Fashion As Everything from Male Self-Expression to Personal Branding: OMG, Don't Be Overdressed, Have Photo-Op in Corner Office

Males used to have the safety of the uniform. That was the suit and tie. The ambitious among them knew to invest in the recognizable brands. Those established the immediate signal of belonging in the system. Upon graduating elite institutions of higher learning youth’s families would cart them along to a tailor for customized versions of the that uniform. 

 

SO, WHAT TO WEAR IN PUBLIC, THESE DAYS …

 

Now that has shifted to a wide range of ambiguity. Actually, now imposed on males is the demand that they put together their personal branding through their unique approach to dressing for public life. That is considered a form of individualized self-expression. And, you bet, it will be scrutinized for what branding messages it could be signaling. Or should be.

 

TIES AND SUITS

 

The first round of inspection by gawkers of public figures is based on the still-in-flux issues of the role of ties and suits. 

 

LinkedIn declares the end of ties in most contexts. Of course, to a state funeral you wouldn't show up without a tie with your suit.

 

As for suits themselves The Guardian documents they too may be fast becoming an anachronism. That trend toward casual and relaxed had been in play for a while. However, it cemented in as style during COVID WFH. Show up on Zoom in a suit  with or without a tie and you could be experienced as over-dressed, that is, unsophisticated and insecure. 

 

Currently there are strong signs that those who determine the appropriateness of professional dress are opting for non-buttoned down. The exceptions, of course, still hold up. Those include the personal-branding staging in very formal settings such as when conducting government, international and court-related matters.

 

LOOSER STYLING, SIMPLE STAGING

 

A sign of these looser times in dress codes had been the photo of the chair of white shoe law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp. That was in a high-profile article in The Wall Street Journal yesterday about competitiveness in the law-firm sector. Karp wore: 

 

  • No tie
  • No suit 
  • A light blue shirt (no old-line white shirt)
  • A blue blazer
  • Blue trousers that did not match in shade the color of the blazer.

The staging was equally informal - not the conventional elaborate corner office. It was a simple setting of a laptop, large, mounted screen, two smartphones and a smallish desk (the kind we have in our home offices). That was all in a small room. The messaging signals a quiet self-confidence. 

 

This is in contrast to Karp's profile on the Paul, Weiss website. There he wears the traditional tie and suit. Those website profiles tend not to be updated often. That's primarily because they're not important in new business development.

 

See, prospects searching for what lawyers to do business with come to that decision-making process already knowing a great deal about them. They have to. The stakes are high and the fees pricey. In fact, the joke is that the corporate C-Suite members don't pore over any law firm website to narrow down decisions about which to hire.

 

The situation, though, is quite different when it comes to recruiting new talent. Everything in that website section on Paul, Weiss is taken very seriously. The Help-Wanted section of Paul, Weiss, for instance, broadcasts "dress is business casual." It is implicit that a suit will be necessary for court.

 

EVEN LOOSER, SIMPLER SEEM TO BE FUTURE OF PERSONAL BRANDING

 

Male attire and staging might loosen up even more. In The Wall Street Journal truck stop mogul Jimmy Haslam, who’s in conflict with Warren Buffett, just stands there. He is in a light blue shirt, no tie, no blazer, out there by the trucks. He isn't in an office. Yet, he exudes presence.

 

Incidentally will the official website profiles of lawyers be redone on Paul, Weiss? On Wilson Sonsini's law firm website most of the lawyers' profiles are open-shirt. On the first page there is only one lawyer with a tie. Wilson Sonsini's target market is the cool tech segment. And, who among us doesn't want to be cool?

 

In my coaching, clients are totally aware of the necessity to establish and keep fine-tuning their personal branding. 

 

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com) 

 

 


 


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