Are You Dressing True to Yourself or Circumstance?

There’ll be times in business- and in your private life as well- when your position and surroundings will be quite different from the kind of person you are. How, then, should you dress? As the person you are- even if it makes you look quite out of place? Or as the one occasion demands- even though you won’t feel like you?

This is one of the trickiest problems a woman faces in learning how to dress well. Not only because it comes up again and again, but because so much rides on how successfully she does it.

No matter what the situation, if you don’t dress true to yourself, you’re going to feel uncomfortable. You won’t feel natural, honest, or relaxed. And when you’re ill-at-ease, everyone else will be too.

On the other hand, if you don’t take the circumstances into consideration, you’re going to make the people you deal with uncomfortable. They’ll feel you’ve distanced yourself… that you think you’re better than they are… that you don’t give much weight to their standards or customs or taste. In a word, that you either don’t care, or you’re not very bright. Probably both. And again, the unease will be catching.

It is not to be looked as being mandatory to adjust your outfit to the situation. But more of a kindness and a courtesy. The whole point of dressing well is that it makes everybody feel better. All it takes is a little thought and empathy.