As you decide what to wear this morning…

~ Live & Learn

Carl-richards-chart-dress

The way we dress affects the way we feel. And the way we feel affects our ability to get stuff done and influence people. Call it superficial if you want, but researchers have a different name for the link between what we wear and how we feel: enclothed cognition. […]

“I found the shoeshine stand and sat down. The man took one look at my boots and said, “This will be the hardest project of the day.” He got to work, and a short time later it looked like I was wearing new boots. But as nice as my boots appeared, what really surprised me was how much better I felt. Now, I usually don’t care all that much about what I wear. Just ask my wife. So it sounds silly that a simple shoeshine changed my mood. But it did. The simple act of getting my boots polished made me feel better. […]

“One other reason for dressing the part: When we’re getting ready to perform a task, a good deal of the work starts with putting ourselves in the right place mentally.” […]

For anyone who sees people as part of the job or wants to influence the behavior of others, the way we dress does matter. So let’s not kid ourselves. First, people judge us, at least in part, by how we dress. Second, what we wear affects how we feel about ourselves. […]

Read more by Carl Richards: Dress the Part, and It’s Easier to Walk the Walk

36 thoughts on “As you decide what to wear this morning…”

  4. There are as few things (in my life anyway) as uplifting as a good shoe shine. It has to be by someone who really embraces their trade, otherwise it is an empty use of time that I could have done myself. Never do I pass through an airport without a shoe shine, (unless my connection is in 6 minutes). Clothing and accessories are tools that can be used in the business and social world. One must choose wisely.

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    1. I couldn’t agree more Ray. And there is nothing more grinding than overpaying for a poor shoeshine, which is far common in my experience. So the hardworking shoe shine ladies at Grand Central, who are on their feet all day, and do an incredible job for $4 get a generous tip.

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    2. Never had a shoeshine–used to do my brothers’ shoes when I was little for a quarter. That was a lot of money then. I do agree–dressing for the situation really does change your attitude–I used to be known for the way I dressed–and sometimes now I “dress up”–and I love it–do not know why I do not do it more often……….

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  5. Agree 100%. I recently re-vamped my clothes, tossing a lot of the black and greige – and embracing the jewel tones that flatter me – purple, emerald green, royal blue, turquoise. When I wear something in those colors I feel like $10M bucks — and when I don’t, I … feel somewhat invisible!

    Cheers! MJ

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    1. I’m with you, Val.
      When I had no choice but to shop at Goodwill, I tried not to think about what I wore. It was too depressing. Just getting a new pair of mail-order jeans would make my month.

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      1. The interview went well but I think a different position would be better for me within the same facility. I have a call in to the director of the other department. I love the environment. It’s a well-known drug rehab facility. I was a little surprised at the corporate-ness of it all. We’ll see. Thanks for asking.:)

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  8. So much truth in this! Even though I work from home, I get dressed and put on makeup every morning–shifts my mind into work mode and makes me feel more ‘Large and in charge,’ so to speak. (And some days I just have a nifty new piece of clothing that I’m dying to wear…) 🙂

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  9. Yes, the way we dress affects the way we feel, when we are putting a good foot forward…..Ah, you take me back to the days of shoe shinning…When I was a child and young adult when I’d get a new pair of shoes or a handbag I will immediately buff, in clear polish over the leather….my husband is always using shoe grease for waterproofing hiking boots… We have two shoe repair shops in our area and one use to have a shoe shine chair…// Not a gym day…but a special occasion day for me today….a Christmas brunch with gift exchange. So I will wear a tasteful top with a festive scarf and a lovely vintage, broach or lovely scarf slide (of my own invention) Warm and rain so must be careful about which non slip shoes to wear…generally, casual dress in this neck of the woods, hiking boots, wool, gortex and North Face, Pendleton, Nike and Columbia…far from the days of working at Nordstrom (spending my paycheck on nice things) during High School and part of college…(still have some quality shoes and boots) my daughter loves the classic all leather European made boots. I took them into the shoe repair for cleaning and a check over…to my delighted surprise when I went to pick them up, the owner was complimentary…it was such a pleasure to work on such a quality boot, we rarely, see quality like. Quality stands the test of time…
    I bet the big city maitre d, hotel concierge, sales clerks and door man look at peoples shoes as part of their assessment of one they are severing…and sometimes they are not professional and over look one who is not well healed in manner of dress and their assessment is incorrect because intellect, quality & humbly understated people can be modestly dressed, well mannered, millionaires or not and overlooked..and one who dresses the part may not have the integrity and may not be who they seem…the old saying comes to mind, you can’t judge a book by its cover….

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  10. “Don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want”. It was a working motto for me, and it made a difference. That being said, some of the most successful people I’ve ever met/known in life were dressed in the most casual way. It was always a thrilling surprise to learn of the wealth that they had no need to flaunt. Interesting.

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  11. I like this a great deal, and during my working years, truly dressed for the part and felt better about it. Interestingly, now that I’m fully retired, I’ve been dressing for me, which almost always is jeans and clean shirt. In the current season of colder weather, a flannel shirt and hoodie are outdoor wear, and never without my full brimmed hat, something I never wore before. At work, clothes were for others, now for me, and I still feel great.

    Good post, David.

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  13. I’ve seen the difference in some of my students who were put in foster care and got new clothes. Their whole attitude and demeanor changed from depression and feelings of inferiority to happiness and anticipation of acceptance. Clothes DO make a difference in how you feel.

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