‘Social’ Intelligence: Dress to Impress All the Way to Success, Part One

What a mouth- full, eh? Prior to diving into today’s entry, I’d like to share a Bulgarian proverb with you:

‘They greet you by the clothes and see you off by the brains.’

The above simply means that, regardless of where you go to, the first thing that people see about you are your clothes.

And, let’s face it- it’s the first impression that counts the most. It would be indeed very difficult for you to start a conversation with someone if he kept avoiding you because you had put on a pink suit with a green tie.

In the end, ‘brains’ will only matter if you can get to people in the first place.

Today’s entry is devoted to the dreaded- by- all smart- casual social outing.

What on Earth, then, does smart- casual mean?

It’s quite simple really: dressing in a smart- casual attire is showing people that you are able to dress good and feel comfortable at the same time and that says a lot about a person’s character.

Namely, is denotes that you can turn an inconvenience to your advantage: and, realistically, that’s what employers look for in an era filled with inconveniences...

There’s a style that I have, on a number of occasions, adopted on such social events:

1. The black suede loafers- classy, comfy and bold- you can’t go wrong with that!
2. Black socks-  ALWAYS wear plain black socks. Any others socks draw unnecessary attention and lead people to believe that you have recently escaped from a Cirque du Soleil.

You do know what black socks look like, right? No picture required here, I hope...

3. Dark jeans- regular fit-  neither too tight, nor too loose. Also, don’t forget that they need to be at least a shade lighter than the loafers

4. Black leather belt- to match the shoes, it’s best if it has a stylish buckle

5. Black – and- white checked shirt- the important thing is for the top two buttons to always be unbuttoned- that shows how casual you are. Also, the shirt needs to be a single cuff- one. No- one likes a show- off with cufflinks on.

6. Checked tweed jacket- Needs to be lightly checked and slightly lighter in colour than the jeans. Something like that:

 

7. Black- and- white checked hanky-  the piece of resistance and the first of your two accessories. You can burn the bowtie.

8. The striped scarf-  The other accessory- it needs to feature the colours of the shirt and shoes and a colour of your preference;  I’d recommend purple or lilac:

Et voila! Your smart- casual look is now complete. Go on, try it on.

It’s worked for me; it’s bound to work for you, too.

And if it doesn’t...

Ah well...

To Hell With It!