Style is critical to success

A survey from Pink magazine and Corset personal styling shows vast majority of business women say style is critical to workplace success, yet  struggle to build wardrobes.

Style is a significant tool in the workplace arsenal when it comes to career success, says a resounding 98 percent of working women. In a survey of young professionals, senior managers, and business owners conducted by PINK Magazine and Corset Personal Styling, which both cater to female professionals, women came clean about the importance of how they look in the office. An under-discussed hot button for many working women, workplace dressing can be difficult, they cited, due to weight/size issues, finding age-appropriate pieces, and having a propensity toward purchasing basic black, leaving some respondents to call the process “a nightmare.”

While over half of these professional women said pulling together an outfit presents a significant challenge and nearly 60 percent say they have “nothing to wear,” one-third said they spend more than three to six weeks annually shopping for, accessorizing, and pulling together their wardrobe. “In today’s corporate culture, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The good news is whether you’re a vice president or just getting started in your career, female professionals can build a powerful wardrobe at any budget,” says Cynthia Good, editor of Atlanta-based PINK Magazine. “With appearance being key to workplace advancement, women should consider their wardrobe management as business critical as employee, time, or budget management.”

According to the survey, more than 25 percent of CEOs, female executives and business owners admitted to withholding an employee’s promotion or raise because of how she dresses at work.
While some likened a work wardrobe to a uniform necessary for competing in a sport or putting on armor for battle, several of the hundreds of respondents noted:

• the more professional you appear on the outside, the more serious others will take you on the inside

• you must look successful for clients and top management to trust you with their money

• your appearance demonstrates your expectations and tells upper management where you want to be

In addition, the professional women surveyed reveal that traditional department stores are lacking in a few areas, including unappealing dressing rooms in terms of lighting and cleanliness (51 percent) and a lack of help from store associates (43 percent).

“Getting dressed and looking polished should be a no-brainer for female professionals. What busy professional women are realizing is that styling/shopping can be outsourced to a company like Corset; similar to IT, accounting, or legal services to save time, money and stress,” said Carrie Leum, president of Corset, whose national wardrobing service delivers personalized outfits and wearing/pairing tips to women across the U.S. every season. “We help our corporate clients establish their brands and create head-turning looks so they spend less time at the mall and more time growing in their career and personal lives.”

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