Success Advice
Dressing for Success: 3 Real Benefits of a Small Interchangeable Wardrobe
Dressing up for a job interview is something we have all done. It’s part of making a good first impression. But that doesn’t mean the impressions should stop coming. My first job was an entry-level job but I turned out every day in my best business attire. A few weeks later, a supervisor complimented me on looking snappy every day. Three or four months down the road I was told I was making a good impression on senior management. They were sorry to see me go when I quit a year later in the same position.
Dress to Impress
The thing about successful people is, they follow a uniform when it comes to dressing. Obviously, this does not mean a Dr. Evil style costume like in Austin Powers. But even the most underdressed of successful people like Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs have a distinctive style. This is their uniform, from which they rarely deviate. When dressing for success, its best to keep it simple, control your message, and stay consistent. This is a far better option than spending thousands of dollars on bespoke suits, even if you can afford it.
Billionaires like Steve Jobs had all the money in the world to buy expensive outfits. but his wardrobe only had simple, interchangeable outfits. There’s a very good reason for this. The less effort you have to put into deciding what to wear, the more effort you can put into productive work. Successful people all have a very common driving factor.
They realize the only scarce commodity they have is time. There are only 24 hours in a day. No amount of money can buy an extra minute. This spurs on leaders and successful people to minimize the energy they spend on clothing decisions.
Some of the most prominent business leaders of our time all have this in common. Hence the distinct “uniform” they wear. It may be a good idea for you to create a uniform of your own on your way to success. Here are the top three benefits to doing just that:
- Presenting a message to others
- Saving valuable time
- Saving money
“A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them.” – Hardy Amies
Below are three real benefits of having a small interchangeable wardrobe:
1. Presenting a Message to Others
The first thing you want to do is figure out the message you want to present with your clothing. You need to know how to control this message. Steve Jobs attire tells us he was an average, everyday guy, which is exactly the message he wanted to present. Mark Zuckerberg wears a grey T-shirt with jeans, presenting that he’s still a computer genius at heart.
Figure out what message you want to portray and how simply you can get it through. Afterwards, make clothing decisions accordingly. A lot of what we perceive about people comes from the way they dress. So put in careful thought, even if you decide to go for a casual ensemble.
2. Saving Valuable Time
Trust me when I say this, too many choices are never good. This is especially true when deciding what to wear. The more choices you have, the more indecisive you get. If you have dozens of outfits in your wardrobe, you are likely to go into paralysis trying to choose one. Some people even panic and think none of their clothes go with each other.
If this happens to you, it is time to trim down your closet. Not only does this save space, but it also helps eliminate extra choices. This lessens the span of time you spend deciding what to wear. A simple and interchangeable wardrobe can help you accomplish that.
“Dressing well is a form of good manners.” – Tom Ford
3. Saving Money
What makes successful people successful? For one thing, they don’t believe in spending more than necessary. This is a worthwhile habit to cultivate on your road to success, especially when it comes to maintaining a wardrobe. An interchangeable wardrobe consisting of a few good outfits can really help you save money.
You can create more outfits with fewer articles of clothing. This means you need to shop less often for new clothes. Additionally, you will probably start carefully considering clothes before you purchase them. In both cases, you spend less money on clothes and save more.
In the business world, you need more than just appearances to succeed, but people who do succeed usually have a way of thinking along the same lines. This translates into their uniform, along with their professional and personal lives. One way to succeed is to emulate people who have already done it.
Following the dressing habits of these people is more than just mere imitation. These benefits can flow over into other aspects of your life as well. Ultimately, they will complement your vision of yourself as a successful person.