We always told to "dress for success" and "dress for the job you want, not the one you have," but implementing those ideas is easier said than done. To help, we've broken down the science for choosing new clothes and tallied tips for debuting your wardrobe without causing too much of a stir.


Photo by bark.

While the cut, style, and fit of your clothes is important, the first thing most people are going to notice is the color. The color can have a serious psychological impact on the person looking at you, so depending on how you want to present yourself it's good to know the basic rules.


How We Perceive Colors and the Effect They Have on Your Presentation

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Color theory isn't an exact science, but we do know a few things about how colors often affect the way we're seen. These aren't always specific to clothing, but the cognitive effects they trigger can be applied to clothing. It's not solely about people's perception of you, color can have an affect on how you perceive yourself as well. The colors you wear might not exactly make you more successful, but they can make you feel that way.

Red: Red universally means stop, excitement, or danger, and one study suggests it might actually scare people a little. In another study, red is thought to evoke worry, distraction, and self-preoccupation. That might actually help us understand why, in a survey last year, a typical CEO was likely to prefer magenta over other colors. However, chances are you're not interested in scaring the pants off your coworkers just yet, so steer clear of red and magenta toward the beginning of the process.


Blue: Blue is typically associated with calming effects, and the same idea can be applied to clothing. Some studies have shown it can have an effect on the creative mood of the person looking at it, and theoretically, wearing blue might have a positive effect on the creativity of your coworkers.

Darker Tones: Darker colors like black, navy, gray or brown supposedly give off an authoritative message. Dressing in darker clothing might influence others around you and give off the impression that you know what you're doing.


Lighter Tones: Lighter colors like earth tones, pastels, or yellows typically appear less intimidating. That's not a bad thing, it can also mean people perceive you as being gentle, friendly, and approachable. Lighter hues also allow you to blend in more and maybe help disguise any changes to your wardrobe you're looking to make.

Even the color of your eyeglasses can change the way people view you. In a study from National Cheng Kung University, it was found that the color of frames had different connotations. For instance, green frames presented a vulgar impression, whereas black gives the impression of stability.


The Style Still Has an Effect

Just because color plays an important role doesn't mean style doesn't. In fact, in one study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, it was found that our perception of ourselves changes enough that our language does too:

Results show that participants who were dressed formally used more formal adjectives than casual ones to describe themselves. The opposite was true in participants wearing casual clothes. In addition, formally dressed participants responded faster to formal than to casual adjectives, while this difference was reversed in casually dressed participants.


The effect is going to change depending on how you define casual and formal. If you're more of a t-shirt and jeans type and you're looking to make the leap into a polo shirt, the people around you will likely notice and you too might notice a change in your own demeanor, even if it's not a traditional definition of formal.

Many surveys have found most big industries prefer a conservative approach to dressing. The Harvard Business Review notes that 37 percent of men believe that if you don't look the part of your leader, you're not going to get a leadership role yourself. As with any job, it's good to gauge your surroundings and have an understanding of how people tend to dress, but that doesn't mean you can't improve your presentation a little.


Photo by Ace Armstrong.

How to Integrate These Tips into Your Wardrobe without Stirring Up Too Much Attention


If you're reading this, chances are you're not the type to run out, purchase a bright red blazer, and then head into work tomorrow. Instead, you might be looking for a subtle means to upgrade your wardrobe without drawing a ton of attention to yourself. We know that dressing even just a little bit nice engenders more confidence, but it's also likely to bring about a few snide remarks from co-workers and friends.

As far as the science is concerned, this would mean implementing your changes gradually based on colors, not just styles. For instance, if you want to start wearing button up shirts, but don't want to draw attention to yourself, stick with lighter, neutral colors. The same goes with your pants and shoes. Image consultant Crystal Gardner agrees and offers these suggestions:

Subtle changes are the easiest and safest to make when looking to change ones image. I suggest playing with colors and accessories. Colors can be brought into the wardrobe as layering pieces under blazers, sweaters, stockings, and scarfs. Right now color blocking is a great trend that takes adding color into consideration. Some of the current colors of the season include: neons, bold blues, purples, reds, greens, and orange. Accessories are another great way one can change their image. Costume jewelry can add elegance and sophistication, retro shaped eyewear can create a trendy upbeat look, belts can add different looks and accentuate the body in certain ways, shoes are also another great accessory to add some punch to a new look. I personally love the oxford flat which has been seen in many colors and patterns this year. It's a classic with a new twist. The best part about these little updates is they are very affordable, you aren't buying a complete new wardrobe.


The subtle, piece-by-piece method isn't your only option, if you prefer to jump in headfirst, image consultant Milena Joy of Milena Distinctive Image Consulting suggests a more upfront approach:

CEO's and great leaders aren't wallflowers, they stand out and they dress with confidence. Changing your look and people's reaction to you is all about consistency. If you consistently look put together, polished and sophisticated, than there won't be much to talk about for long. You may have to suffer through one day of reactions from co-workers, but soon your new look will become the norm. If you try to ease into the new look, then each piece, each change will be a new opportunity for someone to make an obvious comment, therefore putting you in an awkward self-conscious position. We advise that you jump into your new look with both feet (in your tailored pants of course) and make the decision to dress for a more successful you and never look back.


Photo by DaveBleasdale.

Have you ever completely changed your image? How did it go?