How to dress for your brand
A different way to look at personal style and branding.
As someone who has been in business a while, it’s probably not news to you that you are your brand. You’ve probably felt the pressure of dressing for your brand, whether for a photoshoot or to meet with an important potential client. You’ve probably also felt frustrated at one point or another, trying to balance your personal style with your brand image.
If that all sounds familiar, then you’ve likely googled, “how to dress for my brand” at one point or another and may have noticed that the search results emphasize the same main points:
You have less than a second to make a first impression - and it takes 8 positive encounters to overcome one negative encounter
It’s human nature to judge based on appearance
You can change what others think about you through what you wear
How you’re dressed reflects how you conduct yourself in business
While that may be true to some extent, it also serves as a really fantastic way to create a ton of stress and pressure around how you look.
Not to mention that it implies that you can (and should!) use what you wear to manipulate how others perceive you and your business.
At this point, you might be thinking, “does that mean I can influence a client to say yes to working with me if I impress her enough with how I look? I could be okay with that!”
Until you consider that nowadays, people can smell insincerity from a mile away, and because people buy from people (not a business), this dress to impress mentality can actually work against you. People are tired of being sold to and crave real, genuine connections. Your ideal clients will resonate with who you really are, not who you think they want you to be.
Instead of dressing to impress others, dress with the goal of expressing your true self. When you dress in a way that has you looking and feeling your best, you’re naturally going to be the best version of yourself and, as a result, you’re going to represent your business in the best possible light as well.
How to dress for your brand
So how do you dress as the most authentic, real version of yourself while also balancing your brand image and meeting the level of professionalism of your industry and potential clients?
Just like you flipped the script on your goal for dressing, you need to flip the script on how you think about dressing.
Change the focus from what others will think, by defining who you are and how you want to show up in the world, separate from your business, before bringing in elements of your brand or client expectations.
Start by walking through the questions below and jotting down the words that come to mind in a free-flow brainstorming session. Then review them and narrow the list down to three words. These are your style power words that should inform what you buy and how you dress every day.
How do you want to show up in the world? This can go beyond clothes! Do you want to show up feeling grounded, fun, festive, or unique? There isn’t a wrong answer.
What type of presence do you want to have when you walk into a room? Not because others will be impressed by how you enter a room but the presence you want to exude so you can feel your most comfortable, confident self. Maybe that’s radiant, comforting, poised, magnetic, the list goes on.
How do you want to feel in your clothes? Clothes are about so much more than how we look. Do you want to feel at ease, confident, or powerful? What else?
What’s your favorite part of your personality that you would want others to notice right away? In other words, if you could get one thing across right away when you met someone, what would that be? Maybe you’re always making people laugh, or you want others to know you’re compassionate and kind.
When you see someone who has a killer style, the kind where you think to yourself, “man, that is totally my dream style!” what do you assume about that person? That they have their shit together or are super confident? That’s a sign of something you deeply desire and an unfulfilled potential within you - it’s time to embrace it!
Once you’ve decided on three style words that clearly and authentically reflect who you are and how you want to show up in the world, next consider these questions specifically related to your business. Again going through a free-form brainstorming session, jotting down any words that come to mind.
How do you want people to feel when they meet you?
How do you want people to feel when they work with you?
What sets your brand/business apart and makes you different?
What’s the typical attire like in your industry? (traditional, conservative, casual, creative, etc.)
How would you describe your ideal client’s style? (relaxed, high fashion, athleisure, business formal, edgy, preppy, etc.)
Then review your style power words, comparing and contrasting to what you’ve written down for the questions you just answered.
How can you show up (a.k.a embody your style power words) in a way that feels relevant to your business (the second list of words)?
For example, let’s say you’re an executive coach and your style power words are bold, confident, and fun. You want the women you work with to feel energized, excited, and happy when they meet you and confident and powerful through working with you - fantastic, your power words and brand line right up!
Now let’s bring your business in. If the attire in your clients’ industry is conservative and business formal, how do you show up as bold, confident, and fun given that context? That might look like a sleek, tailored pantsuit with cool asymmetrical details and crisp sharp lines paired with a red heel and subtle yet unique jewelry. The tailored suit with clean lines is conservative and traditional. The asymmetrical detailing, unique jewelry, and pop of colored heels are bold and fun creating an overall look that exudes confidence. Your potential clients will feel excited and energized when they see you, eager to experience that same confidence and power that you project through working with you.
You’ve honored who you are while representing what you do and appealing to who you work with. Win-win!
Written by Guest Blogger, Rachel Michael
