Page 6 Section II Portland Observer, August 11, 1982
SUIT UP FOR BUSINESS
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Luxurious fabric, very supple
tailoring and subtle tones o f taupe
and gray epitomize the classic
approach to men’ s suiting.
100 per cent black wool tw ill
M ilita ry Formal suit features satin
rope shoulder treatment, satin notch
lapel, patch pockets and no vent.
Honey, tobacco and charcoal tic-
weave double-breasted peak lapel
suit with patch pockets.
More fashion excitement: A
three-piece suit comes alive in green
(pants), red (vest) and black
(jacket).
Teddy Pendergrass is a dapper man-about-town In his finely tail
ored gray flannel suit.
A Man Makes The Clothes
Teddy Pendergrass—singer extra guy. You have to have the rig h t
ordinaire— has a taste in clothes that body shape fo r ce rta in th in g s , so
rivals his phenomenal voice.
you have to learn w hat you lo o k
Pendergrass also passes on a few best in .’ ’ Pendergrass is a man who
pointers on clothes. “ Things that d e fin ite ly know s w h a t’ s rig h t fo r
look good in the store w on’ t neces him.
fro m Ebony magazine
sarily look good on a certain type o f
Clothing can make
the difference
between a jo b
paying $12,000 and
one that pays
$20,000.
Dressing fo r success
Thomas H Watkins Jr publisher of
The New York Dally Challenge and
former boxer advises that
In order to be taken seriously, you
have to dress the part you play While
you may not aspire to a political posi
tion your appearance and grooming
play a key role in the way others see
you Clothing can make the difference
between a job paying S12 000 and one
that pays S20 000 It can also make the
difference between getting a job and
getting the brush-ott
DRESSING FOR THE INTERVIEW
Appropnate attire is particularly
essential lor job interviewer The first
impression is a strong one and if it isn t
good it will probably be the last
Many employers nave a firm image of
what they expect their employees to
look like One executive recruiter told
the story of a man who applied for a
position with a Fortune 500 company
He had the nght credentials, his man
ner and speech were flawless Yet he
didn t get the job When I looked
down the recruiter recahed. "I real
¡zed he was wearing platform shoes
They were expensive, but a little too
flamboyant for a conservative com
par.y like ours Obviously, if you don t
look like you fit in you 11 never g«»t :a;
ther than the front door
What is the correct way to impress a
particular company'’ For an important
interview you should find out as much
as possible about the firm beforehand
One way to do this is to visit the com
pany (you know case the joint ) a few
days before your appointment Look
around and make mental notes of
what the employees are weanng II
everyones buttoned up in suits and ties
or expensive dresses let that be your
guide If its a blue jean type operation
you may want to wear a sports jacket
or a casual skirt Fairly conservative
attire is your best bet for interviews,
your co-workers can tell you exactly
what will be acceptable after you re
hired While you re checking a firm out
lor style be sure to think about whether
you 11 feel comfortable there Image is
a two way street you may not like a
companys look any more than it likes
yours If the atmospheres not nght
don t try to force it In the end both you
and your employer would probably be
unhappy
Once a company has passed your
initial approval some oasic grooming
and dress rules apply for interviews
across the board For example a New
York based executive recruiter advises
Black job seekers to stay away from
browns that blend with skin tones and
to wear mid range greys charcoals
and blues
To create the best impression leave
fancy jewelry at he me Whats fashion
able in the neighborhood may seem
gaudy on the job And a recruiter
doesn t want to feel like hes hiring
someone who can out-spend him at the
jewelry store Women should limit
themselves to a well-coordinated com
bination of simple unobtrusive ear
rings a sleek wnstwatch and a single
ring You may want to add a plain
bracelet or single strand necklace of
some kind Less will generally win you
more points in this department A sin
/
gle piece of tine metal precious stone
or nothing at all is usually more tasteful
than loads cf costume jewelry Men
should stick to a watch and a wedding
band or class ring Brothers tend to
reinforce whiles Supertly Image of
them when they show up at personnel
offices decked with gold chains and
pinkie nngs
In some professions men who wear
sports jackets and casual shirts are not
perceived as hard workers and peo
ple who are not seen to be hard
workers rarely get the job
So what if you have to borrow or rent
a suit-once you get the job you can
buy your own A hint on suitable suit
mg Steer clear of polyesters and other
synthetics Wools and natural blends
tend to be cut in more sophisticated
classic styles and get the most points
Match your suits with conservative ties
and solid white or light pastel colored
shirts and save the flashy culf links for
the disco Designer signatures on your
clothing do not impress prospective
employers L VS may look great on
Louis ’Antton but men and women who
wear other peoples initials are often
seen as insecure and viewed as follow
ers rather than leaders
For women suiting up for business
doesn t always mean wearing suits but
it does always mean dressing in mod
eration Solid traditional colors will
help you to be taken seriously Women
should wear dresses and skirts to inter
views to be on the sale side However
well tailored trousers or pantsuits
made of wool, cottonor natural blends
may be acceptable in some settings
Your preliminary research should
guide you here Stockings are always
mandatory for interviews Bare legs
are considered too casual
Hair and nails must reflect the same
attention you pay to dress whether
you re a woman or man It must be
apparent that you observe a good
grooming regime Since we re talking
about the little things that count
remember that peeking safety pins or
dipping slips signal carelessness
WHEN IN ROME
DO AS THE ROMANS DO
For teachers sales personnel and
those who work in offices the norm is
usually suits and ties for men. dresses
skirts and modest pantsuits for women
Spending a lot of money on clothes that
are stylish and individual won t do you
any good unless your clothing prefer
ences illustrate a sense of propriety You
must keep in mind your career goals
and the image your employer or pro
lession generally projects You may feel
that what you wear is a personal
expression of your individual rights
But while you may not be tired if your
boss needs sunglasses to look at your
shirt or tie chances are you won t be
asked lor dinner to discuss a new open
ing in the executive suite either1
The truth of the matter is that some
times your appearance is as important
as your credentials One young execu
live who travels the last track of po.itics
and finance recently turned thirty As if
struck by divine revelation he began
to buy somber blue pinstriped suits
white shirts and solid colored ties One
day he stunned his girl friend by
appearing in an ultra-conservative
pair of black lace-up shoes I looked
around and saw successful men in the
financial world weanng these kinds of
shoes he said I decided if this is what
they wear then this is what I wear 1\vo
months later he got a promotion and a
hefty increase in salary Just a coinci
dence0 Ybu 11 never convince him of
that
Women must be especially careful
about their on the job attire Low-cut
necklines and high skirt slits can be
definite hindrances to a woman trying
to climb the corporate or business lad
der even if they are the current fashion
craze Men have a hard time taking
any woman seriously if her bosom is
spilling all over the conference room
table or her thigh appears every time
sne shifts in her chair
We have tomorrow
Bright before us
Like aflam e.
Yesterday
A night-gone thing,
A sundown-name.
ETHNIC TOUCHES
What about ethnic touches like large
afros elaborate cornrows and bold
African prints0 It depends on the job
and what your boss thinks of you II they
haven t had a chance to get to know
you whites may be quick Io interpret
your assertion of identity as a sign of
hostility so youd better get hired first
and settle into the company before you
start testing the waters When you re
ready to experiment try one element
al a time Don, show up in cornrows
two tons of bracelets and a Dakabar
print dress all al once The key is Io
keep your identity and fit in with your
environment Avoid extremes-in both
ethnic and mainstream fashion
Brothers with earrings and sisters with
nose rings are a little advanced lor
most offices and will probably be as
popular with the boss as a green haired
punk rocker1
The point is that you must develop a
sense of whats appropriate for your
job One day a reporter tor a large
metropolitan daily who enioyed going
to work dressed like shed stepped out
of the pages of Vogue appeared in a
new fur coat suede high heels and oft
while wool pants and was sent to cover
a fire By the time she returned her
coat smelled like smoke her shoes
were ruined and her white pants were
spattered w ’th dirt and mud
Another caution Io the fashion plate
sometimes your Pierre Cardin suits
Halston dresses and Gucci shoes may
intimidate your supervisors and cause
resentment among your colleagues
Whites tend to place less emphasis on
fashion than Blacks A white executive
earning the same or a slightly higher
salary than you is more likely to invest
in a house in the suburbs than a
designer wardrobe Hes likely to sus
pect that you re a spendthrift or worse
if he can t see how you can afford to
dress as you do
All of this may seem silly if you work
in a garage hut appropriate dress is as
important in a garage as it is in an
executive suite Clean functional cloth
ing that blends with your environment
and good grooming are keys to sue
cess in any field lb determine what s
best for your individual situation use a
healthy mixture of these guidelines
and your own common sense and you
should be able to find the suit that suits
your business to a tee
And dawn-today
Broad areh above
The road we came.
Langston Hughes
KGW TV
■ < King Broadcasting Company
An Equal Opportunity Employer