How to Life: 4 Ways You Can Dress to Impress

It’s 10 pm and you still can’t decide what to wear. You have a big interview tomorrow and all the practice questions are swirling through your head. You have to make a good impression, but do you go with the blue jacket or the gray one? Tie or no tie? The heels or the flats? The brown belt or the black?

It can be really difficult to decide, especially when you want to give off a good impression. Here are 4 ways you can dress to impress. And read to the end for extra insight on dressing professionally.

1. Pick the Right Colors

Colors have a huge impact on us. Psychologically different colors make us feel different things. This is especially important when interviewing for a job or trying to make a great first impression. What do you want your outfit to say about you?

Generally, black, gray, or blue is the way to go. Black is seen as commanding and powerful and the rule of thumb is that black is always a safe bet. Dark blue, like navy, is great for a more relaxed environment and gray is seen as youthful. Many people never even think about what their color choice is saying about them! But following these tips can help you pick colors to look your best.

2. Pants vs. Skirts

For the ladies, this can be another stressful decision to add to the growing list. While it is perfectly acceptable to wear dress pants is a skirt ever the better option? Studies show that people still associate women wearing skirts as being more professional. Because of this a modest pencil or A-line skirt might be the best option for that job you are hoping to land.

However, as society continues to grow and change pants are becoming more and more common. It is important to be comfortable in your outfit of choice or else you’ll be worrying about it the whole time instead of working to present yourself in the best light possible. Whether you wear a nice pair of dress pants or the sleekest business skirt you can show up and let them know who you are and what you have to offer!

3. Choosing a Tie

For the gentleman ties can cause quite the issue. Tie or no tie? Solid or patterned? How do you decide? Finding a tie guide could help you get down to the specifics of ties and professional dress. But the rule of thumb is that the more professional you are trying to dress, the more conservative the tie.

For business formal you want a solid tie that isn’t too bold of a color. But as you get down into business professional and business casual you have more room to play with the color and pattern of your tie. But if ever in doubt, stick with a solid color or light striped tie to really pull your look together and impress anyone around.

4. If the Shoe Fits

What about shoes? Is open toed allowed? Can you wear dressy sandals? The best answer is that it depends on how professionally dressed you need to be. For formal or professional dress dress shoes are always a good option. However, “flats, open-toed and closed-toed shoes” in a dressier material or even leather are perfectly acceptable.

As you move down in the level of professionalism the shoe options widen. This includes dressy sandals, boots, loafers, and any combination of open or closed-toed shoes. While footwear is important, it is more important that you remember to look and feel professional and confident.

5. The Why

By now I’m sure you’re wondering (or maybe you have been all along), who is making these rules anyway? While I can’t say who makes all the business dress rules, I can shed some light on why it is the way it is.

In your career or life in general you are going to be representing something. That could be the company you work for, but it could also be yourself. If you want people to take you seriously you have to show them that you mean to be taken seriously. And while looks and clothing aren’t everything the way we dress and present ourselves can have a huge impact, even unconsciously, on the way that others perceive us.