A shabbily dressed IT person might find it hard to gain credibility when speaking to his counterparts from the business divisions.
By Jack Loo
03 Jul 2009
Men in the IT profession have always been dismissed as having low or no dress sense. I will attempt to, over a series of blogs, give some tips on how one can address this issue.
Of course, it is not about putting on some avant-garde androgynous outfit, but about projecting an image of someone who is well-groomed and ultimately, professional looking. A shabbily dressed IT person might find it hard to gain credibility when speaking to his counterparts from the business divisions. While ultimately it is about skills and abilities, having a better image makes it easier for one to bridge any possible communication gap between colleagues.
Let’s look at the basics of being well-dressed. And one of the best ideas I came across, and follow, is from UK-based blogger Simon Crompton.
His theory is that fit has to be the first criteria in the selection of clothes, followed by colour, and then style.
It is important to wear something that suits your size, not something that looks like you inherited from your elder family members. With colour, Crompton offers several tips including how bright colours with black can look cheap, and how wearing white is more suitable for those with tanned skin.
However, with style, one might end up paying large sums of money for branded clothes. For me, achieving fit and colour is more than enough for one to attain the basics of being well-dressed.
Do read up Crompton’s blog for more great ideas on menswear. Next week, I will blog about getting one’s clothes being tailored.
A staff writer with Fairfax Business Media, Jack Loo is a full-time web and magazine reading addict, from bbc.co.uk to webmonkey and monocle.
