Professional Attire: Why Everything Doesn’t Have To Be Black and White… Or Grey
For someone who grew up admiring bold fashion statements, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that I’ve resorted to wearing dark colors in all professional settings. Although there are times when wearing black, grey, and navy clothing is necessary, there’s no denying that wearing such colors is the “safe” option. This is not to call out safe looks, as sometimes choosing the safe option is best when uncertain of what to wear. However, I question how wearing colors outside of a muted and neutral color palette, takes away from an individual’s skills and capabilities. In my personal opinion, incorporating colors into your professional attire is a great way to express your personality; why shy away from that?
The Norm for Professional Attire
Establishing your professional attire wardrobe is simple when referencing online images for example. Let’s be honest, every student has or will search for “what to wear for a job interview” or “what to wear in a professional setting” at some point. From personal experience, I usually find that black slacks are ideal, black or grey blazers are a must, and one can never have too many navy blue blouses or tuxedos. These are the basics that I’ve found to be a lifesaver in times of doubt. Luckily, for those still uncertain of what to wear, there is an unspoken dress code of what to avoid wearing, especially for interviews.
What to avoid for job interviews:
Distracting/ noisy jewelry
Overly casual clothing
Sheer or low-cut clothing
Oversized, tight, or ripped clothing
Revealing clothing
Overpowering fragrances and makeup
Sandals or sneakers
Hats
It’s also advised to avoid wearing bright colors for job interviews. Truth be told, the debate of whether or not to wear color to interviews is not a black-and-white situation. Understanding the work environment of your upcoming interview is the first step to finding the perfect interview attire. While some interviews call for the traditional neutral-toned clothing, others may call for a subtle pop of color. The next step is to know what message you want to convey to your potential employer based on what you are wearing.
What To Wear in Professional Settings
For professional settings outside of job interviews, this is where I absolutely encourage the use of color as colors can be associated with energy, mood, and personality. Understanding color psychology may be of some use when determining what to wear to professional settings.
Red = energy, power, strength, determination, and desire
Green = growth, harmony, and sincerity
Blue = authenticity, imagination, idealism, and flexibility
Brown = dependability, resilience, and stability
Orange = creativity, enthusiasm, fascination, and happiness
Purple = nobility, ambition, and wisdom
Using color psychology may be a starting point, but choosing which colors you wear is entirely up to what you feel comfortable in. In short, wearing more colors allows one to personalize their look, coincidentally, what you wear and how you wear it is a part of your personal brand.
Finding what to wear to professional settings and job interviews is a never-ending problem. The best advice I could give is that the key to building your professional wardrobe is to stay true to who you are and what you represent.
Kaedry Taveras is a senior pursuing a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. This will be her second semester with GrandPR as an Account Associate with an emphasis in design. She also joined The National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) Team at Grand Valley State University this past fall. Kaedry is dedicated to expressing her creativity and she aspires to become a Creative Designer. Through GrandPR, Kaedry hopes to continue to build her expertise and experience within the Advertising and Public Relations field.