The Power of Appearance
Dress sexy, then you are sexy. Dress professional, then you are professional. Dress lazy, then you are lazy. Dress like you’re a superstar, then you are a superstar. The harsh reality is that we make decisions about people within the first 3 seconds of meeting them; then another 90 seconds of confirming our first impressions.
One of the powers of clothing is that it can transform an individual’s state of mind, mainly your own. Whether you’re an artist or a business professional, it’s about taking pride in oneself. And in today’s society, we’re all on stage; from a music and dance artist performing live, to a business professional on a Zoom meeting, to us traveling on an airplane.
I’ve quoted this in another article, but I’ll quote it again: Miles Davis said, “I can tell whether somebody can play or not, by what they wear and how they move in it.” To me, this moves across all platforms in life, no matter what profession you’re in.
You never know who you’re going to meet; you may run into the future love of your life, a potential client, a fan of your music, a future employer, the list goes on and on. Like it or not, you’re going to be judged on the initial impression based on how you dress yourself.
Taking the time to properly style yourself simply commands appreciation and respect. It’s about the effort one puts into ironing their shirt, their dress or skirt, their trousers, polishing their shoes, to brushing your jacket. When we meet a person that takes pride in their attire, we give them an extra measure of respect because of their outfit; a mutual respect between people is garnered when they recognize the efforts each has put forth.
NILES THOMAS EXCLUSIVE:
Clothed in Respect. The Importance of Being a Well-Dressed Man.
Call me old-fashioned, but I can’t stand the fact that most people don’t truly dress today. I miss the idea of how it was in the 1950’s and earlier, a time when both men and women dressed up for baseball games, traveling on an airplane, going to the supermarket. I was definitely born in the wrong era.
When someone pays you a compliment on how you look, they’re not just complimenting you on your outfit, but subconsciously also complimenting you for making such an effort to look after yourself, to having self-respect, for taking pride in oneself.
The importance of being a well-dressed man is that it takes self discipline, creating dignity in one’s character; one whom pays attention to detail. Being well-dressed transforms your state of mind and measures your self-respect. I believe that you are what you wear.
And yes, details matter. Colors and patterns are also very powerful; grabbing the attention of others of what we wish to convey that day, emotionally and physically. It’s a message we’re sending out.
If what we’re wearing is doing all the talking, what message do you want to send to everyone you run into?
With love,
Niles Thomas
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