Dress Advantage
Correct me if I am wrong, but it’s so much more difficult and time-consuming for a working woman to get dressed for business than a working man.
A few days ago I attended a marketing conference at one of those snobby, up-market, ultra-luxe hotels in town. My employer was a sponsor at the event, so I knew I was not to have any escape from the series of keynote speeches and presentations and panel discussions, all tailgating each other as if their life depended on it (but perhaps it did - God forbid a participant’s attention should wander away if you allowed him a breather between sessions!)
To break the monotony I digressed every now and then to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes – observing people. Sticking to the superficial (and sartorial), I scanned the corporate honchos on the stage, the execs in the audience, the marketers at the booths and a scattering of the event organizers too. The men were mostly in the standard ‘business formals’ – you know, the dark suit, light shirt, bold tie. Frankly, the most adventurous I have ever seen a C-suite exec getting is wearing a Tweety bird tie. (Don’t give me Steve Jobs or Richard Branson. I haven’t seen them!)
But the women were another story. Firstly, there were few (blame it on the marketing domain, or the glass ceiling or whatever other reason). And among them, a few made me cringe. Where dressing goes, women really have more options but I couldn’t help noticing how some women just hadn’t paid any attention to their appearance. If they had, then they have really pathetic taste! As a woman in the corporate workforce, I am aware of the ground rules. I don’t bother with corporate-chic or power-dressing but I definitely believe in formal and neat dressing.
Here, the blunders ran the whole gamut – from the woman who looked like she had just climbed out of bed in her white cotton kurti (even if it’s teamed with trousers, linen is such a no-no for business dos, it crumples fast) to the fashionista with the orange sequined stole and three-inch orange fruit danglers (her grey formal trousers failed miserably to tone down the fruit-and-light show). There were a couple who had decided to play it safe with the saree (its still open debate whether the sexy, sinuous, 5-meter Indian staple is acceptable ‘business formal’). But a saree is as incongruous as Supergirl’s cape if not pleated and pinned firmly into place. I am not saying everyone there was a fashion disaster. There were many who looked the part as women in business. But the few what-was-she-thinking kinds stood out like sore thumbs.
Then I felt a wee bit guilty at running down my own sisterhood. The dressing disasters must have some rationale. A couple of things I began mulling over (and haven’t yet reached any conclusion) are below:
#) Say I am heading out to a business meet. I reach out for formals. I have to wear something which is dignified yet not dowdy. I have to look professional enough but not too unfeminine. Let’s start with the suit. Should I wear it contoured or boxy, short or hip-length? I remember (with horror) the restrictive skirt suits of the 80’s and the obnoxious shoulder padding. Today’s fashion dictates that trousers be fitted, but c’mon, I am a real woman with curves. Should I let my post-baby belly show or attempt to cover it with a long shirt? And of course there’s that embarrassing menace of panty lines (412000 results on Google search). For women only. Have you ever heard any one talking about brief lines?!
Dress done, here come the accessories – no self-respecting woman dares ignore them. There has to be a stole or a scarf. Then the shoes must match the handbag (so say the dressing gurus). Depending on the statement you want to make, jewelry could be anywhere between solitaire style to bordering on bling.
Finally, make-up – a girl does feel a little naked without it, doesn’t she? I won’t even venture into the dynamics and politics of make-up; trust me, its complicated. All said, getting dressed for work is like preparing for battle. A woman takes all the armor she thinks is right; she’s gotta worry about fit too.
And, what does a man, getting dressed for a business meet, do? He reaches for a shirt and suit, chokes on a tie, slips on black shoes and voila, he’s all set. Really, are there any earth-shattering decisions that men have to take WRT suits? They come in a plethora of sizing options in stores but the cut is more or less the same. They can take their pick of shirt color but that’s hardly going to change global climate. That leaves the tie, but at least the hangman’s noose hasn’t changed shape over the decades. So easy! And so unfair!
#) Why should a woman worry so much over professional attire? Because, I won’t get taken seriously in the boardroom if I wasn’t ‘suit’ably dressed. At the other extreme, if I preferred frilly, feminine wear, then too I don’t get taken seriously at work. So, really, I am always struggling to get taken seriously at work. Before I open my mouth or prove myself with results, many a mind has been made up depending on what meets the eye. That’s unfair again. But, can I be blamed for fretting over that first eye-opener?!
BTW, research seems to have revealed that women ‘dress to impress’ when they are most fertile. It seems we do it unconsciously but we definitely don our trendier clothes and ‘generally dress more fashionably’ when we are ovulating! Pardon my fertile imagination, but just think of all the hyperactive ovaries popping out eggs in workplaces across the world!
Coming back to the conference, sometime during the day I was in the washroom admiring a rather luxuriously framed, obviously bon vivant art on the wall above the pot and wondering if I could even afford it for my living room. A Ms-Pants-Suit marched in, Vaio and all. She leaned wearily against the counter and spoke into her Blackberry, “OK, ok, if you insist, make the sun green, but please baby, color within the lines.” I guess she had had enough notes from the kindergarten teacher already. Miss Orange-Fruit-Earrings was there too. She was asking someone the trading price of Wipro stock. Washrooms are such a revelation!
A few days ago I attended a marketing conference at one of those snobby, up-market, ultra-luxe hotels in town. My employer was a sponsor at the event, so I knew I was not to have any escape from the series of keynote speeches and presentations and panel discussions, all tailgating each other as if their life depended on it (but perhaps it did - God forbid a participant’s attention should wander away if you allowed him a breather between sessions!)
To break the monotony I digressed every now and then to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes – observing people. Sticking to the superficial (and sartorial), I scanned the corporate honchos on the stage, the execs in the audience, the marketers at the booths and a scattering of the event organizers too. The men were mostly in the standard ‘business formals’ – you know, the dark suit, light shirt, bold tie. Frankly, the most adventurous I have ever seen a C-suite exec getting is wearing a Tweety bird tie. (Don’t give me Steve Jobs or Richard Branson. I haven’t seen them!)
But the women were another story. Firstly, there were few (blame it on the marketing domain, or the glass ceiling or whatever other reason). And among them, a few made me cringe. Where dressing goes, women really have more options but I couldn’t help noticing how some women just hadn’t paid any attention to their appearance. If they had, then they have really pathetic taste! As a woman in the corporate workforce, I am aware of the ground rules. I don’t bother with corporate-chic or power-dressing but I definitely believe in formal and neat dressing.
Here, the blunders ran the whole gamut – from the woman who looked like she had just climbed out of bed in her white cotton kurti (even if it’s teamed with trousers, linen is such a no-no for business dos, it crumples fast) to the fashionista with the orange sequined stole and three-inch orange fruit danglers (her grey formal trousers failed miserably to tone down the fruit-and-light show). There were a couple who had decided to play it safe with the saree (its still open debate whether the sexy, sinuous, 5-meter Indian staple is acceptable ‘business formal’). But a saree is as incongruous as Supergirl’s cape if not pleated and pinned firmly into place. I am not saying everyone there was a fashion disaster. There were many who looked the part as women in business. But the few what-was-she-thinking kinds stood out like sore thumbs.
Then I felt a wee bit guilty at running down my own sisterhood. The dressing disasters must have some rationale. A couple of things I began mulling over (and haven’t yet reached any conclusion) are below:
#) Say I am heading out to a business meet. I reach out for formals. I have to wear something which is dignified yet not dowdy. I have to look professional enough but not too unfeminine. Let’s start with the suit. Should I wear it contoured or boxy, short or hip-length? I remember (with horror) the restrictive skirt suits of the 80’s and the obnoxious shoulder padding. Today’s fashion dictates that trousers be fitted, but c’mon, I am a real woman with curves. Should I let my post-baby belly show or attempt to cover it with a long shirt? And of course there’s that embarrassing menace of panty lines (412000 results on Google search). For women only. Have you ever heard any one talking about brief lines?!
Dress done, here come the accessories – no self-respecting woman dares ignore them. There has to be a stole or a scarf. Then the shoes must match the handbag (so say the dressing gurus). Depending on the statement you want to make, jewelry could be anywhere between solitaire style to bordering on bling.
Finally, make-up – a girl does feel a little naked without it, doesn’t she? I won’t even venture into the dynamics and politics of make-up; trust me, its complicated. All said, getting dressed for work is like preparing for battle. A woman takes all the armor she thinks is right; she’s gotta worry about fit too.
And, what does a man, getting dressed for a business meet, do? He reaches for a shirt and suit, chokes on a tie, slips on black shoes and voila, he’s all set. Really, are there any earth-shattering decisions that men have to take WRT suits? They come in a plethora of sizing options in stores but the cut is more or less the same. They can take their pick of shirt color but that’s hardly going to change global climate. That leaves the tie, but at least the hangman’s noose hasn’t changed shape over the decades. So easy! And so unfair!
#) Why should a woman worry so much over professional attire? Because, I won’t get taken seriously in the boardroom if I wasn’t ‘suit’ably dressed. At the other extreme, if I preferred frilly, feminine wear, then too I don’t get taken seriously at work. So, really, I am always struggling to get taken seriously at work. Before I open my mouth or prove myself with results, many a mind has been made up depending on what meets the eye. That’s unfair again. But, can I be blamed for fretting over that first eye-opener?!
BTW, research seems to have revealed that women ‘dress to impress’ when they are most fertile. It seems we do it unconsciously but we definitely don our trendier clothes and ‘generally dress more fashionably’ when we are ovulating! Pardon my fertile imagination, but just think of all the hyperactive ovaries popping out eggs in workplaces across the world!
Coming back to the conference, sometime during the day I was in the washroom admiring a rather luxuriously framed, obviously bon vivant art on the wall above the pot and wondering if I could even afford it for my living room. A Ms-Pants-Suit marched in, Vaio and all. She leaned wearily against the counter and spoke into her Blackberry, “OK, ok, if you insist, make the sun green, but please baby, color within the lines.” I guess she had had enough notes from the kindergarten teacher already. Miss Orange-Fruit-Earrings was there too. She was asking someone the trading price of Wipro stock. Washrooms are such a revelation!
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