Invest in that transformative blazer
- Elena
- Apr 29, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
I used to enjoy watching Downton Abbey, and I recall being pleasantly surprised by a scene where a male character transitioned from a tailcoat to a smoking jacket/tuxedo for the evening. This change elicited a shocked reaction from a much older character, who saw it as a sign of declining formality. The world has moved on, and about a hundred years have passed since those times so beautifully depicted in the series. While we now smile at such scenes, it makes us wonder about the direction of formality in today's professional environment.
Of course, there are professions and industries that are more conservative in terms of appropriate attire, such as law or banking, but what we see more and more often in the media is the image of the young entrepreneur wearing jeans to the office, workspaces that invite everyone to roll up their sleeves and work together, billionaires who have made a uniform out of a simple grey T-shirt, or businessmen who are also ambassadors for revered sneaker brands.
credit: www.therake.com - Pedro Pascal. Yes, that is a suit, not a blazer (less formal)
It's not right or wrong, it's just the way it is. Times have changed, yes, but people's judgments of other people continue to happen. So do prejudices. Now, more than ever, when employees are free to express their personal style because the companies they work for allow them to "shine" in their beloved and unique clothes and accessories, people should remember that a fair judgment of the context is still expected, that we can't just wear whatever comes to our minds or hands in the morning, in front of the closet. People still judge and still have expectations and still find that there is a relationship between the way a person dresses and competence and respect. To themselves, to the industry they work in, to their employer, to their colleagues..
Remember then that at work you need to be aware of the people around you and that it's not just about what you like, but it's about business. Sure, people are hired based on their skills (ideally), but what they wear and how they wear it and how they behave play a crucial role in the hiring process as well as in delivering the promised results upon hiring - not necessarily because it shows what a person can do but rather because it influences our perception of what WE THINK a person can do.
The impression you "plant" in other people's minds can help enormously in delivering the expected results because what you wear in professional interactions sends a signal about your professional status or how well you might be appreciated by your company if the company is doing well and taking care of its employees. It is almost like a self-fullfilling prophecy: a well-dressed person transmits that they know what they are doing which might actually bring more opportunities their way.
In an environment with artificial hierarchies - at work - what people wear will say about the individual-wearer if they position themselves higher in the hierarchy.. or lower. We all carry with us a tendency to gravitate towards those who are higher up in the hierarchy or who seem born to lead. Those are the people we generally want to work with. Is that fair? Not really. Does it happen more often than we like to admit? Definitely.
After all, any interview is a promise of future results and clothes make the person in this situation. And impressions and prejudices don't just happen in interviews, but in general, in almost any business meeting with a stake: when you ask for investments, when you ask for a line of credit from your bank, when you make a presentation on site, for a potential client.
And let's not forget that some industries actually have some requirements for how people who "move" through these industries should dress. People want to know that their money is safe, so they expect to talk to a banker dressed appropriately. People want to know that their dream house will be designed by a person who knows what they're doing, so they'll expect the architect working on the project to dress appropriately. People want to know that their health is in good hands, so they'll expect health investigations and treatments to come from a person wearing a certain appropriate ''doctor-like'' outfit.
All these ''uniforms" samples are there to guarantee that the people who wear them have passed tests, are certified to practice the job they practice and some higher authorities vouch for it. We, humans, tend to place extraordinary and almost unconditional trust in the uniforms (of any kind) that representatives of a business wear, so remember, daily, when choosing your "work" clothes, that you are responsible to dress to honour that trust, but also the trust of your employer, your investors, your colleagues.
So, if there's one thing everyone should invest in to honour their work, it's a blazer that instantly elevates one's presence. It can almost give you super powers, especially when your peers are way more casually dressed.
Sure, there are all kinds of shapes and reinterpretations and rolled sleeves and zippers and embellishments and cuts on the market, but when you stick to the classic principles of tailoring - you can't go wrong.
Sure, there are many more options for women, but keep in mind that just because it's "blazer-like, it doesn't mean that it is appropriate for work.
Following some general guidelines is suitable for both women and men and everyone in between.
A blazer can be found on the market at any price point. But it is not the actual purchase that is the effort, but the self-education work behind the scenes. That is why it is important to take the time to get to know your own body, your size, the cut that would suit you, the fabrics that are friendly to the skin and the passing of years and to actually go to stores, read the "ingredients" on the label, touch the fabrics and try on as many as possible. Or go to a single, specialised store with a competent assistant and you're set. Or, best - go to a tailor.
It's good to know, for example, that the right length for a jacket is halfway between the floor and the base of the neck, or that the right length for a sleeve should allow a little more than a centimeter of the shirt cuff to show through.
It's good to know, for example, that a 100% wool jacket (in combination with silk or viscose lining) lasts very well over time, never needs to be cleaned (unless it has a stain) because it cleans itself when aired out and looks better and better as you wear it because the fabric begins to take on a particular shape for the body it is covering.
It is also good to know that someone who wants to create the impression of height should avoid heavy patterns but also the double-breasted cut, meaning a jacket with two rows of buttons, which rather widens its wearer's appearance. All the small and large elements and the right joints in the structure of a blazer have their own special merit in elevating you. Of course, a custom-made jacket is ideal, but if budget is an issue or you don't have a specialised tailoring workshop nearby, then the safe way is to have a blazer commercially purchased and subsequently adjusted. There are stores that offer both or small "neighborhood" workshops that you can check.
Nothing else creates such a good impression as a blazer that fits well, because it is a piece of clothing that covers a lot of the body surface and creates a "finished" frame for your face in that mental image that people we meet are left with.
Even the most informal CEOs of companies and IT billionaires understand that it is appropriate to have that impeccable full suit or blazer in their wardrobe, and rightly so: being appropriate for a specific occasion is a sign of respect. And they wouldn't be today's CEOs and billionaires if they hadn't worn that blazer at least once, when they had meetings with investors or bankers or potential clients. (Or in court).
And in order to reach their positions and shake hands for strategic agreements, it is important to know not only the tools of a successful business but also, above all, human expectations and the unwritten rules responsible for the smooth running of the business environment and society in general.
This article was first published on the 3rd of March 2020.
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