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Yes, business casual may be hurting your image
Opinion Inside Business January 2002
by Sandy Dumont, Image Consultant

If you look up the word "casual" in the dictionary, you'll find a number of definitions. One definition is "relaxed; informal." This is most often the meaning we have in mind when we hear the term "business casual attire."

But other denotations of "casual" are significant because they also play a subtle role in how we perceive a casually dressed person.

Occurring by chance; unpremeditated; superficial; nonchalant; permissive - These definitions of "casual" are not messages we want to send when we are engaged in business dealings. Yet that's exactly what happens when our outward appearance doesn't mesh with accepted standards of the business environment. Unfortunately, casual dress denotes a casual attitude in the minds of many.

Conducting business in casual attire not only puts you at a psychological disadvantage with others, it can even diminish your productivity. We tend to sit with more of a slouch, move more slowly and work less strenuously when we are in casual clothes. We subconsciously associate casual wear with weekends on the golf course, dining out with friends and other social activities that allow us to relax.

As our attire becomes more casual, the colors we wear also change. Earthy colors like moss green and khaki dominate casual wear. These colors evoke images of a country cottage rather than a corporate office.

Even the cut of casual clothing makes a statement. For example, the popular raglan sleeve of sports shirts suggests sloping or drooping shoulders, which can send the unintentional message of insecurity or being burdened with too much work. As an image consultant, I have concluded that corporate casual is more accurately described as corporate casualty.

Today's business suit, on the other hand, is strategically designed to make the male body look better. Padded shoulders give an image of confidence and authority, while buttons at the midriff suggest a slim torso. The jacket also cleverly conceals a paunch.

Women have more freedom in their choice of corporate business attire and needn't be clad in a suit in order to look businesslike - if they know how to accessorize successfully. Because their voices are softer and their stature is generally less powerful than that of men, women need to use more image tools to give them additional stature and presence.

A recent column by Kari Lomanno in INSIDE BUSINESS addressed the issue of casual Friday and business casual dress in general. Ms. Lomanno's tongue-in-cheek argument that business casual dress makes the wearer feel happier and seem friendlier misses an important truth about the world of business.

Casual business attire doesn't accommodate the innate competitive nature of most human beings - a characteristic that is especially operative in business. Our competitiveness prompts us to engage our judgment when we interact with each other. Image is a powerful factor in judging each other.

It's natural for us to size each other up and arrive at conclusions about another person's authority, experience and professionalism based on appearance and image. Like it or not, we do judge a book initially by its cover. Otherwise, book publishers wouldn't spend millions of dollars on attractive and enticing cover artwork.

One of the most important factors in how we judge the outward appearance of things is color. It has been scientifically proven that colors have a dramatic psychological impact. Researchers on different continents have reported that their blindfolded subjects slept like babies in rooms painted blue but tossed and turned on the nights they slept in rooms painted red. Red energizes while blue calms, particularly lighter shades typically seen in bedrooms.

In business, there is one simple color rule to remember when it comes to image: The darker the color, the higher the authority. Thus, navy blue is highly authoritative. That's why it is the color of police and airline pilot uniforms. Baby blue, on the other hand, literally puts you to sleep.

Generally speaking, pastels are passive and give the appearance of sweetness. A lot of pastel-clad female executives often end up looking like they are attending a ladies lunch rather than a business meeting. In the hands of an image consultant, pastels can be saved, but not without a great deal of effort.

Most businesspeople are not aware of even the most basic facts about color. You need only look at the popular light blue tie favored by many politicians and corporate executives to see a glaring example of this lack of color awareness.

President Bush often wears a pale, Chinese-blue tie that is straight from the cover of a decades-old publication about business dress, which featured a dark gray pinstripe suit with the offending blue tie. Pastel ties are best saved for the country club or other nonbusiness settings.

When the president is speaking on matters of grave importance, as an image consultant, I would put him in a red tie to suggest courage, leadership and energy, with a bit of black added for extra authority.

For the moment, the world of image consulting is in a state of chaos. There isn't a decent book on the subject of color, which is the foundation of image consulting. And many current clothing trends undermine rather than uplift one's image.

If you don't know the rules of color - including color psychology - and the influence of style on your appearance, you may be unconsciously sabotaging your verbal message. And surveys have proved that we believe what we see before we accept what we hear.

Sandy Dumont is an internationally renowned image consultant. She owns THE Image Architect, and is a leading pioneer in the field of image consulting. Her list of clients includes Old Dominion University, Long & Foster, American Express, Sheraton Hotels, Rolex, TWA, Yves St. Laurent Cosmetics and the U.S. Embassy in Brussels.

by Sandy Dumont, THE Image Architect © 2002 - 2007
Reprinted with permission from the January 2002 edition of Inside Business

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