Growing an agency while doing the same for your clients’ companies is challenging work. But developing a go-to-market strategy, crafting a winning sales presentation or producing a steady stream of head-turning content and can be a piece of cake next to getting dressed each morning.
In the last four years, I’ve moved up in my career and experienced several major life changes. My closet became a time-sucking vortex that led to the wasteland of my bedroom floor, which was often strewn with pieces of office fashion as I tried to decide what to wear.
What I learned from this experience is that at various points in your executive career, you may need to reset and reflect on what’s in your closet. This involves redefining your wardrobe to express your professional identity, help you stand out as the expert you are and play up what differentiates you while collaborating with colleagues, leading a team, speaking on stage or making valuable business connections at events.
A crucial part of this process is creating a smart wardrobe strategy that’s both efficient and flexible. Having such a style strategy in place can allow you to move quickly and easily through the “getting dressed” part of your morning to other more lucrative activities like building your high-performing team, product innovation, global expansion, etc. Why spend time deciding what to wear and how to accessorize when there’s a world out there to dominate? It also can help you feel more confident, which allows you to activate your magnetic and visionary leadership capability.
Here are my four steps to creating an effective and time-saving executive style strategy:
1. Choose Your Color Palette
What colors do you feel confident in? Make these colors your guideposts as you create your personal palette. This can make getting dressed much easier because everything will go with everything. Here’s how to do it:
• List your two favorite staple colors. These should ideally be colors that highlight your features like your eyes, hair and skin.
• List your two favorite neutral colors. These are colors in shades of white, black, gray or brown.
• Decide on a fifth color. This color is to your wardrobe what an accent wall is to your home. It doesn’t have to be bold, but it often is. This is your opportunity to have a little fun. Interested in fuschia? This is a great spot for it.
• Now tweak your palette as needed. If you have red and green on your list (which can remind people of Christmas), choose the color you feel more confident in, and replace the other with a different color. If you love black, avoid orange (Halloween colors) and yellow (the colors of a bee), or consider replacing black with gray or beige.
Once you make your adjustments, everything you buy should ideally be part of your palette. Some example palettes include:
• Navy, blush, charcoal, white and kelly green
• Aubergine, marigold, black and brick red
• Lemon yellow, periwinkle, cream and smoky gray
2. Select Your Go-To Fabrics
Carefully selecting your preferred fabrics can help narrow options when you’re getting dressed or packing for a business trip. Consider these qualities, and choose three fabrics that tick all the boxes:
• Comfortable
• Easy to care for (even if it means dropping it off at the dry cleaner)
• Simple to clean or hide a stain if a spill happens while you’re wearing it
• Suits your availability for ironing at home or on a trip
• Wears well, with few wrinkles after sitting down for a two-hour meeting or flight
• Has a high-quality look and feel
I’ve found that stretch silk, chiffon and gabardine are low-maintenance, breathable and easy to travel in. Or try lace, leather and denim.
Just because you choose three core fabrics doesn’t mean you can’t try others too. Texture diversifies any wardrobe.
3. Own Your Signature Style
Having a signature item — like a blazer, statement earrings or bold glasses — can save you time by eliminating choices from morning wardrobe decisions.
What’s your “thing”? Why not have two? Here are some ideas:
• Thin gold hoops — in your ears or in your nose
• High-waisted wide-leg trousers
• Candy-colored leather jackets
• Patent leather sneakers
• Jeans, every day and every way
• Whatever your signature items are, make fit your priority. This is a time-saving measure, as ill-fitting clothes and accessories can cause you to waste time on adjusting them, and ultimately, you’ll likely discard the outfit for something easier. If the fit is a little off, take it to a tailor.
4. Create A Series Of Outfit Equations
One of the best strategies for quickly putting together outfits that help you express your authentic leader is having a series of equations to draw on for every situation, season and style.
What are your go-to outfit combinations now? Here are some examples of equations you could use:
• Trousers plus top plus flats
• Trousers plus jacket plus T-shirt plus heels
• Trousers plus button-down shirt plus V-neck sweater plus flats
• Sleeved dress plus statement necklace plus flats
• Dress plus jacket plus heels
• Suit plus statement earrings plus flats
The key to switching up an equation is the pieces themselves. A jacket means your choice of a blazer, a duster or a cardigan. A T-shirt could mean a silk T-shirt or a T-shirt from a rock concert. Flats can be ballet flats, riding boots or suede booties. Trousers could also include jeans. A suit could be a pantsuit or a skirt suit.
As you reflect on your personal executive brand from time to time, take stock of what wardrobe items aren’t working for you anymore. Creating a personalized executive style strategy can shine a flattering light on the exceptional leader that you are and add a little more time to your day.
