Jon Michail's Personal Branding Masterclass

The Power of your Wardrobe

March 10, 2022 Jon Michail Season 1 Episode 27
Jon Michail's Personal Branding Masterclass
The Power of your Wardrobe
Show Notes Transcript

Whether you work from home, work at an office, or attend regular networking gatherings, your wardrobe plays a role in your success. In this episode, Jon gives some tips on how you can use your clothes and style in your favour.

Do you want Jon's help to elevate your personal brand? Get in touch here: https://www.imagegroup.com.au/contact-us/

------

Let's connect:

Website: www.imagegroup.com.au/
Email: enquiries@imagegroup.com.au
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonmichail-imageconsultant-personalbrandingcoach/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/imagegroupinternational
Twitter: @jon_michail
Instagram: @imagegroupinternational
------


Podcast Editor and Producer: Ana Carolina Alves 

Additional Voice: Charles The Voice 

Music: Have a Smoke by Crowander (CC BY 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/crowander/night-walk-urbanlo-fihip-hop/have-a-smoke

------

Review Jon Michail's Personal Branding Masterclass in Apple Podcasts to let us know what you think of the show: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/jon-michails-personal-branding-masterclass/id157815926

0:01
Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of Image Group International and an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies, and hacks for the new tech world. Here you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques, and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image, and reputation.

0:30
Hello all, tonight I want to start this chat with the reflection. No one goes into battle without Anoma. So why would we go into a high stakes high-risk business world unprepared? My name is John Michael. And for some of you, you'd be aware that in there in the past, I was a designer specifically for my own company, we had around 10 stores in fashion men's and women's. And of course, part of that whole enterprise, we also had a manufacturing plant where we actually made clothes. But as a designer prior to that I was with the Christian Dior brand. So it's a subject that's been close to my heart, in reference to dress wardrobe and the way you present yourself from an early age. And of course, it's what led me into the whole personal branding world. So what I'd like to share with you today, specifically around your packaging, and what that means for you. And the advice is going to be based on really presenting your best self to the world. And that's from an online-offline perspective. But I mean, in the physical sense, and in a physical sense, that could mean also how would you dress for your photos on a dating site? From a career point of view? How would you present for job interviews and also, more importantly, you know, how to present in ways where you're going to get promotions. And the last one is business. And business, of course, lends itself also closely to career. But business also is, you know, very important Battlefield, as we mentioned just before regarding the high stakes of being accepted, and you know, making the right first impressions. So that's the things we're going to cover. In the first five seconds, your image influences the people you meet.

2:28
So as I noted, in today's episode, we will talk about the power of your wardrobe, the lack of attention to your wardrobe can signal a lack of confidence. And when you're aiming to present yourself as a capable professional, you know you are, this is simply not a good strategy. So what I want to share with you is that clothing has messages. So we're going to call this the message of clothing and all messages. From an interceptor perspective, I'm going to explain what that means they'd like mental sets that clutter aspects or lines of our communication. So, people make judgments because of past experience, age, prejudice, social factors, cultural differences, these are the main ones. So an intercept there is, you know, you're a transmitter Sending out a message in the form of Miss case dress. And it's received as a message I either sophisticated, amusing, stylish, and so on from people that are on a similar wavelength, or, and this is the important one, and people are doing this every day of the week, is received as ridiculous, disgusting, laughable, or immoral by others who are not properly tuned in interceptors at work or society in general, our intolerance and ignorance in a way of life. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it is paramount to understand what message you're sending, and if it's congruent with what you want. And that's the key here because if your messages are not getting the results you're looking for, it's time to start asking questions about how you can do that more effectively to butcher the sign from Shakespeare. He said the world is a stage and we are all merely actors in it. You see, we dressed to impress because our packaging is something that people can assess instantly. Whilst on the surface of our personality values can be conveyed in the initial meeting. What we wear can convey some of those values and some of that personally as well all in an easily processed package of information.

4:54
 So going back to the interceptors, that's exactly what we're talking about. the tie can be taken in at a glance. So we wanted to send the right messages. So the messages of clothing differ between countries, cities, towns and cultural groupings, but not so much as we think. So for instance, they can convey messages of status, authority, power rank. And if you think about that anything, you know, any profession or any situation where power and authority is required that comes into play big-time I example, you know, that's why the military has uniforms. For one example, the next one conveys messages of personality, friendliness, dependability, adventurousness, this is essential as well because when we're dealing with people we want to come across as friendly, likeable, dependable, and so on, can also convey messages of class distinction, upper class, upper-middle-class, lower-middle-class, now in a so-called a gala, terian world, it's like all, why are we talking about class because the reality is, class exists, even when you think it doesn't, and people will judge you from it. And that's the way it is, unfortunately, with all the changes in society, there are some things that just do not change at all, you know, the more things change or say, the more things stay the same. Some other things that your wardrobe your clothing, presents are trustworthiness, good judgment. And finally, also, you know, a person's level of success. And we're only talking about perceptions here. But you know, perceptions, in most cases, for the person having the perception in the mind, it's reality. So you can come across as abundant, meaning, you know, you basically, live your life with an unlimited aspect in possibility, or you can come from scarcity, meaning, you know, you look miserable. And what I would call is also potentially scarce from the perspective of down and out, you know, and this is fairly common as well, you know, a lot of people think they can look down and out and specifically get outstanding results. And the only time I've ever experienced that happening is when their brand is so big way beyond clothing and anything else. But even those people normally will not dress like that, certainly not in my experience. So dress matters, it matters for all of us, even when we think it doesn't. So we've heard the same dress for the job you want, not the job you have. While there is some truth in design, we study found that our perception of a stranger status is very much defined by the way and also studied back in 2011, published in the Journal of evolution and human behaviour found that people were name brand clothes were seen as higher status than folks were in non-designer clothes. You know, and how that works is, unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at this. The reality is it does sound like slavery, but human beings from the Pacific element of status, definitely value that and if they didn't value that they want to be or the big brands, in our, you know, in our community, from clothes to accessories, like watches, bags, etc. And of course, that lends itself right across there to all sorts of other accessories as well right down to the car you drive. So yes, the brand is important. And in this case, brand name, clothes make a difference. Having said that, though, you know, remember in some of my orders that I've done with clients, you know, I have thrown out the occasional Armani suit and kept the target t-shirt. Because what that means is, sometimes something just works. Even if it is a target tissue, you just got to know how to put it together. 

9:12
Having said that, you know, it's all about shopping with the right intentions from the, you know, from the start. So this way, you're buying with an intention to make a difference out there, it could be a career person, you know, all are just comfortable, you know, could be something really practical. But at you know, the outset of how you buy is going to actually make a difference also to you in reference to the results that you want because most people don't think, you know, that way they normally think intentionally when they bind maybe for a wedding, you know or for a special date, or possibly also for a funeral but You know, and of course, from a business point of view, most business people would buy their suits or this smart-casual gear with that in mind. But getting more intentional with that is actually a smart way of dressing and at the same time, will actually make you save a lot of money. Whether you work from home, work in an office or attend regular networking gatherings, your wardrobe plays a role in your success. I have a few tips related to the wardrobe. And I'll cover some of them today. But the first one is to pay attention to who you're going to meet. And I am specifically thinking here, business, but it can also relate to personal. But from a business point of view, each niche, or in this case, you know, group in society has its own set of rules that dictate what is and isn't acceptable when it comes to working. Wardrobe. You know, and this is very important to understand that because I remember a long time ago, I was dressed in a suit. And it was really funny because I was a member of Greenpeace, I believed in the environment. And you know, and of course, the whole thing of animals in the environment and so on. So I went to a Greenpeace meeting, coming straight from being at work all day in a suit. And I remember not being trained and so well, because a lot of the people that were dressed very casually, very, you know, what I would call grainy in look. And because I had a suit on there though I was one of these business people in the suit that really doesn't understand them. But I was there with an intention to make a difference, you know, and that experience really sticks out for me, you know, over 2025 years later. So yes, people judge you, contrary to what they say, contrary to what laws are created out there that stop you, so-called stop you from judging people, human beings are who they are, no laws can stop there. The only thing that can get us to really get clear on this is more education and more self-awareness. And of course, the more self-aware, you become hopefully, over time, that will become less and less so from the perspective of judging others but the reality is you will be judged you are being judged and you will be continued to be judged so why not get your work right including your wardrobe.

12:33
My second tip is to remember the colour and fit is essential, it's essential because if it's the wrong colours and example then don't buy even if the fit is right, people will notice the colour a lot quicker than the fit. So the colour has to be as appropriate obviously, to the intention that you're buying it for but also to your own personal colouring and personal colouring that I'm not going to cover today but it's basically based on your headcover your eye colour and your skin colour. Now, a lot of colours, you know will work right through for all colourings. But understanding this to the point of view of you know, the distinctions and the will give you the edge, you know, in reference to is that colour the most attractive for you and is it giving you you know some of the outcomes that you're looking for certain, you know, comments and all that sort of stuff. So colour plays a big part and colour. Unfortunately, we take it for granted because it's such a part of our lives that after a while we pretend it's not important but cover plays a big part. Very big part including in our dress and the fit. The Fit doesn't matter if you're too tall, too short, too wide, or too thin. You're going to be feeling and this is unless you're you know the perfect average and very few human beings are you need to be feeling you know, because if you're not feeling or the clothes do not fit you as per your body shape, then the clothes are wearing you you're not wearing the clothes. Also what's essential in all of this is to create a unique personal style. Your personal style is part of who you are. And the distinction I'd like to share with you is this. There are fads, there is fashion and there is style. fads is what we would call something that comes into immediate being like six months for instance. It's what I would say a lot of young people would be into because it's fatty, right? But has no longevity associated with it? Fashion is a seasonal thing. So fashion is something that really comes in from season to season. So we could argue that fashion is a 12 month you know, 18 months type of trend. But style, style is forever. When you know how to buy with style, you'll never say I have a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear. Style is eternal style is classic. And style basically gives you, you know, that gives you that first impression that people know, you belong. And you know, go dress, you wouldn't really seriously have to ask this question because we live in politically correct, insane, moronic times and a time he might hear that, oh, this doesn't matter anymore. Look, everything matters, your package, your a package to say it doesn't matter anymore means you know, the products that you buy on a supermarket shelf, they should all be in brown bags. We don't do that with products, why would we do that with human beings. So style is important. With a little bit of coaching, the right mentoring, you can walk, you can look your best part. And of course, carry that into the future by saving yourself a lot of money and time by doing it properly from the start. And finally, remember, if you're second-guessing, your choice of clothing that you have in your wardrobe, they're most likely that I belong there anymore. And what I have to say about that is when we do wardrobe audits for clients, we normally ask him to bring in all the clothes that I've worn, obviously, in the last 18 months, and anything prior to that, if they still love it, bring it in any way. And what we do from the audit is determine if those clothes are still suitable for the needs, wants, and of course, aspirations of the client at this moment in time. 

16:54
So, you know, sometimes some of the clothes will be bad. And, you know, and obviously passed on to people that possibly need more than the client does in this time in their lives, you know, people that are having a hard time. So that's always a good thing. And also, it gives them a real sense that some of the clothes that they are wearing right now could be sabotaged, and they don't even know it. So this is a big one. And it's great to get an order, no different to the audit that you would get on your business, your accounts, or anything else. It's important because, with a lot of self-judgment type decisions, we're not the best at making a judgment all the time. You know, I bet if but again, I reiterate, if you love that piece of clothing, but you're not wearing it for a reason, you know that that can certainly be brought back to life, if I can use that term, as long as you know, might be coordinated, differently, might need to get altered, etc. So it's important that you don't second guess, with the clothing. Get that right, you know, follow a system, especially at the start and build your confidence around that. Because the thing about your wardrobe is this for the rest of your life, you're going to need to dress so you better learn how to do that effectively. Or otherwise, as we said, some of our clients, you're better off dressing naked because no one's noticing, you know, so clothes is definitely not something that you want to just put on and disappear in the world. Although a lot of people do that. It's about making some impact since you've got that opportunity to do that.

18:45
With that, the show is almost over. Now, we might continue with part two of the wardrobe next week, because there's so much to cover in this area. And it's fun, you know, and people love it. So I encourage you. If you've enjoyed this episode, of course, in some of the insights and inspiration, follow me on social media. You can follow me on Twitter, at Jon_Michail on LinkedIn as Jon Michail and on Facebook as image Group International. If you need any help with your wardrobe or a wardrobe audit, please email me and we'll be happy to work with you. The email is on the description of the episode. Thank you all and I look forward to chatting again next week. Cheers

19:30
Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass" Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists, based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence and authority in the business world.   To learn more and apply for your personal coaching, seminars and group workshops please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.