Why Fashion Should Be Everyone's Business

What does your business attire say about you?

Bill Hoffer, a local image and fashion consultant, encourages business professionals to ask themselves this question every day.

“The clothes we wear make a statement. You are the message. Ask yourself:   Is that message exuding professionalism and performance, or mediocrity and lack of focus?”

Hoffer owns and operates Wardrobe Design, a Seattle-based fashion-consulting company  that works with both men and women. While he has dressed clients for numerous occasions and with different style needs, his most common customer is a busy executive who doesn’t understand that it’s possible to look professional while still being comfortable and maintaining personal style.

When consulting with clients, Hoffer sees a lot of very smart people making the same mistakes when it comes to their image. These include wearing too many similar looks and buying clothes that don’t fit them well. He stresses that while finding the right outfit seems like it should be easy, it’s not, and people shouldn’t get frustrated when they hit fashion snags.

“It is not that easy to pull together a solid look.   Don’t get discouraged. You can’t expect to be an expert at something—like shopping for clothes—that you only do two or three times a year. The most important thing is to keep trying to learn who you are,”

To help you on your journey to understanding how fashion can work for you, Hoffer suggests:

• Wear a variety of colors. Opening your wardrobe horizons to other color palettes, even subtly, gives you the ability to say more about yourself with your look.

“The colors you wear make a direct statement about who you are. Accent colors can convey a cheerful personality and attitude. If you always wear dark colors, like black or charcoal, people might think you’re overly serious. A more comfortable and relaxed attitude will come from someone wearing Earth tones. Of course it’s important to wear colors that work well with your personal skin tone,”

• Accessorize.     Accessories are the easiest way to personalize a look. The right accessories can help to make any outfit sophisticated and elegant. Hoffer suggests cuff links and pocket squares for men; scarves, jewelry, and careful shoe choices for women. He suggests trying out a lot of different accessories to see which ones work best for you.
  
   
• Don’t be afraid to take risks.    “I see this time and again: People not letting themselves wear a style or color they like because they think, for some reason, they can’t wear it. While there will always be certain clothes that look better on certain people, you will never know what best suits you until you stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone.
  
   
• Seek professional help. That suit you bought off the rack at a department store might have looked good on the mannequin, but that doesn’t mean it will look good on you.

Hoffer says size is only the first part of the fit equation. Because everyone’s body is different, he stresses the importance of getting clothes professionally fitted and altered. Doing this will ensure that you will look and feel your best in what you wear, whether it’s to the office, a corporate meeting, or a night on the town.

In addition, working with a professional fashion consultant before you buy clothes will help ensure the outfits you fill your closet with best represent the image you want to convey.

 “My job is to open up the world of fashion to my clients by providing them fabric, color, and style options they may not have thought of or seen before. The goal is to get them thinking about their personal style and how this can correspond to the image they project in the corporate world.”