Professional wear can sometimes be a hard code to crack.

Dress codes can vary a lot from office to office, and from industry to industry, but the professional standard remains generally the same every where you go. You know the age old adage, ‘dress for the job you want not the job you have’. So if you are just stepping into the work force and are faced with building your professional wardrobe for the first time, or if you already are working a corporate job but want to step things up a little to see where it takes you, you can think to professional wear tips as a guideline to get it right. Here 5 helpful hints for cracking the professional wear code, no matter where you work:

wear fitted clothing that is neither too tight nor too baggy
never allow your pants hem to hit the ground
keep colors neutral, (but keep in mind there’s always room for a small pop of color to help with a lasting impression or for a little bit of personality expression.)
incorporate collared shirts into your wardrobe
BUY A BLAZER

Okay, why the emphasis on number 5? If you recently started an office job, or if you already have a corporate job but want to raise the bar a little, this is the easiest place to start: The Blazer.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to find a good blazer when talking professional wear.

There’s a ton of boxes to check when looking for “the perfect blazer” but that’s not what I’m talking about here. To me, a good blazer is less about the bragging rights of material and stitch work and more about what you can get out of it. A good blazer is a blazer that fits well enough to appear tailored, clean and crisp looking, and is comfortable enough to wear all day long. This unicorn of a blazer may be hard to find, but because you will get so much out of it I believe it is one of those items that is worth investing in. Time, money (if you have to), effort - you get it - it’s worth investing in a ‘good blazer’. When you slip on a good blazer you instantly see a more professional and more polished version of yourself. This naturally encourages you to throw your shoulders back and lift your chin high, allowing you to envision all of the things you can really accomplish. To this point - I truly believe that blazers are the power pose of the clothing world.

I’m sure you’ve heard of power posing. Power Posing became all the rage around 2012 and while it was faced with tons of criticisms at first, it has been proven effective time and time again since. For those who may not be familiar, power posing is this awesome concept that we can use our body motions to boost our feelings of power and confidence. Meaning, if you stand in a powerful position, such as hands on hips with your chest out and chin up, you will in turn feel more powerful. Most researchers have suggested we do this before interviews, giving presentations, and for dealing with stressful clients or situations. You can be skeptical if you want - but, I’ve tried and I know it works.

Story time: I first heard about this concept in 2015, when I was getting ready to graduate college and head into the professional arena (this is also when I made the connection between blazer & power posing). My last semester of college, I was studying to be a therapist and had many Psychology classes where you would literally have to put on your “therapist hat” and conduct a counseling session with another student for practice. This was an incredibly intimidating exercise and so we often had to really psych ourselves into it (pun intended). We all had our own little methods, some would need to take a walk between sessions, some people just needed to sit quietly and collect themselves, and some found it helpful to repeat mantras. For me, crazy enough - this really worked, and I’m serious - all I needed to do to psych myself into this therapy hour was to slip into a certain blazer. Here I am, totally freaking out with nerves because my turn is next … I take a deep breath and I slip on my grey Old Navy basic cotton blazer (had to be that one)… next thing you know, BAM, here comes Dr. Edwards.

When I put on that blazer I instantly saw a more polished, more confident, more powerful version of the woman I was before I slipped it on. It completely helped me find my confidence and transport my mind to a place that felt strong and competent enough to tackle what was in front of me, even if it made me nervous. That blazer made me believe myself when that voice in my head whispered, “You’ve got this.”