What does Mini Mouse, Victoria Bekham and Leonardo DiCaprio all have in common?
You know who they are!
If you saw a red bow with white spots, a pair of oversized specs and tailoring to perfection, or a side-parted quiff with a tall blonde model (he has a type)… It’s all part of a well-thought-out personal brand.
If you didn’t get the hint from my little Leo snipe, you should note that a personal brand isn’t defined by your clothing alone, however it does make up a big part of the list of visual components that define your outward presentation.
Developing a Personal Brand That Builds Trust
It would be nice to live in a world where we aren’t judged on the way we look, but studies show that just isn’t the reality – The Association for Psychological Science have revealed that it can take as little as a tenth of a second for others to make key decisions about the ‘type’ of person you are. Including whether you’re trustworthy or not – a big deal if you want someone to buy into your product. When the stakes are that high, you want to make sure that you’ve at least got your outfit right the next time you leave the house to meet a client.
Aligning Your Personal Brand With Your Business
When it comes to personal branding, there’s no one size fits all – it’s… ‘personal’. However, there are general ‘industry standards’ to follow and determining your niche and looking to your peers will give you a good idea of where the line starts and ends when it comes to your style aesthetic. If there’s one outfit you want to make sure you get right no matter the niche, it’s the power suit. And while the idea of not having to adhere to a rigid workplace dress code appeals to a lot of entrepreneurs, you should probably still shop for at least one great suit for the season that will close deals and make a great first impression regardless to what industry or niche your personal brand occupies.
There are a lot of ways to style a suit to makes it ‘a look’ that is distinctly yours. I’m going to give you a few top tips on how to style that suit in line with your personal brand this summer.
5 Personal Brand Tips for a Power Suit
Trainers and a Tee
This is a great way to wear a suit and not scream ‘corporate’ at the same time.
The t-shirt gives it a distinct summer look whilst the trainers add informality. It gives you a nice opportunity to add a pop of colour or make a suitable statement with a graphic or slogan.
The Bermuda Short Suit
Just like last year, this is all the rage this summer and made a firm appearance across the catwalks of SS21 – perhaps to make up for all the outfits we bought and never got to wear in 2020 – #lockdownlosses.
A Blazer and [insert clothing item here]
You don’t have to wear a whole suit, or even a 2-piece suit to mean business. To completely customise your power look, find your dream blazer and pair it with a slip dress (one of my faves), a mid-length skirt, straight leg jeans or even a pair of biker shorts.
Sinch & Style
Another blazer hack that for the love of fashion-forward is to sinch the waist by wearing a belt on top. The great thing about this tip is that you can swap the belt and give it a new look each time. For instance, an Off-White industrial belt gives a totally different style aesthetic from a Gucci monogram belt.
Colour Block
You will find a lot of pastel suits in the market right now – they’re super eye-catching and sensationally summery. Look for a pair of heeled sandals and clutch in a contrasting colour for standing out in a crowd.
As I said, clothing is just one small part of perfecting your personal brand and I’ve dedicated a whole module that breaks down your current personal style and rebuilds it to make an impact and express your individuality.
Through Brand YOU’s Style Module, I share 20 years of Celebrity Stylist know-how that will walk you through how to align your personality, your business goals and your wardrobe in one.
Check out the rest of the course here and sign up for instant access to Brand YOU.
