Attention: mindless talking about clothing and personal style in relationship to business and formal occasions! I have been reading into the topic just for fun, as I have had a conversation called "Dress to Impress".
People who aren't charismatic or convincing have the audacity to give other people advice on how they should dress convincingly, or how they should impress people with trying to get a more charismatic appearance (a fallacy, as charism has to do with the kind of energy someone carries with them, naturally. Some people always get noticed, even if they dress in unshapely mud-colored clothes).
Professional advice on dressing to impress reads as: "Looking professional is looking like everyone else". But those people who offer advice on how to dress professionally, all insist that you should express your personal style. Such contradiction: advice on dressing for a job, dressing for formal appointments and dressing for a job interview always contains the words:
"Dress like you, dress uniquely, but wear a blazer and formal pants or a formal skirt with kitten heels or flat shoes"
"Avoid leather. Leather is never appropriate as it is too tough, rebellious, shiny, sexual or leisure-like"
"Avoid bold colors"
"Ladies, add a blazer or cardigan!"
"Don't dress up in something that makes you feel restricted"
Law practice is still conservative. It is literally dictated by older men from the Old Boys' Network, by default, lawyers and legal experts wear either night blue or teal suits and skirt suits with brown shoes, or black suits. Even if people in legal practice say they have a unique style to express, most of them wear night blue suits.
I am not like that. I want to wear what I love. I never wear sweaters, pants, homewear, I don't like formal blazers, I don't wear flat shoes or kitten heels. I find kitten heels awful. My personal style is semi-formal;
I even look like this at home. My favorite skirt suit is...leather. As the conservative view holds, leather is a masculine, tough, rebellious and non-formal material that is associated with leisure events, sex and attention-attracting behavior.
I also love my "gangster dress", a vintage virgin wool dress that I got my hands on. It has been curated for over 40 years. Many pieces from my personal wardrobe were made before I was born. I love sharp-tailored waistlines, "a doppiopetto" style, 50s dresses, pinafores and the racer jacket style that is much more refined than the highly popular boxy biker jacket style. I have always hated fashion, as trends make almost everyone look similar: oversized clothes, non-elegant, non-fitting, odd colors and futile, synthetic fabrics.
To be honest: this leather skirt suit is tremendously soft and lightweight, that I why I feel like myself in it, as opposed to when I have to wear a stiff and conservative formal outfit. There is literally nothing masculine, tough or rebellious about this look. It's not shiny and the leather does not even produce sounds. Contrary to the myth, this leather suit does not gain or retain warmth; I wore the skirt during the last heat wave of September 2023 (when it was 30 degrees C) and I did not run warm at all! There is a reason why people in hot climates prefer leather footwear.
Squeaky and sweaty leather, notorious for its comical effect, is actually always made of plastic "faux leather".
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| Vintage grail: I hate blazers, but this leather blazer is so soft and lightweight that I actually like to wear it. The waist is tailored, which is not seen that often, as most clothing in the current market is oversized or unfitting |
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| I also dress like this during my leisure time. I never wear sportswear, homewear, pants, loose shirts or sweaters. |
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| One of my favorite "gangster" dresses: laine virgine á double bouttonage. A Parisian dress made in 1980. This another example of my many vintage finds. I prefer to wear this at formal appointments, as well as my vintage leather skirt suit |
