How important is it to dress to impress at work?
The way you look and dress for the office helps to create a potent impression about the kind of person you are.
It’s not about outdoing each other in the fashion stakes (even though you can’t help but notice sometimes that women rather enjoy outshining each other with increasingly vertiginous heels), but there isn’t anything wrong with a little light-hearted competitiveness when it comes to sartorial elegance.
Men are notoriously competitive creatures: there is always one who has to try to outshine his colleagues – from how many miles he ran on the treadmill to the number of pints consumed post-match.
This desire to outclass can also be applied in the looking good department at the office.
It’s not just the haircut and grooming; it’s also the designer suits, expensive shoes and luxury shirts – these all-important constituents of the office uniform. But where they can really go to town and show off is with those accessories: the silk ties, the smart cufflinks and matching tiepin.
Think back to the gentle banter that goes on about each other’s style at meetings and after-work get-togethers. It may be jokey, but it’s not long before you notice the surreptitious eyeing up of each other’s cufflinks as each executive – male and female – raises an arm to reveal a beautifully accessorised cuff.
It might all be conducted in good humour, of course, but power dressing can be serious business in the professional world. Attention to detail with accessories is seen as an important part of the strategy of creating a good impression. Cufflinks add finesse to a formal suit and a shirt with a French cuff.
They should be subtle, though, rather than flashy.
Gold cufflinks mean business. They demonstrate success and maturity – whether they are plain, patterned, engraved or encrusted with crystals and gems, these stylish accessories are a must-have for any board room.
A pair of silver cufflinks – or even white gold – is a good look for the cool and calm professional and it’s possible to look business-like in a pair of smart fabric cufflinks – particularly the stylish knot style that is so popular.
Colourful cufflinks – whether fabric, enamel or crystal-encrusted – create the impression of a trendsetter within the professional environment and will look the part in any dynamic office.
But can you get away with novelty cufflinks in the professional office? The jury seems to be out on this issue. Some business executives frown upon them in the professional environment, while others have a much more laissez-faire attitude towards them. The best option is to play it safe while you check out colleagues’ attire and work out the unspoken rules of your office for smart dressing.
If you’re not sure, why not ask the experts at Esquire Originals, who pride themselves on producing eye catching cufflinks for professionals? We offer expert design and artisan craftsmanship for both personalised cufflinks or for the manufacture of our established range of designs. For more ideas, please download our eGuide How to choose and care for cufflinks.
Read more: Five Ways to Wear Cufflinks