Dress for Purpose

How many of us have heard the phrase "Dress for Success" ? Can our clothes really define our success? Should we judge a book by its cover? Let's find out ...

There is a famous saying that "Clothes maketh a man" which actually on a deeper level means that dressing in a certain manner can shape your behavior and affect the way you perform.

Dressing up is more than just dressing for success as it is just one of the outcomes. Simply because clothes are an integral part of our lives.

Therefore today we will talk about why you should dress for purpose.

"Wear Clothes That Matter"

1. The first purpose is First Impressions: We are aware that it takes 7 seconds to create a first impression, which are often long-lasting. And while first impressions may change eventually, it takes a lot of effort and at times you may just loose an opportunity.

2. Our clothes our non-verbal communicators - We can use them strategically to to build our personality, communicate our roles & goals. Even Shakespeare knew the value of clothing communications when he wrote The phrase "the apparel oft proclaims the man" means that the type of clothes one wears tell a lot about the wearer;

3. Our clothes have an impact on our performance - When we dress up well, we feel good about ourselves and are able to be more productive. It's called Enclothed Cognition. Enclothed cognition illustrates how clothing impacts human cognition based on the co-occurrence of its symbolic meaning and the physical wearing of the attire.?In an experiment , a group of people were given white coats to wear and were told that its a doctors coat, as a result there seemed to have more focus & better performance.

4. Our clothes have an impact on our wellbeing - The clothes that we wear affect how we feel, our confidence level, and the way that we view ourselves.?It builds self-esteem which in turn impacts our behaviour. In fact you can incorporate different colours to uplift your mood and communicate.

In another study - A group of people were given business suits to wear and asked to reflect on how they felt - the most common answers were authoritative, attractive & confident.

5. And last but not the least, clothes impact the cognitive bias - Studies show that people who are dressed better have a higher chance of being recruited, finding a better life partner or getting help from strangers. in general they are more believable & likeable. This is called the Halo Effect.

In conclusion, pay attention to what you wear and dress for your purpose.

"What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Clothing is instant language."

-Miuccia Prada