First impressions count (and last...)

Oscar Wilde reportedly said, ‘There’s no such thing as a second first impression’.

He was right, technically as well as philosophically, it is a scientific fact that it takes just seven seconds to make that first impression, by which they mean an assessment of whether you're likeable, trustworthy, and competent.

Like it or not, it is hard wired into us a safety mechanism - friend or foe? In essence, you are ‘felt’ by another person before you are understood.

So, what does the way you dress communicate about you as a person or professional? What does your style say about your values, your expectations, or your engagement with the person in front of you? 

And, what does your style make you feel that will impact your body language in those moments? Because, how you dress has a visceral impact on you. I see it every time I work with a client. When the person on the inside suddenly appears in the mirror, the body language changes, the look in the eyes changes, and the clothes become part of the whole picture in the mirror, not an ‘outfit’.

That aspect is actually the most important reason we should dress to be ourselves. If our clothes don’t help us express who we are on the inside, then the ‘conversation’ we are having with the people around us is discordant right from the start. That disconnect can impede trust building and clarity of communication.

I saw an old friend in London recently, who had been watching my evolution and posts from afar, he observed that styling seems to have ‘unlocked’ something in me - I hadn’t used that word to myself, but I think it is true. I am dressing as ‘me’, and that is having a visible and visceral impact on me, and on the quality of interaction I am having with all types of people in my world.

I’d love to go on a similar journey with you, to help you understand how your style can make you look and feel, and to understand what it is you want to communicate to the world. And of course, to help you have a wardrobe that works hard and for you. DM me to find out more about how we could work together.