As far as appropriate attire is concerned, women face
tougher challenges than their male counterparts. A man's
"uniform"--his suit, shirt and tie--is accepted as a dress
code. A woman's standard business attire is not so
clearly
defined. Men don't have to make choices between dresses,
suits, coat dresses, jacket dresses, skirt sets, etc. They
are not faced with choosing an appropriate skirt length,
the proper amount of blouse "openness," correctly applied
make-up, finding flattering and professional hair styles,
a variety of shoe heel heights, appropriate yet current
fashion styles... the list goes on. Despite all these
concerns, women are still expected to dress
"appropriately," with less tolerance for mistakes than
men.
One of the biggest challenges women
face, assuming they are fortunate enough to find the
time to shop, is finding well-fitted garments in
flattering colors. Women come in all shapes and sizes
which rarely approximate Seventh Avenue's ideal model.
However, designers persist in creating garments for this
ideal woman who is at least five feet, six inches tall
and possesses a perfect figure, bust and long, slender
legs. A bias exists in the fashion industry against
designing business attire for women because designers
feel that this type of work is dull and not creative.
Unfortunately, society is unforgiving
and insensitive to the "reasons" for dressing problems. We
have all heard the stories about the female attorney whose
attire failed to convey the proper image of authority, or
problems women have in being perceived as support or
secretarial staff. Further, male colleagues may comment on
how "dowdy" or "mannish" their female associates dress.
So what is the magic formula to
appearing elegant, feminine, well-coordinated and
professional, with enough style to look successful? How
does one convey an appropriate amount of authority and
control? Dressing for work has become more of a burden for
many professionals than it should be.
Giorgenti is forming a new wardrobe
collection specifically designed for professional woman
that will address these particular needs. In the meantime,
use this site to gain some insight into what you can do
immediately to improve you image. If you would like more
information, fill out the form below and we will mail you
informative brochures and article reprints.
