A person’s dressing sense plays an important role in personality development. There is a saying, “A man is known by his dress and address.” Your dressing sense tells a lot about your character and individuality. You will be taught how to resolve your dressing sense according to the occasion and place. ## **KEY NOTE #1: PERSONAL APPEARANCE** This includes: - Outward appearance - Style of dressing - Personality Development It does not include gender. You should always be aware of and keep in mind what you are wearing at any location or occasion. Don’t wear any dress or uniform just because other people are wearing it. Or that dress or style is in fashion right now. Wear that dress and see whether it looks good on you or not. On the basis of this, make your decision. Before wearing any dress, keep these things in mind. ## **KEY NOTE #2: DRESSING STYLE — THINGS TO REMEMBER** **1.** **Body Type**: This includes your body type or figure. **2. Built**: Whether you are: - Thin - Fat - Tall - Short - Broad Shoulders When you have an idea about which clothes will suit your body type, then you can pay attention to these other factors. ## **KEY NOTE #3: FACTORS TO DECIDE DRESSING** #### **1. Colours**: Which colours suit you? There’s a saying, “Individuals blossom when they were certain colours that suit them.” That’s why this should be given some attention. #### **2. Nature of work**: What kind of organization do you work in and what type of work do you do. Keeping this in mind, develop your dressing style. **For example:** If you are the manager of an international organization, then your dress will be according to that organization. If you are a man, then a shirt, pant, and tie is good. If you are a lady, then a formal pant, shirt, and coat is good. Over here, you must also keep in mind that the organization may have some rules about which type of clothes you should wear. After understanding these, according to your body type, wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and look good on you. #### **3. Climate**: According to the weather, wear the correct dress. In summers, light colours and clothes are the best like white, light green, yellow and light blue, etc. Sometimes in extreme heat, people wear suits and this leads to lots of discomforts. They keep pulling their sleeves up. There are many ways to look formal, just wearing a suit is not the only way to look formal. In winter, warm clothes and darker colours are better like black, red, dark blue and dark green, etc. #### **4. Occasion**: How do you express or wear your clothes as per the occasion? This is very important to determine the effect you will have on the person in front of you. **For example:** **a)** If you are going for an interview, be aware of which designation you are applying for and wear clothes according to that profile. Formal pants, formal shirts, coat, and close shoes (whose front is closed) are considered the best formal dress all over the world. **b)** If you are going to a client meeting at tea time, then you can wear semi-formal clothes. **c)** If you are going to dinner, then you should wear a pant, shirt, coat and dinner jacket for this occasion. **d)** If you are going to a traditional wedding, you can wear a _lehenga, sharara, anarkali_ if you are a lady and if you are a man, you can wear a close-neck suit, _sherwani, or_ pant and shirt*.* Marc Jacobs, a famous fashion designer, said, “To me, clothing is a form of self-expression. There are hints about who you are in what you wear.” Your clothes are an indication of your individuality, how you are feeling at that moment, and sometimes also where you want to reach in your life. To dress for the occasion can be further summarized as: - Represent yourself - Character - Personality - Mood People who wear very loud or shiny clothes with big, bold prints and apply a lot of makeup are most probably more extroverted and social. Dark colours can sometimes subtly indicate that the person is sad. If someone wears bright colours like green, blue, orange, or yellow then these usually reflect the person’s happiness and this person also lifts other people by sharing his happiness. It doesn’t matter whether your clothes are expensive or from which brand they are or whether those clothes are trending or not. A very famous fashion designer, Gianni Versace, said, “Don’t be into trends and don’t make fashion own you. But you decide what you are, what you want to express.” It is necessary to understand that you should wear the clothes in which you feel comfortable according to your body type and that you can carry well. **For example:** You may have a very expensive dress, but it may not suit you at all. The best thing to do once you get ready is to stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself, “Are these clothes really looking good on me?” Or “Have I worn the right clothes for this occasion?” Sometimes, we may dress up a bit too much for an occasion and that may backfire on us. Because it may happen that you are the only one dressed up too much or too different for an occasion. So, after you get ready if you feel that you are overdressed, you can always change your clothes. It’s better to make a mistake and then correct it. **a) Being comfortable in your skin**: We may sometimes buy clothes or wear clothes to impress our friends or someone in the family and then later find them too tight or short or uncomfortable to wear. **For example:** If you are big built and wear a skin-tight dress, you will feel awkward and self-doubtful while wearing that. On the other hand, even if you wear a nice loose black dress and it suits your built, you will feel a lot of self-belief and comfort that will show in your positive attitude. If you want to look a little slimmer, wear black clothes. If you are a bit on the thin side, then puffed up dresses on the shoulders, legs or sleeves or wider clothes will suit you better. However, all of this really applies once you know which dresses do you feel the most comfortable in. **b) Neat and Tidy Appearance**: Your clothes should always be washed and neatly ironed before you go out for any occasion. Don’t compromise with this or any of these: - Washed & Ironed Clothes - Right Fitting clothes - Polished Shoes - Combed Hair All of these play a very important role in your first impression to other people. ## **KEY NOTE #4: IMAGE MANAGEMENT** Image management makes you continuously evaluate or judge your own personal appearance and you also think of your own appearance in relation to its effect on others. Through your personal appearance, you must show intelligence, knowledge, abilities, and an effort to find success in life. You also have to understand the concept of personal and professional management. In today’s fast-paced world, with so much competition, you have to pay attention to your personal appearance. It first affects you, and also affects others. ## **KEY NOTE #5: EFFECTS OF APPEARANCE** Your appearance and your clothes affect you on various levels: #### **1. It affects your way of thinking.** Sometimes, you may think negatively about some aspect of your appearance and this may play on your mind. #### **2. It affects the way you feel.** Dissatisfaction with your own personal appearance may cause you to be: - Depressed - Unproductive - Inconvenient - Bashful or Embarrassed - Full of Self-doubt The way you look can often make you feel positive about your own self. Many people link their moods and thoughts to their appearance and may say that they perhaps need a new haircut and they will feel better. This actually improves their mood. #### **3. It affects the way you behave:** When you work on your inner self and are dressed according to the occasion, you feel good about yourself and your mood affects others as well. You will feel confident if you are appropriately dressed. You will feel more secure and will be able to give your best so that you are more productive. #### **4. It affects how others react and responds to you:** - Your personal appearance is what others see first and form their first opinion about you — before they get to know you properly. - This is the reason, why you must be concerned about your appearance always, as this makes the first impression on the other person. \ ## **KEY NOTE #6: DEBUNKING THE MYTH THAT PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND GOOD LOOKS ARE EVERYTHING.** This is a wrong approach in today’s society. Never think this way and remember this golden statement: **Each one of us is unique and special.** **For example:** - There are two women. The first one is very beautiful in appearance but does not have beautiful qualities within herself, such as those based on intelligence, happiness, compassion, kindness, morality, and integrity. In other words, she is not a complete woman. - Now, look at a second woman. She may not be beautiful or outwardly well-groomed but has excellent humane qualities within herself. According to you, who is more beautiful? - If a person is not beautiful in her own mind, such a person can never be complete. In other words, judge a person by her qualities, not by her appearance. - This world is filled with all kinds of people, who look very different, speak very different languages, and are from different regions, cultures, and backgrounds. - Each one of us has several good qualities. What one person has, somebody else will not, and so on. Let us just respect our uniqueness. To conclude, remember this quote by Shawn Ashford, “Style is a reflection of your attitude and your personality.” Therefore, make the power of personal appearance work for you.