The importance of how you look in the workplace is nothing new, but recent changes to the office environment, spearheaded by the more relaxed atmosphere of places like Silicon Valley, have altered how people view their wardrobe. Tamara Pupic examines whether you should try to dress for success in your chosen industry. What does ‘dress for success’ mean? It means much more than you might think. Since the 1970s, Margaret Thatcher’s power suits and dressing for success have symbolized the aspirations of women to reach managerial positions within the world’s male-dominated business community. Later on, designer labels have become status symbols of certain professions and social circles. The so-called power dressing has been supported by the increasing use of credit cards, and has helped many to rise the corporate ladder or achieve the lifestyle of aspiration. Is it still important? Yes. The relaxed standards of the less-conventional business people of Silicon Valley may lead you to think that traditional business attire and its power symbols have been forgotten since the start of the 1990s tech era, but don’t be fooled – it’s still alive and kicking. For example, technically oriented business meetings and long hours spent in coding often require more comfortable clothes. Furthermore, a company may have a particular working culture. Take Google. A few of its employees even have treadmills attached to their desks so they can walk while working. How could you do that in a suit? What else can Silicon Valley teach us? The main thing is that each industry, sector or market can have its own set of rules. The spontaneity expressed through the informal work environment, casual dress, and flexible hours of Silicon Valley partially hides a set of fashion rules among the engineers, designers, product managers, salespeople, entrepreneurs and VCs. Few of them are willing to spend much time looking for the best piece but they are very aware of style. So before heading there to pitch your start-up idea, make sure to learn what the ‘uniform’ of each group is. General must-haves include sneakers, hoodies and backpacks. If you spot somebody wearing a fleece vest, most probably that’s your guy – a venture capitalist. What are the basic rules then? Regardless of what the accepted dress code is in your peer group or company, or the one you want to impose among your employees, the first general rule is to keep it neat and clean. Wearing clean and pressed clothing, which is neither too large nor too small, goes in parallel with being well groomed. For women, appropriate hairstyles, light make up, and flats or moderate heels would be good suggestions. Covering tattoos and other body art is often advised for both genders. If you worry about being over-dressed or under-dressed, the rule of thumb is to always dress to the task at hand. Last but not least, being confident will always be more important than your clothing. What does it say about me? It is completely acceptable if it reflects your nationality, like the traditional robes and headdress worn by people from this region. When it comes to the standard Western business wear, a valuable piece of advice would be - dress as you want to be seen. Your attire makes your visual statement of how you see yourself, how well you will fit into the group and how you will treat your work. Therefore, keep in mind that non-verbal clues speak volumes.
