2024-07-28 15:07:17
The self-respecting woman and the serious man never mix it up in a professional environment, whatever the current fashion trends dictate
“The right person” is a special project of “24 hours” about professional success, career growth, personal development, workplace relations, about good practices of employers, about news from the HR sector and management, about the labor market and vacancies .
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, says a wise maxim. And the easiest way to spoil the first impression is to dress inappropriately. It doesn’t even have to be obscene.
In this context, the question of length is always relevant.
In men it is apparent less prone to error and therefore more insidious – a tie can make you look like a serious, trustworthy man or a joker. It is the length, not the width, that men pay attention to more often, because fashion trends there change.
If the code of conduct in the company you work for dictates that you wear a tie every day, you must be careful every day how far it goes (which it also depends on the condition of the abdomen – its swelling affects in an unpleasant way). You are obliged to measure even more carefully when you have specially dressed up with this accessory – so the occasion is significant and it is even more important not to expose yourself.
The classic is the lower end of the tie to reach the button of the pants. But world designers periodically turn a very short or very long tie into a hit. Now, for example, it is fashionable not to tie it in a classic knot, but casually, like a scarf, and to stretch to the hips. The first impression is of a man in a high spirits after drinking. You don’t want to do it to your business partners, your boss, your colleagues.
With a long tie you look funny, with a short one – stupid. Even if the variations are a fashion hit, don’t indulge them, stick to the classics. Eccentricity can only be instilled in you if you work in a company that expects you to be more artistic – in the advertising business, say.
The issue of decent lengths for women is extremely important. Most know very well that for work (and not only: 7 deadly sins that risk your career at the corporate party and 7 deadly sins of partying with business partners) it is not recommended to dress up with a deep neckline and a short skirt.
But the length of the skirt is a slippery and treacherous thing. Some time ago she in Bulgaria it was very noisy and even became a political weapon. Campaign photos circulated of a presidential candidate whose tight skirt had pulled up high on her thighs when she sat down. Then, the night after the runoff, the first lady showed up in a short skirt and, boldly sitting in the front row, there were more or less as many photos of her legs as of the new head of state in the media.
The answer to the question of a decent length has long been known – you don’t risk making a bad impression if you don’t let your skirt creep up above the knee. A finger’s length below it in an upright position and a free width eliminate this risk.
Definitely below, not above the knee, as long as you are wearing a straight skirt. If you really, really want to show more leg when standing, when cut or pleated you can afford a toe above, because when sitting down they open and cover the knees.
You should and to sit properly. The posture is also tested – no leaning back on the sofa and armchair, no transferring hip to hip. You land on the edge of the chair, sit with your back straight and cross your legs only at the ankles.
It may sound like something out of a handbook for noble ladies of the Victorian era, but otherwise you will not escape the danger of baring the bajak (this Turkish word means leg, but in Bulgarian it is used as a synonym for thigh, usually in a rude and mocking context). Especially if you are straight.
When you are at work (and also when you are in an informal gathering with business partners or colleagues), even if you have nice legs, it is not serious to show them. For this reason, in many companies there is a dress code and its detailed description is given to each employee already at the time of appointment. The instruction on the length of the skirt is not sexism, but the concern of the company for its own authority in front of partners. It’s just as normal as asking men not to wear Bermuda shorts to work.
By the way, business women they never risk it if they prefer to wear trousers instead of a skirt. Its nice cut, adapted to the figure, makes them always stylish and even slimmer, because it visually elongates.
It is the more economical option, as soon as you go to a place where you do not know what you will have to sit on. On upholstered furniture, it is quite uncomfortable to sit on the edge of the seat all the time during a long meeting. With trousers, you will be able to lean back without the risk of the skirt being pulled up high above the knees.
Otherwise, you will make too bright a first impression.
In “The Right Man” you can read more:
As a preacher, prosecutor, politician or scientist, you also think about what gets you ahead at work
The shock of seeing after 10-20 years that you got the profession wrong
Techniques for asking for a promotion without fear of rejection
The impostor syndrome – an insidious virus that most infects the intelligent
A messy desk – big obstacles to career success
When the boss presents your ideas as his own
7 deadly sins of partying with business partners
Segregator or Integrator – an important mindset for success
10 things confident people do and achieve success
Lack of self-confidence – the worst deficit for success. Exercises to get it