear the kilt or a uniform. But I can see both the point of a uniform and a dress code. This way, what you're advertising is the inside, because the outside is advertising something classy and non-distracting. I honestly believe that a well-dressed person is taken more seriously than a person who is dressed too revealingly or like they rolled out of bed. Would you believe a stock broker who showed up wearing jeans when everyone else was wearing immaculately pressed suits? No, I would head straight for the person who looks dressed nicely. They are advertising the package deal. I don't want my stock broker taking shortcuts with my money, so why would I want someone who clearly took shortcuts with their attire that morning?
However it does depend on the environment. My office is casual. We all (except for FC of course) make an effort to be stylish and APPROPRIATELY dressed. We have to advertise ourselves as being worthy to do business with. If someone walked in the door right now and saw yesterday's outfit on me (would never happen, btw), do you think that they would take me seriously? We do dress up when a big client is coming in. We know how to market ourselves appropriately.
Still to come, fighting in the office...
No comments:
Post a Comment