Why you should take that extra effort to groom & dress up well

Continuing with our 2-part Brand Spotlight series, here are some vital inputs shared by Prachi Kesarwani, the founder of Imaginesta about the need for styling and why.

There are few times in your life when it isn’t too melodramatic to say that your destiny hangs on the impression you make – Barbara Walters.

Looking good and feeling good about ourselves has a deeper meaning in life. While feeling good from the inside is important, but it has also been stated how dressing up well can also boost our self-esteem to a certain extent.

Whether it the colour we choose to wear or the style of the outfit – the cut and design – it all seems to have an overall impact on our self-confidence. Not only that, how we conduct ourselves in a personal or a professional environment also plays a vital role in our self-confidence as well.

Almost everywhere most of us have faced issues with wearing the right kind of outfit or attending a formal dinner and wondering how are we going to get things right about the cutlery and handling wine glasses.

The Lifestyle Portal in a chat with Prachi, the founder of Imaginesta discussed the importance of self-grooming and styling and here’s what we learnt from her, read on…

Who needs grooming?

A homemaker who wants to socialize, a businessman going to an important meeting, a young man wanting to impress his date, the newly promoted boss who is constantly evaluated by his colleagues, a job-seeker who needs to stand out in a crowd of aspirants – the truth is, we all need to project an appropriate and a more convincing image of our self in every stage of our life. The earlier we get it right it’s easy for one to portray our right image to the world and for getting this right an image consultant plays a crucial role in the journey.

What does styling & grooming mean?

The apparel we wear speaks a lot about who we are. Styling is nothing but your own defining form of a dress that may or may not incorporate the current fashion trends. Designing is a specific version of a style that each person develops on their own over a period of time.

Grooming is nothing but ensuring that one looks neat and attractive which further enhances your outer appearance. It’s also an important aspect for a positive self-image and to maintain a pleasing and attractive appearance. It is said appearance, clothes and manners do not make a man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance, credibility and respect.

One’s professionalism, intelligence and trust people form is mainly due to appearance. Grooming involves all hygiene aspects of your body as well.

Why is it important to get the styling right?

Prachi explains how an individual’s image strongly influences other people’s perception of your trustworthiness and intelligence. A major part of communication is visual and what we see we remember and what we hear we forget. Eventually, the word ‘image’ really means the impact of your appearance (clothes, grooming, body language including etiquette) on others and on yourself hence styling plays a very important role. Remember, your style is the reflection of your attitude and personality – so never undermine the potential of dressing up well.

Putting on different clothes creates different thoughts and mental processes. An outfit is considered an aspect of non-verbal communication and has social significance for the audience. In fact, attire also includes accessories that people wear such as jewellery, ties, handbags, hats and glasses.

Clothing conveys nonverbal clues about a speaker’s personality, background and financial status. Your clothing style can demonstrate your culture, mood, a level of confidence, interests, age, authority, values and more.

“Image management encompasses projecting an authentic, appropriate, attractive, and affordable image, which is, in sync with your lifestyle, personal style, physical body structure and complexion for the accomplishment of our goals, roles and occasions you attend,” adds Prachi.

How has styling helped people?

There are two categories of people who either follow a fad and fashion or are mostly in the classic style of dressing. To get the right look for the right image one needs to first identify his or her personal style. This can be understood with help of an image consultant. It’s important to understand and dress as to one’s body shape and choose the right colours. As different colours exude different feelings and meanings, and they also have the potential to affect and reflect your and the other person’s mood. This is essential for a perfect harmony in order to avoid colour clashes between you and the other person. So think about the last time someone would have complimented you on a certain colour you have worn – “Hey this colour really suits you!” – that’s what we’re talking about.

Prachi also mentions that there are some individuals who are ‘over safe players’ who do not want to experiment or try new things at all. They are stagnant with their dressing style. Most of the time if you speak to these individuals they have various excuses or are very casual about it. For them dressing appropriately and following the A’s is not so important.

Dress code whether followed or not, but what you wear matters.

It may be obvious that what you wear affects others’ perceptions of you. But one interesting aspect about dressing up is that what you wear can affect how you behave. A personal style is evident in your behaviour such as a lab coat worn by a nutritionist or a doctor, a black coat worn by a lawyer – then one starts to pay attention and behave more responsible. Also, others see you more intelligent or professional. Similarly, a corporate individual who dresses up appropriately with the right colours can look and behave more confident; and that’s why it’s always said to dress for success.

While we associate pyjamas with lazing around, we associate a suit and tie with hard work and professionalism. This carries over into our work (for better or for worse). So if you work from home or have a telephonic interview, dress in line with the image you want to portray. Even though your outfit will not be seen, its impact on your performance is worth the effort.

There are many young adults who just follow the trends and not dress up as per their overall body structure. This is the time if they are guided they can have a better dressing sense. As mentioned before clothes – convey non-verbal communication about your education, personality, financial status and background.

An individual with a sloppy appearance with wrinkled clothes sends a message, “I don’t care.” Similarly, an evening gown might look attractive but may not convey the right message for a serious public speaking event. Imagine a politician coming to ask votes in shorts will you accept him in “Politicians” Image? Hence it is said to dress for an occasion. Hence become so impactful that no one can ignore you.

There are many professionals who still do not have clarity in terms of what is formal/ informal/ semi-casual and smart casual. Also, there is a lack of clarity in terms of ‘clustering’ and Friday dressing.

If these individuals are guided can be highly successful, as self-esteem and confidence would go up. Clustering means mixing and matching different styles and patterns without oddity and increase wearability/utility of the existing wardrobe and it also becomes economical/value for money for your pockets.

There are homemakers who lack self-confidence for various reasons. It’s all about getting to know yourself; it’s about who you are. What type of self-image do you want to portray to the world outside? At times, a person starts wearing the same type of outfit, which looks monotonous and also starts eroding one’s self-confidence.

These set of individuals are guided on grooming to behavioural and communication skills will dare to be yourself and wear the clothes that express the unique and fabulous person you are!

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