Part of being a professional adult is looking good. You can look good whether you wear a pantsuit to work in a law office or frayed jeans to work on a construction site. You can also look good outside of work, when you choose, and still be comfortable and feel like yourself.
Be clean. Dressing well begins before you put your clothes on. If you smell bad or have greasy hair or dirty nails, then no amount of ironing, combing, or spraying of cologne will make you look good. Invest in soap, toothpaste, and deodorant as well as toothbrushes, towels, and a nail trimmer. Take regular showers. Wash your hair with shampoo AND conditioner. Read the back of the shampoo bottle to learn how much to use. Using too little or too much makes the cleaner less effective. Wash your face daily. Keep your nails trimmed. No matter your gender, being clean is step #1 to being a professional adult.
Be tidy. Unless you shave your head, you must comb your hair. You may be surprised that the most effortless I-woke-up-like-this styles can take hours to perfect. Keep your hair tidy. Keep your clothes tidy. Snip off snags and loose threads. Fix rips or don’t wear the garment (stylishly ripped jeans aside). Invest in a lint roller from the dollar store and keep it in your car or in a convenient place in your house. Use it whenever necessary. If you hate ironing, invest in a $20 steamer from Amazon or build a wardrobe of wrinkle-free garments.
Be your size. Wear clothes that fit you. Take a moment to consider the people you personally think have the best fashion. Instead of focusing on their style or colors of choice, notice how their clothes fit. Then try on some of your own clothes and notice how they fit you. Tight, loose, short, long; these can all be relative words based on what you prefer. I’m not going to get into what’s “appropriate”. This article is how to dress well, not about how to look a specific way!
In three simple steps, you can take giant leaps toward looking great. Whether you wear a uniform to work, work from home; whether you dress up, or dress down, the difference between looking sharp and looking like a slob is 1) cleanliness, 2) tidiness, and 3) proper fit.
Here are some links for more in-depth advice for dressing well:
