The business suit has secret
powers
Sandy Dumont
Inside Business -
Hampton Roads
Monday October 31, 2005
Ever wonder where the term “power suit” came
from and if any such item really exists?
The first use
of the term is anyone’s guess, but the amount of study it has
generated is unquestionable. Paul Fussell, in his book
Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear, notes that uniforms equate
to authority – and a power suit is the businessperson’s
equivalent to a uniform.
He cites an experiment using
a man in a guard’s uniform. Whenever the guard encountered a
person putting coins in a parking meter, he asked that he or
she also put money in the meter across the street, explaining
that the person just parked and forgot to do so. Nearly
everyone complied. Later, the same man repeated the scenario,
but dressed in casual attire. He was rudely brushed off.
Fussell says it is not only the “official” uniforms of
policemen, military personnel, and airline and ship captains
that give their wearers authority. The business suit, a.k.a.
the power suit, also conveys innate power and authority.
In staged experiments, a jaywalker in a power suit on
a busy city street was automatically followed by other
pedestrians. However, when the same man jaywalked in casual
dress, he was scolded for his illegal and dangerous act. It is
no wonder that the term power suit emerged.
Robert
Cialdini, author of the book, INFLUENCE, the Psychology of
Persuasion, reports that his research revealed our
subconscious and deep-seated sense of duty to authority. He
noted that orders are followed nearly blindly when a person is
dressed authoritatively. Like Fussell, he believes the
business suit announces we are professional as well as good at
what we do.
Rule number one for men: The darker the
color, the higher the authority. It is for that reason that
navy blue, charcoal gray and black are traditional colors for
business suits. They innately suggest authority and power.
Striped suits convey more power than their solid counterparts;
however, they can also impart a degree of stiffness.
The power of a dark suit can be augmented, or
diminished, depending upon the choice of shirt and tie. White
shirts are more formal than those with color and are, thus,
more authoritative. Striped shirts convey authority too,
because they look crisp and regimented.
Ties should be
in bold colors so they “dominate” the color of the suit and
shirt. Gaudy patterns dominate in a negative way and do not
convey authority. A tie that blends into either the shirt or
suit will look washed out and non-authoritative.
Rules
for women: Women can achieve a powerful look with colors other
than navy, gray and black. A red suit, for example, suggests a
dynamic, courageous and energetic person. A suit’s style can
either augment or diminish its power. Blazer suits, for
example, are less powerful-looking than those with more
high-fashion styles. Accessories like bold earrings, brooches
and belts add additional power to a suit.
Fussell says
particularly powerful business suits become ennobled and
convey news of valuable personal qualities in their wearer. It
is doubtful that jaywalkers would follow a man in a “business”
suit worn with a dark satiny blue shirt and matching tie; or a
woman in a business suit in a gaudy color or style.
An
image consultant cannot give a person noble qualities. But he
or she can guarantee that businessmen and women who possess
“valuable personal qualities” convey those admired qualities
at a single glance through a polished professional image.
Sandy Dumont is executive director of the
Impression Strategies Institute. She has worked with Fortune
500 companies for 30 years and has authored five e-books and
two DVDs on the subject of professional image. Contact her at
www.theimagearchitect.com or 627-6669.
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