Even as society casualizes, power dress for men will never cease to exist. Here’s everything you need to know on the matter, plus when and how to do it.
I don’t mean to sound like a supervillain, but power is everything.
Even beyond commerce, you likely have several exchanges of power within the first hour of your day.
Think about it. You interact with power if you pray or do an affirmation or if you run or exercise. Heck, even when brushing your teeth. When you turn your faucet on, you harness great power. Few things in nature are as powerful as water.
So, power dressing for men is an undeniably necessary skill. And this is whether you’re a teacher, an assistant, a grocer, or an artist. There is always going to be a time when you’ll need to put your best sartorial foot forward strategically.
Fortunately, this doesn’t always mean that you need to wear $2,000 Italian leather shoes. (Though, admittedly, it might help if you do.) Did you know there’s even casual power dressing for men?
Here’s everything you need to know about this essential skill.
Power Dress for Men: A Primer
Power dressing basically means using your outfit, including clothes and accessories (watches are all-important), to project confidence. It also means carrying yourself with authority and properly dressing your face and body — check that posture!
Here are the most important overarching considerations for all types, styles, and cultures of power dress for men. Fortunately, it doesn’t always mean wearing the most expensive thing at the department store.
Fit Is King
I’ve said this once, and I’ve said it a thousand times: Get yourself clothes that fit.
Shorter men should avoid boxy, oversized suits when power dressing. Even if they’re in style, they may make you look in vogue, but they won’t make you look authoritative.
If you’re stout and hefty, you can find fits that show the natural strength of your body.
If you’re a big muscle guy, find clothes that don’t look like they’ll rip when you move a particular way. You’re trying to exude an inner power here, not the fact you never skip leg day.
For white-collar workers, buying a custom suit is ideal. However, you’d be surprised at just how much more flattering discount department store clothes are when you get them tailored.
If you’re going a casual route, make sure your shirts fit perfectly. The more casual your outfit, the more important the fit is.
The Suit Doesn’t Make the Man — Accessories Do
First off, you need a good watch. There are no exceptions. Many men wear watches to impress other men. What is power dressing if not that?
Yes, your interviewer or the person you’re trying to close a deal with may very well be a lady. But you’re not approaching her the same way you’re approaching a prospective date. (And if you are you’re probably not going to get the result you hoped for.)
Fortunately, good watches come in a wide range of prices. Find a professional one, either a classic sports watch or a dress watch, and stick to that.
For the most part, you don’t want to go for anything ostentatious, but you do want to dress for your audience. Maybe, though rarely, the company culture might call for something flashy.
A power tie and cufflinks can also add authority to your look. And, of course, make sure your leather belt matches the leather of your shoes.
Go for a Balanced Color Palette and Bold Accents
When you’re wearing a suit or a well-fitted smart casual outfit, you want to go for menswear neutrals. Darker, deeper colors are more traditionally masculine and make you look commanding and sophisticated.
You can never go wrong with navy, black, and charcoal. However, deep olive and maroon are great choices if you want to be extra memorable.
Finally, and possibly most importantly, you want accents that pop. Ties in shades of red, including true red, are striking without being overly loud.
I’ve always worn red ties to interviews, whether crimson or oxblood. I wore them during my college and grad school interviews.
Not only then, I wore them to every internship interview and every job or promotion interview. Not to brag, but these all resulted in acceptance letters and contracts.
Remember: Big risk, big reward. If you wear a bold tie to an interview, they’ll definitely remember you, whether you nailed it or didn’t.
If red isn’t your thing, that’s fine. Other bold but professional accent colors include royal blue, forest green, and metallics like silver and gold.
Be Well-Groomed
No one is going to take you seriously if you don’t seem to take yourself seriously. Good hygiene is obviously a must.
Find yourself a tailored skincare routine. Artists can’t do anything with a bad canvas.
Beyond that, comb your hair, trim your beard, make sure it’s healthy, and cut your nails. And please tweeze and pluck if you need to.
Wear Yourself Properly
If you aren’t standing with proper posture, sitting up straight, and making eye contact, then none of the above will matter.
The hope is that power dressing will, as the term implies, empower you to stand and speak confidently. And I believe it will to an extent for most of us. But only to an extent.
Speak clearly, and don’t ramble. Don’t end sentences with “so yeah”, and avoid rogue “ums” and “likes”. No judgment. I’m from LA. My parents literally sent me to speech classes to eliminate stray likes in my communication.
In doing this, you’ll appear assertive and not aggressive.
How To Dress Like a Powerful Man: The Essentials
For the most part, power outfits began with classic styles. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t express yourself or find your style within these boundaries.
Since power dressing is related to the suit-and-tie world, we’ll use that as the basis when listing essentials. From there, we’ll expand into the casual realm.
Shirts
Take note. When it comes to dress shirts, you want at least one white shirt and one light blue shirt. And again, the shirt should fit you flatteringly.
Also, take note. Know the difference between a button-up and a button-down. Button-downs feature buttons on the tips of the collar, securing them to the shirt. They’re more casual and should never be worn to a suit-and-tie interview.
For more formal shirts, go for a crisp wing-tip collar that isn’t too big.
Suits
There are different ways to express power with a suit. The most important way, as mentioned, is wearing a high-quality, tailored suit in a deep hue.
However, if you want to go by the book, the power suit is a real category. It’s a style of formal suit that features wide lapels, a slightly boxy, longish jacket, and strong shoulders.
Feel free to incorporate one or more of these features to really hit the nail on the head. Wide lapels are a bold choice, but they bring strength to your chest.
And yes, you can even wear a broken suit when power dressing for work. I know not every office requires full suits, after all.
My tip here is to stick to dark, deep jackets and to suit separates, not casual counterparts. For example, perhaps you want to go for the preppy navy jacket and khakis combo. Opt for cream or khaki-colored suit pants over actual khakis.
Ties
The traditional power suit tie is a bold, solid silk tie. Important colors include navy, black, and shades of red. Depending on your tastes or your company’s culture, you can go for a bright cranberry tone or a sophisticated burgundy.
In the most conservative sense, patterns aren’t the most professional, but feel this out in your specific situation.
Club ties and foulards are classics. I have friends who wear personalized ties with their family’s coat of arms printed on them. That’s a double flex.
Accessories and Shoes
Stick to leather dress shoes — even if you’re in a more casual situation. Remember, you can wear good loafers and Oxfords with suits and jeans.
The slimmer and pointier the shoe, the more conducive it is to a power suit.
Again, make sure you have a good watch as well.
Finally, accessories are an excellent way to add personality to your outfit. Perhaps you have cufflinks with your birthstone on them, or your watch is a family heirloom.
If you attended an elite university, you can show off your credentials via cufflinks. However, a tie with the Princeton logo on it would be too thick.
I remember once doing business with a very wealthy oil magnate from Texas. He flew to New York to meet with me, and he was in a full bolo tie and cowboy hat. There are ways, if it makes sense for who you are, to incorporate cultural shorthands like that as well.
It’s incredibly powerful to own who you are and show those around you that pride.
Casual Power Dressing for Men
When it comes to how to dress like a powerful man, it’s not actually always about the suits.
First, certain modern industries, like tech, for example, don’t even require suits. In fact, a suit at Goldman Sachs would look as inappropriate as a Hanes t-shirt.
These Silicon Valley moguls have one thing in common with the old money set, and that’s my second point. They both understand that the ultimate flex is leisure, though they have vastly different ideas of leisurely dress. Still, dressing formally when you don’t have to isn’t a power move.
If you work in a t-shirt and jeans environment, the important thing, aside from fit, is to wear a uniform. Steve Jobs had his turtlenecks, and Zuckerberg had his custom t-shirts.
Consider the sartorial culture of your work environment or any environment you’re trying to look powerful in. Find the most high-quality version of that outfit. Then, create a recognizable version of it.
My father and his old boys from Yale wore a cable-knit sweater vest under their suit jackets at Barclays. All the other guys wore suit vests. My dad and his crew stuck out, and they ran the place.
FAQs
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions. These answers are quick summaries of everything we just discussed!
What Is Power Dressing?
Power dressing is a strategic way of using your clothes and accessories to convey authority and confidence. Power suits and well-structured casuals are good ways to do this.
How Does Power Dressing Convey Influence and Authority?
Power dressing allows you to register as someone with power, access, or confidence. Suits can be a shorthand for power. High-quality custom garments can be a shorthand for access. Uniform dressing can be a shorthand for confidently showing that you know exactly who you are.
Conclusion: Power Dressing for Work
And, of course, a confident man is an approachable one. Make sure to smile and treat people with respect.
Act like a boss — a good one, that is. A good boss doesn’t put pressure on his workers. He inspires them so that they put the pressure on themselves.
Between that and your new tailored suit, bold ties, and sleek leather shoes, you’ll have power dressing down.
What are some of your power-dressing strategies? Do you apply it daily or just for big meetings or interviews? Let’s start a conversation in the comments!
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