Dress The Message
Why is it important to “dress the message?”
Great question, let me tell you about my experience.
If you’re anything like me; I never liked the idea of having to dress a certain way to get the
respect I thought I deserved from a certain group of people along with taking so much time
curating my wardrobe (ugh, give me 10 more minutes of sleep). I would say things like “people
should respect me because I’m a human being and I know what I’m talking about, not because
I’m wearing expensive clothing”. The truth of the matter is that this world is very biased.
For all my life I’ve never really put much thought or effort into the outfits I wore. Most of my
clothing was just too big due to my really small stature but I didn’t care (mostly because I didn’t
know what a “tailored fit” looked like), I thought I could make anything look “good” as long as I
was confident. Let me tell ya, working at a luxury custom tailoring house really starts to change
your perspective on clothes and what a proper fit is supposed to look like.
It wasn’t until I was given my first bespoke sports jacket by my employer and mentor that I started
to notice things change. I started noticing the way people looked at me, the way people
introduced themselves to me, and the tone they used when talking to me. Not only that but my
mental headspace was sharp! I felt more competent, responsible, authoritative, and trustworthy.
I felt so good, and I didn’t quite understand why at the time, I just thought I had gotten a good
night’s sleep and some strong coffee that morning.
After the second time wearing the sportcoat I realized the sportcoat has super powers. When
you look good, you feel good! PERIODT. The simple fact that it’s also contagious, is admirable.
In me putting effort into my wardrobe, my partner started seeing subtle changes that inspired
him to elevate his wardrobe as well. How you present yourself to the world on a daily basis tells
so much about you and you may not realize it. The clothes you wear and the way you groom
yourself will change the way people hear what you say and how they perceive you, and that’s
the reality. It will determine whether they listen or ignore. Trust or distrust.
So, how do you want to feel today?