Dress to Impress
Its your first day at university tomorrow and you are overwhelmed. You are staring down your wardrobe, contemplating your attire. You wonder if you would look overdressed in a blazer. You fear flip flops would make you look haggard. Suddenly a full wardrobe seems inadequate. It happens with everyone.
But university is so much more than attending classes and hanging out with your friends. There are workshops, seminars, interviews and presentations. This experience is not supposed to dazzle you, not daze you. So while you work on the content for your presentations or on your CV for interviews, leave the getting dressed part to us. We have compiled some grooming tips to help you leave impressions all around campus and beyond.
The Casual Attire
Let’s be honest. How you dress matters. The effort you put into dressing up will reflect in your personality. The casual attire does not mean putting on joggers and flip flops to attend class. Every garment has a right place and right time. Dark coloured jeans and chino pants and are a good choice. Pair them up with a casual shirt or a polo for a very classic casual look. It is a good idea to mix and match dark and light colours. Off hand I recommend wearing darker top for evening wear and lighter for daytime.
The Business Casual
There are some events on the spectrum, in between highly formal and completely casual. These events call for a little more formal attire then daily casual wear and not so much over the top like for a job interview. You may have evening dinners with alumni or other networking events. A good idea is to wear a formal shirt with pants. Wearing suit separates (blazer and pants in different colours) is also a good idea. For women, tops with skirts or evening dresses are recommended.
The Professional
If you are going for the formal look, there has to be a suit.The colour should be conservative - navy blue and greys are good choices. A suit is essentially when your pants and jacket have been made with the same fabric. A leather belt matching the shoes along with a conservative tie is essential. For women, the suit can have pants or formal skirts, but the skirt hem should not be more than 2 inches above the knee. This attire is ideal for interviews and presentations.
General Grooming
In a formal setting, along with your clothes, how you present yourself is also part of the attire. This includes hair and accessories. It is recommended that guys are clean shaven and have short, well groomed hair. For girls, the hair should be neat and polished, away from the face. Jewellery should be minimalistic.
A neat briefcase and folder for men and a professional bag or purse for women is a good investment. You would not look very formal in a suit with a Nike backpack.
Most importantly, and I cannot emphasise on this enough, is your body language and your confidence. If you are confident and sit upright, you will leave a lasting impression. The next time you are in doubt about over dressing, refer to the adage - You can never be overdressed or over educated.
For more style advice and help in setting up your wardrobe, book an appointment with us.