How To Use Style To Elevate Your Personal Brand
Whether you agree with it or not, appearances matter.
The way you present yourself in person, in photos, and on video, communicates all sorts of messages about who you are to the outside world. You can either use style to elevate your business, or miss the opportunity altogether.
You might have heard the quote “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”
This goes for everyone, including entrepreneurs.
We know the way we show up is important, but most people don’t take steps to make sure they are sending the right signals. When you’re watching someone on stage or on video or even on the street, their clothes can instantly make or break a perception.
Styling and working with a stylist is one of those topics that people don’t often talk about, but a lot of people – not just celebrities- use to elevate their image. In Hollywood, having a stylist is pretty much a requirement for anyone who is considered “talent.” There are stylists, whose names you might not know if you aren’t in that world, who are credited for helping launch and catapult major film, tv, music, and entertainment careers. The public figures that you consider “style icons” all have help behind the scenes. And that makes sense right? These are public facing people who always need to be camera ready, are trying to portray a certain image, but also have jobs to do. No one does it alone.
So why would you expect to do it alone?
I know people want to separate Hollywood from every other world, but it’s the same thing if you’re an entrepreneur, executive, or ANY other job. We expect people to show up a certain way in certain lines of work, so why wouldn’t we take the opportunity to also leverage clothing to our advantage.
Everyone hires based on details, we judge competence based on those details, we promote based on those details… For anyone who has ever had a job interview, I bet you cared what you wore that day – and for those of you who cared what you wore that day- after you got the job, you might not have dressed up as much after.
And this isn’t just women, I’m talking to you too men. You know right away when a man isn’t put together. A t-shirt and jeans can be pulled together and classic or it can look sloppy.
Style is not a tool to change who you are, it works the best to enhance who you already are.
You know when someone isn’t comfortable in their own clothes. And excuse the corniness, but style is not one size fits all. Style is personal and it can be emotional. It’s an element of personal branding that plays into your narrative AND your business.
So that brings us to my interview with stylist Candace Hanna.
Candace jumped straight into the corporate fashion world after college working for brands like Club Monaco, Guess, and Chanel. Today she has her own styling business helping people become the best versions of themselves.
On this episode, we cover:
- What is “style” and why it’s important to your brand & business
- What a stylist does and when you should hire one
- How to figure out your personal style
- Tips for editing your closet, where to shop, how to shop, and more!
To connect with Candace:
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