Clothing was created to cover the human body, but over time it gained importance and went from being a well-arranged fabric accessory to an element that generates status and forges personality, which is important in the world of work , especially when doing business, because in the end "how they see you, they treat you".

When a person does business and dresses inappropriately for the occasion, they can lose large amounts of money; for example, more than 2 million dollars, indicates the study on high-level negotiations published by Professor Michael W. Kraus of the Yale School of Management.

In the study, Kraus selected 128 men whom he divided into three groups: suits and formal shoes; with white shirts, pants and sandals, and with what they were wearing when they arrived at the studio. They were all asked to be salespeople for a factory.

The results showed that those in the first group made a profit of $2.1 million, while those who dressed more casually lost up to $2.81 million. Why did this effect occur?

“According to a study from Columbia University, dressing well causes mood effects, empowers the person, gives them security, increases their self-esteem and thanks to this their productivity increases, as well as their profitability and this is transmitted to their collaborators ”, Explains in an interview to El Economista, Justo Grau, doctor in communication and public image and master in high tailoring and image design.

Dressing well is not being formal

For Justo Grau, dressing well is not wearing a suit, shirts or formal shoes, but choosing the right clothes for the environment where one works. Sometimes dressing very formal can be wrong.

For example, a creative or someone who works in advertising agencies would not look good or feel comfortable wearing a tailored suit and dark shades, because instead of helping them it would reduce their productivity.

On the other hand, by dressing in a more relaxed way and with brighter colors, such as yellow or orange, you would be in a more comfortable environment and with a greater flow of ideas.

When the person is from the financial area or is surrounded by senior executives, it is prudent to use more produced garments such as: shirts, blouses, ties, jackets and blazers.

The ideal outfit

Grau indicates that to choose the ideal outfit, three factors must be taken into account: the company you work for, how are the people you interact with on a daily basis, the circumstances of the moment (if you have more formal meetings or Fridays at work are more informal).

It should also be analyzed if there is a dress code in the company, since "an employee is not only the image of himself, but of the company for which he works, for which reason clothing must be in accordance with the company image.

“We talk about dress code more than good dress. Beyond clothing, there are other elements that make up a person's good public image. It is useless to be well dressed if you do not have good hygiene or inappropriate behavior, as well as poor verbal and bodily communication.

It's not being handsome

The objective of having an adequate personal image is not about looking more handsome or beautiful, as is usually thought, it really is the ability to convey who we are without words.

Given this, it is also important to know how to choose the colors according to the situation that will be experienced at work. If there will be an important negotiation, the ideal is to dress in blue and white tones because they provide confidence and transparency. Very bright tones such as reds should be avoided because they denote aggressiveness and a dominant attitude.

Another key moment in the way of dressing is when going to a job interview, where the person must study the way they dress in the company, their work culture and adapt to it. If you go very formal when they are not there, you may be at a disadvantage.

If you still have doubts about how to dress better, Grau advises going to image consultants who can cost from 25,000 (US$1,353) to 50,000 pesos (US$2,707), depending on the person's needs.

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