I was one of those women who looked grossly out of place in the oil and gas towers. Other women looked considerably more polished than me, despite my best efforts. I didn’t even have the dress sense to fit in with the uniformed baristas or concession stand servers. Yes, I looked frumpy, and I felt it. I was sporting my pink crop pants with the puffed-out knees, a neon sign screaming “misfit.”
But I took an online course on Udemy on how to dress like a fashion icon. My previous article explained how it taught me my color palette and what clothes most suited my body shape.
As a result, I grew addicted to online shopping. Although I tucked many outfits into shopping carts, I never purchased them. Instead, I vowed to relinquish my fixation on fashion in favor of spirituality and skills development. But I’ve since caved and bought online a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a sweater, and a suit jacket and pants. This week they arrived, and they didn’t disappoint.
My fifteen-dollar t-shirts and twenty-dollar jeans look better on me than the $250 suits I bought ages ago. The colors are better, the style more attractive, and the fit seems perfect. Walking through the oil and gas towers with my new $35 outfit brought a new response. For the first time, I fit in. Professional women would smile at me as we passed by, an acknowledgment otherwise reserved for a colleague. The baristas complimented my “style” and inquired about my choice of clothes. For the first time, I felt I could fit in with a managerial role with one of the oil and gas firms.
And then my $200 beige suit coat and pants arrived in the mail. Because of the fashion course, I knew they would look great on me without trying them on. And when I tried them on, they looked impeccable. In the past, I would spend hours shopping for items and walk away with something that didn’t suit me. Now, I have a quick idea of what to buy, search it online, and it’ll fit and look fantastic.
As well, I can address my previously ill-suited clothing. Nearly every coat or suit jacket I have owned has been black, which washes me out. So, I Google search my color palette, buy a scarf in a fitting color, and drape it around my neck in a way that detracts from my shoulders. As a result, my appearance looks significantly better, despite the black blazers. After all, the colors closest to our faces are the ones that matter most from a fashion perspective.
I know this sounds vain, but it means at least fitting in with the corporate crowd, which has been a long-term goal. In the past, my biggest fear during job interviews was my appearance. That’s because people can make an impression in less than a minute. And my first impression was all wrong. So now I’m sharing with you the secret to making that first impression. Take a fashion course, whether you’re a man or a woman. It could help you secure a great career.
The fashion course said, “If you want more power or success, you won’t find it in clothes. Instead, take a skills development course or enroll in a seminar.” But I think they got it wrong–at least partially. Appropriate fashion can take me from a complete outsider—a misfit—to a corporate appearance. In that case, a professional style opens doors otherwise unavailable.
So, do you want to spend significantly less money and less time on clothes shopping yet look fantastic? Then, a fashion course should be top on your agenda.
