Comments on: Pet Peeves

By: Sandy Dumont

Sandy Dumont — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:51:05 +0000

Andy,
You are right. First impressions count. The way you look and dress announces the outcome other people can expect from you.

You are not the first person who has told me of a loss of credibility when meeting a professional who does not dress professionally. Most people think of their comfort first these days, not how they impact others via their apperance.

Ultimately, you are the smart one, not your banker friend.

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:10:59 +0000

As an attorney, I know that you have to dress tastefully and properly to present a good professional and competent appearance. I once had anoccasion to meet with a banker, who dressed in casual clothes and it detracted from his competency as a banker. I still won’t go downtown to eat at the club in casual clothes, although it is allowed. Thank goodness there is someone in the fashion field who knows that tasteful, traditional and appropriate styles are the most impressive. First impressions count!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:54:36 +0000

I think tatoos look cheap and somewhat low class.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:25:50 +0000

Sara,
Let’s hope that tattoos will prove to be a passing fad, because they are one of the top Pet Peeves of corporate executives who hire me to do image workshops for them. Apparently, Cher has had all her tattoos removed, because she said “everyone” has them now and she initially did it to be different!

It is sad when a person lessens his/her chance for success because he/she has a tattoo. Unfortunately, they do suggest an alternative lifestyle that may plant the seeds of doubt with some people.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:15:41 +0000

Sara,
Well put, and you hit the nail squarely on the head. When you walk in a room and your clothes, accessories or talon-like fingernails are noticed before YOU are, you need to go back to the drawing board. A successful image is one where the sum total is greater than all its parts, and that sum total is the impact that YOU make, not one of the components of your image.

All those little distractions I call “image dust.” Just like when you have a dinner party. You have the best food, your china, crystal, wine, music and candles for ambience. However, you forgot to dust the dining rom table, so the only thing your guests look at is the layer of dust there. It’s a huge distraction and undermines all the positive things. Image Dust is the same. You do everything right except for one thing, and that’s all that is noticed!

Your comments about males is interesting. A successful Power Image for men is the opposite of a “fashion” look. It is a Board Room look dripping with Old Money. And Old Money is subtle, never shouting or conspicuous. Hence, goatees, loud ties (including flowered ones) and all the other things you mentioned are far from subtle.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:04:59 +0000

Lauren,
You are not the only who is peeved by too much cleavage. University studies have proven conslusively that too much cleaveage or any othr kind of provocative dressing will get you labeled Bimbo and halt your climb on the corporate ladder.

And it is the male executives who hire me that ask me to do something about it. They tell me they dn’t want to see any more bulging bosoms.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:46:06 +0000

On men: I don’t trust a goatee, and think a moustache looks sloppy. I don’t care for wide flowered neckties, gold snake chains, white patent leather shoes, suspenders, sneakers with suits, balding heads with pony tails, mullets, combovers, or hair tonics that make the hair look slick or wet. In an office setting, I don’t want to see chest hair.

On women: Loud costume jewelry, clouds of perfume, name-brand handbags, talon-like fingernails, cleavage, big hair, visible panty or bra lines, or anything that looks vampy.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:38:40 +0000

Tattoos suggest to me that someone has an Alternative Lifestyle History of some sort, although I know this is not necessarily the case, because I know someone with a tattoo who is very conservative and traditional – except for the tattoo! If I met a banker wearing a tattoo, I would wonder what sort of enterprise my money was being used for.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:35:46 +0000

In office settings, I tend to reflexively dislike or mistrust women who wear large costume or statement jewelry, flaunt high-end brand name handbags, float in a cloud of perfume, display talon-like fingernails, big hair, or do anything else that draws more attention to what they’re wearing than to who they are. Another type of problem is visible underwear, which may show through clothing, such as bra straps, or visible lines and bulges. Clothes that are too tight, too short, too revealing, low-cut – in a business setting I’m not going to trust a woman who looks she’s vamping. Facial hair on women is not attractive. Most men don’t dress in a way that makes them noticeable. I don’t care for goatees, which make a man look dangerous, or moustaches, which just seem messy. Other sartorial offenses of men include broad flowered neckties, gold snake chains, white patent leather shoes, and mullet hairdos.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:19:44 +0000

My pet peeve is too much cleavage. I’ve seen professional women come into work, and they’re wearing a professional suit, but they have a very low-cut blouse. Why do women think that that dress or shirt will increase their status in the work world?