Long gone are the days when everyone dresses the same in the professional space. When you walk into a networking event full of different people from different industries, everyone is dressed differently. Now is the time to showcase your authenticity through your personal brand style.
In this weeks Brand You Podcast we had the pleasure of talking to Michelle Wright aka Mrs Stylewright, who is a Colour & Personal Style Expert. In this episode, we explored the concept of dressing authentically for your personal brand. Michelle shared insights on how modern-day fashion allows for flexibility—whether dressing up or down—depending on the occasion and audience.
We also discussed the importance of dressing for your ideal audience, while staying true to your own unique style. Michelle talked about building confidence through your wardrobe, with a focus on the power of bright colours and what they convey to the world.
Listen to the episode on Spotify.
Michelle left our audience with a fantastic actionable tip: go through your wardrobe and throw out anything that no longer makes you feel good. If you wouldn’t buy it now, it’s time to let it go!
So our challenge to you is to do the same. When was the last time you went through your wardrobe and got rid of anything that no longer makes you feel good? We’d suggest donating to a good cause if you do. Get rid of all those jeans that no longer fit you, the colours you hate that make you look dull and lifeless, the shoes that you can’t even walk in!
Consider what you wear on a daily basis to “work”, do you wear the same outfits as everyone else, because you’re trying to fit in? Does that style feel good to you, or not? Do you wear a suit in your own business, because for the last 1000 years everyone in your industry has worn a suit? Do you need to wear a suit? Does it matter to your ideal audience? Do you like wearing that suit, or would you prefer to wear something a bit different? These are all important questions to be asking yourself. Because your personal brand should be a reflection of you, and that goes for what you wear too. It should also make you approachable to your ideal audience, so think of them when choosing what to wear as well.
Sometimes what we wear can add to our self confidence, or the opposite, make us shrink back. When you’re putting yourself out there for your personal brand you could probably use a confidence boost, maybe that could come in the form of what you wear. You could wear a pop of bright colours, maybe a power suit, or jewellery that makes you feel great. Confidence could even come in the form of some fun socks!
Sometimes people think that you need to stick to brand colours when choosing what to wear. You can absolutely do this, but make sure your brand colours suit your colour pallet, and they give off the right messaging to your ideal audience. Every colour gives off a different impression. Sticking to brand colours can be limiting though, so consider this if you make that your strategy and make sure you have enough variations of clothing in your brand colour so you have enough outfits to wear to all your upcoming events and meetings.
Style wise, you might need to experiment. Try different styles of clothing on, see what you prefer, what you feel fantastic in. If you’re unsure, try the clothing on with a trusted friend, get them to be honest with you, you need to hear the truth from them. When trying clothing on move around in it, sit down and see how short the skirt rises, or how tight the belt cuts in. Think about the events you might need to attend in your outfits when thinking of what to wear. Some events might need you to clip a mic onto your clothes, can you easily do this without flashing all to the world, especially if you have to fit the mic in the main room where all the guests are congregated.
Finding your personal brand style takes time, it’s not something that will come to you overnight and it might not last forever either. As you change, as you age, as you gain more confidence, as you walk into other opportunities along your personal branding journey, your style will change also. Keep experimenting and adapting your personal style as you and your personal brand grows.
If you ever get stuck with finding your personal style, or the colours that look the best on you, then get in touch with Michelle and she’ll help unlock your style confidence again:
We can’t wait to see you unlock your own personal style along the way of creating your personal brand.
