To Look Smart, Add A White Collar - We're In Business, Looking Businesslike! Dress 358.And a belt.

 

I was wearing a loose caftan. My Singaporean friend had said disparagingly, "Caftans are just for round the house. Nobody wears them out to the office or even for shopping. You look like you forgot to dress. They are house coats."

Goodness, how things have changed in two years. Now everybody is working from home. They have their camera off because they are lolling around in shorts, pyjamas, who knows what.  

I was on Zoom in a speech contest in London. 

The President of my club was complimented on his smart outfit.

He said, " I am dressed up because Angela told me I should dress to impress". 

Yes, I had told him, "The club president should dress up to set the tone, and show he is president." 

I meant wear a shirt and tie with a jacket. Not just a polo shirt with a jacket. Still, it was better than a tee-shirt.

I remembered when a UK colleague who had gone to live in notoriously countrified New Zealand, returned to the dressy city centre of Singapore. On Saturday night, he said, " Just a moment. I need to get changed ready to go to dinner with you to the restaurant."

A few minutes later, he re-appeared. 

I looked at him. He was wearing a pair of jeans. 

I said, "I thought you said you were getting changed into something smarter to go out to the restaurant."

He said, "I am dressed up smartly."

I frowned, puzzled.

 I asked, "What do you wear to go and wash the car or the bike?"

He replied, "Shorts."

Now, my idea of looking businesslike is to wear a white collar.

Yesterday, I put on a caftan in a hurry. How could I quickly improve it, to look smarter?

I put a white shirt under my caftan. I was impressed by the transformation. What a difference!

How could I make the loose outfit look more fitted? I needed a belt. 

I did not have time to try on all my belts to find one the right size. So I simply added a belt made from a long wide black ribbon. I tied it in a knot. In case the knot was not neat enough, I moved it to the back. 

I looked efficient. I felt confident.

Now you know what to do to look smart in a hurry. I hope this helps you.

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