Would a designer tie make you stand out?
 

Accountancy firm PwC believes appearance is very important. They say people make up their mind about someone in just 30 seconds. What you wear can help you be remembered for the right reasons.

Image consultants say what you wear is a big part of your personal brand. But for many people what should matter is whether you can do your job, rather than your choice of attire.

Karen Pine, a psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, says women who wear slightly provocative clothes to work are judged to be less competent and less likely to get a promotion. So low-cut dresses and tight-fitting clothes are a no-no, unless you’re in show business.

And men aren’t off the hook when it comes to dress code either. Pine says that men are perceived as less successful if they wear an off-the-shelf suit, while equally suitable candidates who don a tailor-made suit are more likely to get a promotion.

But clothes are about more than just appearances. Smart Works is a charity in the UK which offers high-quality clothes for unemployed women on low income to help them find a job.

The charity’s chairwoman Juliet Hughes-Hallett says: “It’s not really about the clothes. It’s often really emotional. The people who are dressing them are feeding their self-esteem.”

So, maybe it’s a good idea to put on that old Superman T-shirt after all, if only under my smart suit. It might make me feel strong and superior. And I might start wearing glasses. They do make me look more intellectual and… well, they never did Clark Kent any harm. Who knows where my new clothes could lead me?

Glossary 词汇表

uniform

制服formal

正式的casual

休闲的makeover

改头换面，重新塑造形象appearance

外表make up (their) mind

拿定(他们的)主意image consultants

形象顾问personal brand

个人品牌attire

服装provocative

挑衅性的、挑逗性的low-cut

低胸的tight-fitting

紧身的a no-no

万万不能，禁忌off the hook

摆脱困境，逃脱dress code

着装要求off-the-shelf

现成的don

穿上tailor-made

量身订做的self-esteem

自尊心