By Kayla Lott, Toppel Ambassador
When I heard the words “business
professional,” I used to hyperventilate.
One of the ways that I—as well as many others—express myself is through
my style, and dressing business professional takes away from that completely…or
so I used to think.
Stereotypically, when people think
business professional, they think all black, all basic and all boring, but it
doesn’t have to be that way. There are
ways that we can express ourselves through our clothing that don’t have to be
distracting or take away from our aptitude as young professionals.
So how exactly do we do that?
For men, feel free to experiment with
ties! That doesn’t mean to wear your new
Miami Dolphins tie; however, don’t shy away from patterns and colors (other
than red and blue). Also, experiment
with different styles of ties. The
typically worn tie (aka the four-in-hand) is great, but there is also the bow
tie that many don’t venture off to do, and there are other alternative ways to
tie a tie (like the trinity or eldredge knot) that would give you a unique
style as well.
Furthermore, take advantage of this
great accessory called the vest. It’s a
nice change from the jacket, and the vest is something that generally looks
good on all men. A sweater, like the
vest, is another great deviation from the norm. Color is another thing that not enough men
take advantage of. The colors of the
American flag aren’t the only colors that you can wear to the office, and
pink—as well as purple—isn’t just a “girl color.” Haven’t you heard that real men wear pink?
For women, there’s a lot that we can
do. High-waisted pants and skirts are in
right now. Feel free to wear them as
long as the length is appropriate (at least knee-length). Plus, it’ll give you more of an hourglass
look. Moreover, play around with
accessories. It’s okay to wear more than
the pair of go-to studs you have sitting next to your business suit. Pearls are a great accessory to enhance your
outfit while also making you look elegant, as long as you wear them in
moderation. Don’t be afraid of earrings
that dangle, just make sure they say business but fashionable not I’m going to
the club after work. Less is more is
definitely a foundation to live by on wearing accessories in the work place,
but think of less as modest not as sparing.
On the topic of the club, be careful of
the heels you wear. Many advise to keep
heels to a half an inch, but this is 2013, and we’re fashion-forward young
ladies. Most of us probably don’t own a
pair of heels that are less than three inches.
As long as they’re not too strappy, too high (five to six inches, four
may be pushing it) and preferably close-toed, feel free to strut your
stuff. Lastly, lack of color isn’t just
an issue for the men. It’s okay for us
to wear color too. Wear that magenta
colored skirt or the gold flats or both.
Fashion-forward isn’t just for the fashion merchandising majors. It can be for us too.
So the next time you hear “business
professional,” keep calm and style on because style is something that gives you
the freedom to be who you are even when you are part of a unit. When everyone else looks the same, it helps
us to define ourselves as someone who is different, unique and divergent. It’s something that can go from being a
conversation starter to getting us a job, so don’t be afraid to wear that
argyle tie or that chunky gold necklace.
It may be the very catalyst to get you your next connection.
