Looking Good

BY LINDA MELONE

“Creating a powerful image is like baking a cake,” says Kay Hunter, image consultant and president of Tustin-based Imagine The Possibilities. “All the right ingredients need to be there for the cake to come out delicious.” And, as any chef knows, too much or not enough of any key ingredient can spell disaster. From mispronouncing the name of a wine in front of business associates to a coffee-stained tie, a single faux pas sends up red flags in the minds of colleagues and potential clients ­ and could make or break a deal.

So, if you consider matching socks a fashion triumph, or if you don’t know the difference between Bluetooth and houndstooth, fear no more. There is hope. Hope, that is, in the form of a team of people who can help you with everything from what to wear to the best way to tactfully send back a bottle of wine at an elegant restaurant ­ or risk ruining the cake.

Image defined

A powerful, polished image speaks loudly about who you are and the company you represent. Hunter describes a powerful image as, “presenting the best ‘you’ possible. What’s right for one person is not right for everyone. The entertainment business requires a different image than the financial field, for example.” As the cake analogy demonstrates, many key ingredients work together to create the complete package. Clothes, grooming, etiquette and body language all convey a message to others the moment you meet them. But is it the message you want to express?

Dressing the part

Hunter, a former human resources executive, is often hired by companies like Hyundai and State Farm Insurance to teach their employees how to present the appropriate image. Workplace dressing can affect not only the company’s bottom line, but a person’s personal success. Although the suit-and-tie workplace has evolved into corporate casual for many companies, all signs indicate a return to more formal attire in the near future.

The problem with corporate casual is a lack of clearly defined parameters. “Some companies have guidelines, but ‘corporate casual’ is frequently abused,” says Hunter. “Once a person takes off the jacket, it all falls apart. Business casual does not mean no grooming, but, unfortunately, that’s how many people see it.”

Hunter says men should check that their tie doesn’t have a stain or “those pesky little hairs” aren’t sticking out of their ears. Women, surprisingly, do not necessarily have an easier time knowing how to present themselves. “Fifty percent of women could use help, but don’t want it,” she notes.

Law offices and financial institutions in particular tend toward more formal, conservative dress and place a high value on image. Sharon Owen, office administrator for law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, hired Hunter to talk to her staff about appropriate dress. “That first impression is critical in our business,” Owen says. “Young people entering the workforce need to realize the importance of looking polished and professional at all times. Everyone here is a reflection of this company.”

Owen also hired Hunter to work with her one-on-one. “I used to be ultra-conservative, which was how I thought I needed to dress in this business environment. But Kay showed me how to mix and match colored tops and ways to use accessories and jewelry for different looks. The results were more feminine but still polished.” Although her new look was subtle, people noticed the change. “I recently received an e-mail from a woman business associate acknowledging my professional image and how coordinated I looked. Little changes made the difference.”

Using color creatively can also impact a person’s response to you. For example, if you are conducting a meeting and want to convey power or authority, wear dark colors: black, gray, navy or brown. Neutral or lighter colors like pastels, light blue, etc. ­ excluding white ­ will make you appear much more open. “Kay suggested I wear something that matched my eyes when I want to make people comfortable around me,” says Owen. “I used this tactic once when I was put in charge of another office where no one knew me. It seemed to work.” Red, Hunter cautions, is not a “power color” but comes across as loud and attention-getting.

Grooming for greatness

Having a handle on your colors, however, represents only a small part of the total package. All the best clothes in the world won’t help you if grooming is only an afterthought. “Men, especially, often feel awkward ‘rewarding’ themselves with a great haircut,” says Krista Martin, owner of Metro for Men in Irvine.

“They’ll spend money on clothes and look great from the neck down, but a bad haircut can undo all of that. There are definite differences in assembly-line haircuts versus quality men’s haircuts,” Martin says. “Women use face shape as a styling guide, but men’s hair isn’t long enough for that to come into play. It’s all in the angle of the scissors in creating a style that looks good as it grows out, which is where things can go horribly wrong with a bad cut.”

Austin Taylor, LLC, a fine men’s clothing store, recently partnered with Metro for Men to offer Martin’s clients a one-stop-shopping experience. “A powerful image comes from within,” says Dave Welch, chief vision officer of Austin Taylor. “But when you dress well, you project more confidence. You feel different. It’s not really the clothes, but how you feel when you wear the clothes, that makes the difference. We specialize in custom-tailored clothes that are designed to fit perfectly. Few people can buy something off the rack and look as good as they would in a custom-designed suit.”

Welch also feels corporate casual will not be around much longer. “The professional message gets lost when clothes are too casual; it’s too hard to define. ‘Business casual’ becomes ‘business sloppy’ when there’s no clear distinction between work and casual clothes.”

Wayne T. Neale, a client of Metro for Men, agrees. Neale, who is director of employee benefits for IQ Risk Insurance Services, looked forward to working in aloha shirts and khakis at his new job but discovered the opposite was true. “In sales, first impressions are everything. I find myself wearing suits more than ever. If I’m meeting with senior executives at a company, I wear a suit and tie. If I’m meeting a client in their home, however, I’m usually dressed more casually. I decide on the message I want to convey and dress appropriately.”

Interview savvy

“Dressing appropriately means not wearing a bowling shirt when interviewing for a job in finance,” says Reema Khetarpal, an agency career development specialist with FMC Financial. But factors other than clothes are just important. Khetarpal, who interviews hundreds of job candidates each year, says, “First impressions are everything in this business. When I sit across the table, I ask myself if this person looks like someone people would trust, because that is the basis of our business.”

Khetarpal says a firm handshake and eye contact make an immediate positive impact. After that, “A man interviewing in this profession should be very clean-cut, well-groomed, wearing a suit and a crisp, white shirt. Women should either wear a pants suit or a skirt suit with moderate makeup ­ nothing too flashy.” She cuts interviews short with candidates who come in inappropriately dressed, as in the case of the bowling-shirt-wearing individual. “It shows disrespect to me when I’m wearing a suit and the person I’m interviewing is wearing a casual shirt and rubber-soled shoes ­ it looks as if they don’t care.” At the conclusion of such an interview she tells them, tactfully, why they will not be considered for the position. “It saves them the embarrassment of doing the same thing in another interview. It doesn’t always go over too well, but sometimes they thank me later.”

Khetarpal suggests that male candidates leave the scruffy, “Dr. House” look at home and steer away from red, purple or other trendy shirts, “Anything that makes it look like you’re going out clubbing ... no monochromatic matching red tie and shirt.” In addition, women should have an up-to-date hairstyle. “No beehive hairdos,” she says.

The psychology of image

Sometimes a professional image conveys more than personal style. Sandy Pendleton, a Lake Forest holistic psychotherapist, feels her dress registers a comfort level in her clients’ minds. “My clients come to me because they are not okay on some level. Nobody wants to talk to someone who doesn’t have their own act together.” Pendleton says people make instantaneous judgments and decide whether or not they are comfortable with her.

Several years ago, Pendleton hired an image consultant to help her develop a flattering wardrobe. The consultant determined her best colors and her most flattering lines. “Flowery, flowing fabrics do not work on me. I’m most comfortable in layers of artsy, eclectic clothes, which is how I like to dress, anyway.”

Beyond her personal image, Pendleton sees her office as an extension of herself as well. “Colors, lines, style and textures register on a subconscious level,” Pendleton says. Her office consists of comfortable couches and chairs, fluffy pillows and scented candles, creating a homey, familiar ambiance. So homey, in fact, that many clients have fallen asleep in the waiting room.

“Everything I do is about creating a safe environment for my clients ­ and I consider myself part of that environment.”

Days of wine and etiquette

No matter how well dressed and poised you are, a cultured, professional image can dissolve instantly with a single, unintentional lapse of manners. According to Barbara Pachter, a business etiquette expert quoted in Workforce Management, a senior director at a major financial consulting firm wanted to make a good impression on a prospective client. All went well at the four-star restaurant until the manager, who otherwise had good manners, licked his knife. The client and his $30 million portfolio went elsewhere.

Marlene Rossman tells a similar story about an executive who ordered a bottle of “pinot gringo” in front of his mortified colleagues. Rossman, an acclaimed sommelier and consultant to UC Irvine’s Corporate Wine Education program, says, “Knowing how to order a bottle of wine is a strong signal of professional image. Health and religious reasons aside, one looks better ordering a nice bottle of wine than a glass of Coke. Business discussions over a bottle of sauvignon blanc or cabernet sauvignon give savvy executives an air of sophistication and culture.”

If sophistication and culture tend to elude you, Rossman offers the following basic wine-ordering guidelines: 1. Learn about the different grapes: syrah and viognier as well as the more popular varietals. 2. Never order a wine you can’t pronounce. 3. Choose a mid-priced bottle of wine, not the most or least expensive. 4. Ask the wine steward for assistance, but first narrow down the list to two or three. 5. Have the restaurant fax you the wine list in advance, so you can study it beforehand.

There’s also a proper way to send back a bottle of wine if you’re unhappy with it. Rossman says, “Ask the wine steward or waiter to taste it, saying, ‘Does this taste right to you?’ By doing so, you put the onus on the waiter.” In addition, she suggests trying new wines at home instead of when you’re about to attend an important dinner, “This isn’t brain surgery; it should be fun.”

High-tech manners

Fun in the form of improper or ill-timed use of some of the new high-tech devices, however, can raise eyebrows in a business meeting. While flaunting a Treo or Blackberry may initially make you appear gadget savvy, continually glancing at your device during a meeting is like checking your watch. It’s considered rude and inappropriate business behavior.

Cell phones, a status symbol in the past, are no longer the sign of importance they once were; they should be turned off in a meeting, not on vibrate, as the vibration on a boardroom table is just as disruptive as a ring tone.

In addition, answering a cell phone call during a job interview could get you escorted out the door, sans job offer. “If someone is expecting an important phone call, or they have a sick child, I don’t mind if they tell me before the interview starts that they may have to answer their phone,” Khetarpal says. “But I’ve had people answer their cell phones to chit chat about nothing during an interview. That tells me that this job is not that important to them. So, why should it be important for me to hire them for it?”

Final touch

“People need to remember two important things about image,” Kay Hunter says. “They need to have consistency and not look fabulous for an important meeting one day and come to work the next day looking shabby. Secondly, image is about all the details, not just clothing. It includes grooming, etiquette and manners, too. Creating a great image truly begins from the inside out.” The rest, as they say, is the icing on the cake.

OC Metro