darcey howard

Personal Style Consulting, Wardrobe Management & Personal Branding Through Appearance
seattle, Washington

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How To Develop Your Personal Brand, One Pant Leg At A Time

As a follow up to the previously posted article on "The Art of Personal Branding Through Appearance", this will provide more tactical steps and practicle applications.

Written May 01, 2008, read 573 times since then.

How you start your day can set the tone for everything that follows. A healthy life starts with your morning routine and a positive outlook. Right? What does your morning routine look and sound like?

Hit snooze bar twice

Get up 10 minutes late

Skip breakfast

Shower quickly

Stand in front of your closet and say “I have nothing to wear” or “I guess I’ll wear this old thing today”.

Life is difficult enough without having to be frustrated or distracted every day by “what to wear”. Having a wardrobe that supports your personality and lifestyle may not make getting out of bed easier but it will certainly help you get out the door faster and feeling more confident.

“Personal Branding Through Appearance” is a philosophy as much as it is a process. An approach designed from the ground up to help you take control of how you look, how you feel, and how others respond to you. Everyone from busy moms to corporate recruiters are taking note of the effect that appearance can have on overall mood and well being. It’s not just about how you are perceived, its also how you feel.

In a recent CNN article it was noted that how someone is dressed was the third most important attribute in getting a new job, according to a study by Syracuse University and Total Executive Inc. of 300 executive recruiters, chief executives and directors of personnel. That's behind communication and presentation skills.

By understanding the effects and benefits of “Personal Branding Through Appearance” you can avoid uncomfortable situations of feeling “not quite right” for the setting.

Branding 101:

When a company develops a brand they take into account their history, values, key attributes and their audience. By identifying those elements they can create a way to message themselves to their ideal consumer. As a consumer we identify with that brand’s logo, and based on our experiences with the product or service we have an emotional reaction to it. Obviously that company hopes it is a positive reaction that compels you to purchase their product and have a deeper relationship with their brand.

Personal Branding 101:

Each day we encounter dozens, even hundreds of people. Some of them we know, some we meet for the first time and others we’ll spend mere seconds in their presence. Mere seconds is all it takes for you to make a lasting impression on another person. Why wouldn’t you want it be an impression that most directly reflects who you are, what your goals are, and how you want people to connect with you?

If you are a brand then your wardrobe is your logo. What is the lasting impression that your wardrobe is telling people that you encounter throughout your day? One way to determine that is to identify what your Personal Brand is.

Identifying Your Brand:

Start by asking yourself these questions to understand what purpose your wardrobe needs to serve and how it should function to support you.

“What are my goals?” Is it to to change careers? Be considered for a promotion? Communicate age or expertise in your field? Get out of the house quickly felling more confident and put together? These are all good questions that will help determine the tone of your brand.
“Who is my audience?” Colleagues? Superiors? Peers? We all want to be respected by our peers, right? Think of who is most supportive of your goals and consider them as part of your audience.
“What are the traits of my personality that I attribute to my success and want to be most noted for?” Think of what you are good at, most proud of or passionate about. It may be words like: “tenacity, creative, vital, reliable, resourceful”. This is a powerful question that not only builds confidence but can bring real clarity to the situation of your wardrobe.

You’re done! Feels pretty good, doesn’t it? You’ve just started the process of building your brand. Now we can apply it to creating a wardrobe that supports that vision.

Creating Your Wardrobe-Logo:

Take the answers to those previous questions and use them as a filter to look at your wardrobe – not just the foot and half in the front of your closet, but the whole closet. All of them, if you have more than one closet. And ask yourself if each piece serves a purpose and supports the elements of your brand. Some examples might be:

“Does having nothing except pale blue oxford shirts support my seasoned expertise and complexity of character?”

“Is having only one sweat suit to wear every day to go from the playground to a PTA meeting effecting my level of confidence?”

“Is a tired and dated suit communicating my desire for advancement and sense of resourcefulness?”

If you notice a pattern in your answers that aren’t supportive of your goals it is probably a good time to address your personal brand in your appearance.

Addressing Your Personal Brand in Your Appearance

The Philosophy behind “Personal Branding Through Appearance” is to have a wardrobe that is dictated by your personality and lifestyle, and not by what is in ‘fashion’ or ‘trendy’. By utilizing this philosophy you can have a style that will be satisfying and sustainable for a lot longer than just following trends. Part of building that style is to evaluate aspects such as fit, function, color and shopping habits. One way to gain proficiency in this would be to work with a Personal Style Consultant that understands “Personal Branding Through Appearance”, apparel construction, color theory, and will be a good resource for you. Working with a Personal Style consultant can save you a tremendous amount of money in costly mistakes purchased and bring clarity, focus and purpose to your wardrobe.

Learn more about the author, darcey howard.

Comment on this article

Posted by Paul McFadden, Bellevue, Washington | May 03, 2008

Darcey: Great advice. It's amazing to me how many folks don't take the extra minute or two to make sure they're put together. Since first impressions are so key, I say do what it takes. I know we live in the somewhat slovenly Pacific Northwest but people do notice. It could make the difference between you being chosen or someone else. Why take the chance? Have a great weekend!

Paul
Posted by Leslie Irish Evans, Redmond, Washington | May 04, 2008

This was a really helpful article, not only for me but I'm also going to pass it on to my high school-aged daughter who is looking into fashion design colleges. This is a really good argumet for why it is important to dress your part. Thanks!

Leslie

calm by leslie
Posted by Vicki Elam, Klamath Falls, Oregon | May 04, 2008

Wonderful article! I recently put on a business fashion show to help women see the importance of dressing for success! First Impression is everything....

Vicki
Posted by darcey howard, seattle, Washington | May 05, 2008

Nice work Vicki! Your WIB organization sounds great. I'm sure it was very well received by your audience. I do a lot of "Personal Branding Through Appearance" workshops for companies that are looking to have their employees take greater ownership in how they are representing themselves and the brand that they work for. It wonderful to see people tak in interest in being more intentional when they get dressed, like Paul said.
Posted by Vicki Elam, Klamath Falls, Oregon | May 05, 2008

Good morning Darcey! WIB has been 3 years in the making and the fashion show was such a success that we are planning another one in April of 09'. I just visited your web site and its very impressive!
You would not believe the way some women dress here and they don't give it a second thought. I'm trying to change that!

Vicki
Posted by darcey howard, seattle, Washington | May 05, 2008

Actually, i would believe... i've lived in many small towns in Oregon; North Bend, Reedsport, Springfield, to name a few. Keep up the inspiring work - i find that most people just need permission to change how they see themselves and the tools to make a change. the greatest gift one can give is the permission to change.
Posted by Vicki Elam, Klamath Falls, Oregon | May 05, 2008

So you do know..:) And you are right, that is the greatest gift!

Vicki
Posted by Rebecca Carlson, Seattle, Washington | May 08, 2008

Darcy -- I love this article and plan to pass it around to my friends. I've always felt it's important to "dress for success", whether you are climbing the corporate ladder or starting your own business. There are so many choices in fashion that you can be expressive and feel like "you", yet come across as professional.
Posted by darcey howard, seattle, Washington | May 08, 2008

thank you Rebecca. i'm so glad that you enjoyed it. i hope your friends will see the value in what you already obviously know. cheers!
Posted by Amy Woidtke (woid-key), Greater Seattle, Washington | May 08, 2008

Great to see you writing!

I was inspired by Bruce Hale (re-brander of the PCC Markets environment) to actually GET dressed every morning in my business clothes, even though I work at home. This is a part of embracing personal branding and I find it really helpful in keeping me in business mode for the day.

So even though I am working from home, I still put my pants on every day (that's an Biznik insider joke if you're familiar with Chris Haddad). heehee

Embrace your personal branding every day, even if you work from home! It's a great morale booster and gets me going every morning. I get up, get dressed and "go to work" just as if I worked out of office.

Thanks Darcy!

Creating meaningful spaces that matter. How are yours?
Posted by Jeff Collins, Seattle, Washington | May 08, 2008

Maybe I'm wrong but to me, in an interview, "communication and presentation skills," are almost the same thing which, if true, would make your personal appearance #2!

Excellent article, Darcey. I whole heartedly agree.

In many situations I have had clients who I have got on the right path of professional dress and they ask me what to do with their employees. In many of those situations I have helped them create company logo wear. This has gone a long way to employees feeling more professional at work. Not only does it present a better image for their business than each employee wearing whatever they want, it also brands and advertises at the same time.

One of my clients landed a contract with Safeco & Quest fields because the right person noticed him in his company shirt I had made.

It goes to show it doesn't always have to be a suit but it does have to be professional.

If you want the lead role you better dress the part.
Posted by Zita Gustin, Kirkland, Washington | May 09, 2008

Amen, Sister! Darcy, you've packed a lot of information in this article. As a person who is often in front of large groups of people, I am very aware of what my personal brand is and how my choices of attire impact that brand. I truly wish that more people understood that their outward appearance does impact the impressions that other folks have of them.

I'm not talking about spending huge sums of money to gain a certain look. It's more about attention to detail and simple things can make a person really stand out.

I agree with Paul McFadden in that there seems to be this idea that we live in the Pacific Northwest so we can be sloppy in our appearance. In business, where you want people to take you seriously, this is not a good strategy. You really hit this home when you talk about thinking about your audience. If your audience is your potential client or customer, it's wise to think about that and put on the show of your life that says, "I'm professional and you can count on me!"

As an aside, I'm looking forward to having you speak at our event in August!

The ABC's of Networking ... Always Be Connecting!