Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video, we're
going to prove that we're the pros when it comes to looking professional
by explaining what this potentially confusing term actually means.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette Theme Song ♪
You've probably heard someone suggest that you should "look professional" for important
events like interviews, meetings, or a big day at the office, but have you ever stopped to
consider what this phrase actually means; that's exactly what we'll be doing today.
By genuinely understanding this term, you'll be better prepared to dress professionally and
appropriately when it matters. Let us know in the comments what you think "dressing
professionally" means and then we can compare notes. After all, a true professional leverages
the insight and opinions of those around him.
[scene from "The Office"] Christian: "We are out to save money."
Jan: "What's the bottom line?" Michael: [hysterical noises]
Defining "looking professional." Generally speaking, the term "looking professional" in this context can
have two meanings. The first relates to looking like someone who has a professional occupation,
by which we mean a job like a banker, lawyer, or doctor. The second meaning more generally indicates
that someone looks like a professional, which is to say, someone who looks like they know
what they're doing and that he's doing it well.
[clip from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"] Garage Attendant: "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm a professional."
Today's video primarily deals with the second meaning as we want to
help everyone look and feel professional no matter what they do. But, our suggestions will also apply
if you're in the first category. You'll notice that both categories of looking professional explicitly
involve employment, which gives us a big hint about its meaning. Looking professional means
wearing clothes and accessories that, at a minimum, are appropriate for work. So you'll definitely want
to avoid anything that I mentioned in my video on what never to wear to the office. If we turn
to the formality scale, according to classic style conventions, professional attire generally ranges
from "smart casual" to "traditional business attire," with many contemporary professional looks existing
in the middle as part of "business casual attire." But, how do you determine where on the formality
scale you need to be to look professional? The quick answer is: just look like you've
put genuine effort into your appearance. But, privy advice like that wouldn't make for
a very interesting video, so let's go deeper by covering all the things that you are achieving
when you dress in a professional way. We'll start by considering the type of work that
you do. Looking professional means addressing according to the conventions of your profession.
Many jobs that are considered traditionally "professional" have an understood standard of dress.
Lawyers are expected to look a certain way, as are doctors and many office workers, which is why we've
made videos detailing dressing conventions for these job types. But looking professional
also applies to workers outside of this usual professional sphere. In fact, you can easily look
professional no matter what you do for a living, but how you do it will change based on the nature
of your work. Generally speaking, dressing a step or two up in the formality scale from the minimum
requirement for your work will automatically give you a professional air. So, wearing a sport coat
and tie usually appears more professional than jeans and a sweater, but remember that "more formal"
does not always equal "more professional." Going into your office in White Tie, which should really be
reserved for formal evening occasions, certainly won't make you look very professional, unless
you're a professional magician. Hey, you better not let that pigeon loose in the break room again!
[sound of pigeon, flapping wings, and glass breaking] [scream]
["We are experience technical difficulties. Apologies. -Theatre Management]
While it's usually better to be overdressed than underdressed, you can definitely
look professional in a polo shirt and trousers, and you can also look unprofessional in a suit.
In fact, even traditionally appropriate business attire can be inappropriate if it isn't compatible
with your business culture. Let us explain. Looking professional means following workplace norms. Many
traditional standards of business dress have changed drastically as menswear in broader
society have become more casual. Just because bankers used to wear three-piece suits and wing
collars every day, doesn't mean that's always the case now. Determine what professional looks
like at your workplace by observing how most of your co-workers dress and dress accordingly.
If wearing a suit would make you look out of place, like you're not a part of the company,
consider not wearing one, even if it would be conventionally appropriate. But opt for a more
casual, but still classic combination instead. A big part of looking professional is conveying
the sense that you know what you're doing. Don't demonstrate misunderstanding by failing to grasp
the dress standards of your own place of work.
[clip from "Office Space"] Bill: "Did you see the memo about this?"
Looking professional means
illustrating commitment to your company; taking the time to learn your office's sartorial culture is
just one way that licking professionals shows commitment to your work. Attention to dressing
well generally indicates your investment in workplace conventions and a desire to
represent your company well. This conveys to your peers and superiors that you are part of the team
and that you understand what is expected of you. It also sets a good example to subordinates by
modeling the standards of your work. Again, this doesn't require wearing a full suit every day
if that's not part of your office culture, but taking the time to adjust a few professional
elements to your ensemble - like a dignified tie or a well-coordinated dress shirt and jacket -
can simply and easily polish your overall image, making it look more professional. For inspiration,
check out this video, in which I illustrate how to mix professional styles and casual elements.
Looking professional means inspiring confidence. Dressing professionally not only indicates to
your co-workers that you understand your company. It also reveals to others, like clients, associates,
and even competitors, that you are dedicated enough to take pride in your appearance; capable
enough to dress appropriately; and attentive enough to do both things well.
[clip from "Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy"] Ron: "Hey, everyone! Come and see how good I look!"
When you are in a client-facing position, you are a representative
of and even an advertisement for your company. The way that you carry yourself and dress yourself
will directly impact not only how others think about you, but how they think about your business.
Does dressing well necessarily mean that you are better at your job? No, it doesn't. The first
impression that you convey will automatically indicate how others perceive you, including their
perception of how well you do your job. While it's not fair to judge people based off appearances,
if you had to base your assessment of someone exclusively on how they dress, does it seem more
likely that the person in a clean well-pressed suit that is elegantly presented is more
dependable or capable than someone who is slovenly attired with an untucked shirt and no real regard
to his appearance? A neat, pleasing, and classic look - no matter its formality - will put others
at ease because it conveys the impression that you know what you're doing. Looking professional
conveys that you fully grasp your profession, so others will be more trusting and comfortable with
you and more willing to give you the chance to prove yourself professionally because you look
professional in the first place. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but you also shouldn't
neglect easy and basic steps that make you look and feel as dependable and as capable as you are.
Looking professional means accounting for every detail. Now that we've covered some
concepts around looking professional, you'd probably like some more concrete advice, right?
[clip from "Caddyshack"] Judge Smails: "Well, we're waiting?"
As we hope that we've made clear, looking professional consists of basically
looking as though you made a genuine effort to improve your appearance - with a focus on clothing
that looks good on you, isn't distracting, and is work appropriate. Our Gentleman's Gazette
archives are overflowing with advice on how to look your best on a variety of occasions.
Let's highlight some particularly useful advice. Looking professional means looking
prepared, so make sure that you don't appear rushed, hurried, or overwhelmed.
[Raphael running across a street in a suit]
For instance, wearing a dress shirt that is fresh out of the box, that stills has crease lines
from packaging; or a jacket with the tack stitching still intact make it seem like
you just ran out, bought new clothes, put them on without checking them. When looking professional,
you never want to give the impression if this is the first time that you've ever tried to
look professional (even if it is) because it can come off as affected and disingenuous. Similarly,
looking professional means being aware and active. So, don't let unpleasant-appearing,
sartorial errors - like puddling pants, a cracked and frayed belt, or overly long shirt cuffs - make it seem
like you've missed or ignored style mistakes and could therefore be prone to other mistakes,
too. Thankfully you'll never need to worry about common menswear mistakes again after reading our
appropriately-titled ebook, "50 Style Mistakes and How to Avoid Them," which you can download for free.
Finally, looking professional means being detail-oriented,
so make sure that all of your dressing details are on order - with your shirt neatly pressed, your neckwear
straight, and your shoes shined. Here's something else that is often overlooked: the state of your
business card. A crumpled, stained business card not only looks unprofessional, it subtly conveys
that you don't care about how you or your business is perceived. So, when you and your perfectly normal
associates are comparing business cards, ensure that your business card is well protected with a
quality business card case. That'll show that stuck up Paul Allen. Also, don't neglect your personal
appearance. The state of your hair or beard says just as much about you as your shoes or shirt.
Peruse out grooming and shaving archives for the best videos on how to look your best. Another often
overlooked detail: the state of your nails. A key tool to fix them: a well-made manicure set. Ensuring
a professional appearance by carefully managing every detail of your appearance helps you maximize
your positive impressions, while minimizing the negative. Or as Bing Crosby would say:
["Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" by Bing Crosby]
I wonder if Preston had anything to do with that extremely modern musical reference? Having a
professional appearance is especially important for major events like board
meetings or hosting clients, and for when you're first introduced to the company,
which is why we made this video and what never to wear in an interview. But looking professional
should not be reserved for special occasions, setting a consistent standard for professional
dress in the workplace will encourage you to do your best every day, while establishing your
reputation as a conscious employee and a snappy dresser. This advice also applies
to workplace adjacent events like networking, conferences, off-site meetings, or interacting with
co-workers or clients socially. Just because you're technically off the clock, it doesn't mean that you
should neglect your looks. You don't want to ruin the good impression you've made in the office
with an unkempt appearance outside of it. Looking professional means dressing to make yourself feel
professional, but also like yourself. In going over what it means to look professional, we hope it's
clear that looking professional does not require looking like an office drone. Just like dressing in
the classic style, professional attire affords many opportunities to inject your personality
into your looks, especially with interesting accessories, vibrant colors, and complementary
patterns that are all still work appropriate. Assembling a professional ensemble that makes
you look and feel like a professional person, while still looking and feeling like yourself,
indicates a mastery of the sometimes confusing sartorial concept. As you can see, there are many
ways to look professional. There are as many ways to look professional as there are varieties
of stylish gentlemen that are professional. To really bring this point home, let's run through
three outfits that illustrate the variety and versatility of looking professional. Let's start
with a very casual ensemble to prove that you can look professional in almost any dress code.
Here, I'm wearing a plain white dress shirt; that because it is a long sleeved and collared shirt,
automatically looks more professional due to its more formal features, than the t-shirts,
polos, henleys, or other casual shirts that I might wear in the weekend. I am wearing jeans,
but they are dark washed and undistressed as is typical for more formal denim. And the addition
of a burgundy sweater dresses up the entire look because it's a formal color like navy, charcoal,
brown, and medium gray. We'll note that the use of layering like this sweater is a simple and easy
way to create a professional appearance, even if it just involves throwing on a jacket or
a blazer, as Illustrated in our next look. Here's a more formal business casual ensemble, in which
the addition of a sport coat and pocket square effortlessly elevates khaki chinos and a blue
denim shirt. Finally, for a formal business attire look: let's pair a stately, double-breasted, blue,
pinstripe suit with a very business-appropriate, white, dress shirt with a vibrant tie and a red
and buff pattern for a bit of color. "More formal" does not have to mean "more boring." For
all these outfits, you'll notice that I wore leather shoes. From suede derbies up to brogue
derbies, leather shoes (even if they're dress sneakers) can make almost any look appear more
professional. While, conversely, few things look more unprofessional than a formal suit dragged down by
too-casual athletic shoes, unless you are jogging to work.
[funny news broadcast, featuring a stumbling runner]
Shoes like these just don't make sense with a professional ensemble. Now that we've reached
the end of the video, how would you succinctly summarize what looking professional means?
We would say, "Putting in an effort to elevate one's appearance in order to make a positive
impression, usually in a workplace capacity, by dressing to a high standard of neatness,
good fit, and aesthetic appeal, without distraction and with an air of capability and dependability,
befitting someone who is gainfully employed," or, in layman's terms, "When they see you, people
should assume that you're on your way to work and that you're good at your job." We hope that
by better understanding what looking professional means, you'll be inspired to create your own unique
and memorable professional looks. Let us know in the comments what professional looks like where
you work, and if what I'm wearing today would be sufficiently professional for your office. Let's
check it out in the outfit rundown. So, today, I'm wearing a navy suit with a red-and-white
striped, button-down shirt; Fort Belvedere pocket square; leather dress shoes; and a
Fort Belvedere set of socks. Check out the Fort Belvedere shop here for socks like these.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette Theme Song ♪