In personal branding, your visual brand (attire, clothing, etc) is a part of your personal brand. Therefore, we do spend time making sure your attire and clothing options reflect the personal brand and business brand you want to project. We do this so you stand out, are memorable and feel good and look like you are “owning” your profession and service/product. In a world full of sameness, your visual brand and attire are a very easy and effective way of being unique and showing us what value you can bring to us- without ever saying a word.
Last week I had the privilege of being invited to Neiman Marcus for a Spring Trend preview given by their style adviser, Alex. Twelve of us were treated to a personal fashion show of the Spring trends in a way only Neiman Marcus does- Mimosas, gourmet breakfast and class.
The Spring trends include:
- Various shades of the color pink- from hot pink to pale pink
- Colorful clutches
- Various shades of yellow (my favorite!)
- Neon!
- Dramatic earrings
- Colorful pants, including pajama pants (yikes!)
- Mixing prints
- Scuba influences (minus the water)
- Tribal influences
- Strong eyebrows
Now, here’s the deal. The list above is not the “Truth”. I don’t think any of us should be wearing something just because it is “in” or trendy. I see so many people clamoring to wear the latest trends or style to fit in. But what are you fitting into exactly? Are you losing yourself and who you are to fashion and trends or are you incorporating trends into who you are to accent you and make you memorable and unique? Believe it or not, it is possible to wear trends AND stay true to who you are.
We should be wearing clothes because: 1) they make us look good and therefore, feel good 2) they reflect who we are as a person and a business brand and 3) they are comfortable.
The most important from my experience with clients is comfort. As part of our personal branding process, we dress clients. The first question I always ask is “does this outfit/attire make you feel comfortable?” If the answer is anything less than, “yes!”, we go back to the drawing board. If you feel uncomfortable in your clothing, then you come across that way to others- stiff, uptight, fidgety and unsure of who you are. In other words, it does nothing for your personal brand.
So go ahead and wear neon and scuba-influences attire. Wear hot pink and tribal influenced clothing. Go crazy with hot prints! However, only do so if these trends lend to your personal brand, enhancing who you are and how unique you are while making you look good and being comfortable.
What trends do you love? Email us and let us know.
