And Why You Must Dress Well To Get Anywhere In Life

I used to be a flashy dresser, I Remember visiting my uncle His Excellency the Former President, Cde. R.G Mugabe at one point. I was dressed in a glittery blue suit (that’s right! Don’t judge) and shinny black shoes (glass shoe), I could swear I looked sharp. The impression was that, “I had dressed to kill”. But as I entered the room I was received with a rude awakening;

By Jason Zhuwao

“Why are you dressed pridefully!?” Gushungo asked. “How do you mean Sekuru?” I responded. “Practice diplomatic simplicity” he concluded.

As I left my mentor’s presence, I left with a very important life lesson on the psychology of dressing well and why you must to get anywhere in life. There is a common saying, “dress how you would like to be addressed”. And I will explain how this applies.

At one time when I was working on a government conference, I paid a courtesy visit to the minister responsible. He insisted that I keep him company while he and the principle director interviewed for a certain organization position. Two men entered the office. How ironic, the one man enters the office wearing the exact suit I wore to Gushungo, but black. As they both presented themselves, I couldn’t help but notice that both the minister and director focused their attention on the other man wearing a simple but sharp suit. I then after asked why they choose the less qualified for the C.E.O position and the director’s answer was ” he is full of himself, we can’t have two ma Shefu”, I agreed.

In this moment, I realized just how many preconceived notions and stereotypes were built into my own assumptions of other people. Here I was complaining how my mentor charged at me by my clothes while I did the same.

Look Sharp, Be Sharp:The Clothes You Wear Change What People Hear You Say

1. Dress the message.

The clothes you wear and the way you groom yourself will change the way other people ‘hear what you say’. It will subconsciously tell them if you’re like them or if you’re different. It will determine whether they listen or ignore. Trust or distrust.

2. Consider the audience and the message. Think carefully about who it is you’re trying to influence and why. What do they care about and why is it important? When you know this, you can present yourself in a way that focuses on those ideals.

3. Wear Less accessories

Avoid wearing too many accessories on your suit. Sometimes a tie and pocketer can bring out the prefect look.

4. Choose your sunglasses correctly.

It is very important to know the kind of frame that goes well with a suit opposed to one that gives the impression you are about to go on set for a Solja Boy music video, as well as the clarity level to. At an outdoor occasion,It would be rather rude to approach for example, the president wearing darkened shades that don’t reveal your eyes for contact. A perfect pick would be American artist P. Diddy’s choice of shades that actually maintain eye contact.

5. A suit for every occasion.

Choose well the perfect suit for the right occasion. You want to avoid wearing a yellow suit at a funeral and look like a frezit. In diplomacy, it is the norm to wear a black suit and black tie at a funeral and a taxido to the relevant function(do not wear a taxido to church/unless you are the pastor)

6.Keep your pockets slim

I recommend you avoid overloading your trouser pockets with your wallet, bunch of keys or mobile phones, you will look ridiculous. if you are the type that owns a really thick looking wallet overloaded with business cards, they are business card pouches for that, buy one.

Whatever message you’re trying to send to the world, never forget the clothes you put that message in will determine the way it’s received. So, dress it carefully.