What does dress to impress really mean?

Dressing to impress is a well-worn phrase that we hear bandied about but what does it really mean? Most of us adapt our clothing to the environment we’re in just like we do with our vocabulary or body language when we‘re in certain situations. So, with this in mind, when would we dress to impress and will it truly reflect the type of person we are?

The obvious scenarios spring to mind such as going for an interview, important business meeting, networking event or on a date. These are all occasions that dressing to impress would hopefully pay dividends but do you consistently have to ‘dress to impress’ for there to be any long lasting impact?

There have been numerous psychological studies on the effect that clothing can have and the science does tend to point to your dress code being something that people tune into. The classic tailored dark suit, crisp white shirt and silk tie for men is a standard bearer for looking sharp in business and people do tend to take you more seriously and are more likely to listen to what you have to say, when you wear this type of attire.

As Mark Twain once said: “Clothes make the man. Naked people have very little or no influence on society.”

Studies have also shown that people are more likely to trust what you are saying and potentially spend more money to do business with you. Generally, people equate being well dressed with being successful and, if somebody comes across as smart and well-heeled, then psychologically, people will feel that the service or product that the individual is offering is likely to have a more premium feel to it.

Check out this article which bears this out http://reflectd.co/2014/07/29/dress-to-impress/#sthash.ayZTJLML.dpbs

From a sartorial perspective there are any number of ways that a man can ‘dress to impress’. Whether it’s wearing a garment from a well known designer, sporting an expensive watch and other exclusive fashion accessories or wearing cologne that fits in with your style and personality; these are all factors that others can’t fail to notice and being noticed is essentially what dressing to impress is all about.

But surely you can’t keep this up all the time? The fact is, you don’t have to. Nobody expects you to dress to impress all the time and, once, you’ve already established a level of success, the trust has been built and you can pretty much turn up in what you like and be taken seriously….within reason. Sir Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg are testament to that. You hardly ever see those two guys suited up and they are two of the richest people on the planet!