How to dress when moving up the ladder

Black Enterprise, Oct, 1996 by Cassandra Hayes

Your appearance plays a greater role than you might think. Look like the leader you are for your flight up the corporate ladder.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR. WHAT DO YOU SEE? PERHAPS YOU'RE ONE OF those women still wearing tennis shoes with your power suit. Do you still iron your dress shirts . . . or worse, your suits? You've made strides along the management track but, sadly, your image is still entry-level.

Many mid-level managers and even executives remain trapped in a fashion abyss for years. The very same suits, hairstyles and makeup that helped launch their career years ago are sabotaging their image today. "Often, we don't want to change because we don't know where it's going to take us," says Gloria Respress-Churchwell, president of Churchwell Fashion Consulting in Nashville, Tennessee. "But a modern, upgraded look is going to add to your credibility."

The same amount of time you devote to enhancing your public speaking skills and upgrading your technical know-how should also be spent bolstering your looks. Allowing your appearance to take a backseat for too long may, in fact, derail your career. Keep in mind that the image you project must reflect not only where you are but where you want to go in your career.

"In 30 seconds, people make judgments about you based on how you look," says Charmaine McClarie, president of Image Design, an executive development and communications consulting firm in San Francisco. "Observe how your colleagues dress, not only in your company but in your industry. Ask yourself, What does a leader look like? Then study those leaders at networking events and in business and industry publications."

Go for quality, not quantity. Those who have been in senior-level positions for years can spot it immediately. Natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk and blends of these fabrics last longer and fit and wear better.

There's no question that custom-made clothing is the norm for the executive suite, says McClarie, who consults with many Fortune 500 company executives and prominent attorneys. Deep, finished hems, hand-stitching and generously cut fine fabrics are the mark of quality clothing.

Fit is also essential. Few people can buy something off-the-rack that fits perfectly. If you do purchase a suit from a retail store, make sure you have it altered accordingly. "It makes a subtle yet powerful difference. Nothing looks worse than a man or woman moving up the ladder in a cheap, ill-fitting suit," insists McClarie. For men, suit sleeves should have bound button holes, not faux ones with buttons sewn on top. Buttons should also be metal or bone, not plastic. You'll be surprised how a simple change of the buttons can make a dramatic difference.

Just how many clothes should an executive have? According to McClarie, your wardrobe should be 60% accessories: ties, pocket squares, scarves, jewelry and shoes; and 40% major pieces: suits, blazers and dresses. An array of accessories offer different looks.

For example, a man should have three shirts and six ties for every suit. Put those ties on the hanger with a suit and remove them after each wear to avoid the "safe look"--that same outfit that everyone compliments you on every time you wear it. It's also wise to keep an extra suit, shirt or blouse and a pair of shoes tucked away at the office for emergencies. Men should include a couple of ties with these items, and women, at least two changes of accessories.

YOUR SIGNATURE

A leader is a risk-taker. If you're going to be high-profile, you've got to have a signature style--something that allows you to subtly stand out while still fitting in. "Don't play it safe," advises McClarie. "It says nothing about you except that you're safe." Yet African Americans, known for being vibrant and fashion-conscious, should keep that signature statement low-key and avoid anything too flamboyant.

As Robert T. Ross made gallant career strides along Merrill Lynch's management track, he witnessed an interesting trend. Many at the top of the financial services industry shunned the bold colors and tapered cuts of Italian designers, instead opting for a more conservative button-down American or British style.

Ross, now a vice president and sales manager at Merrill Lynch's Grand Central Financial Complex in New York, was quick to take the cue. "I had a wide selection of nontraditional colored suits in taupe, browns and greens and switched to navy suits, white shirts and red-toned ties," he says. Despite adopting "the uniform," Ross didn't lose his style, which he accentuated with quality fabrics and cuff-links etched with his initials or the logo of his company or Morehouse College, his alma mater. "People expect a certain image, and you must maintain it if you want to look like the guy in charge," says the 37-year-old Ross, who regularly conducts public seminars and has some 100 brokers under his charge. "I believe your first impression must be a success, otherwise you're just behind the eight ball."

For Pam Cross, weekend anchor and reporter at News Center 5, WCVB-TV in Boston, scarves and pins became her signature piece. "Since I'm seen mostly from the waist up, it was important that I find one item that could be my trademark." Cross, who has been in the business for 20 years, knew that the way she looked had to have as much impact as the news she delivered.