Blue Toenails & Business Suit?

Today as I wrote my blog, I asked myself, "Why did I start this blog?" The quick answer: Experiences in offices around Washington, D.C. Here's an example: I attended a communications presentation with about 100 people to listen to a communications executive speak about strategic planning. The speaker, an attractive woman in her late forties, had a great-looking suit on. But when she stood up and walked out from behind the podium, I noticed she was wearing strappy-summer sandals and blue toenail polish with her perfect suit. What kept distracting me from fully appreciating her speech? The strappy sandals and blue toenail polish, of course.

Many people probably didn't notice the same issue that I did. There are lots of professional people who, although concerned about how they look, don't notice when something is out of place on someone else. And yet there were men and women who told me later that they were also befuddled by what one person called "the adolescent look" of the shoes and blue toenail polish. How could she recover from the image of not being serious? Her footwear at that initial meeting gave many of us in the audience a flawed first impression.

We have all experienced fashion faux-pas, and many are simply accidents, such as the shoe heel that falls off in the escalator on the way to work—leaving you in the flats you left under the desk. Others, though, are completely and easily avoidable. For instance, if you got a blue pedicure on a whim, consider wearing closed-toe shoes at a serious business meeting. Particularly if you are meeting new colleagues for the first time, don't be sure that something you see as fun will communicate the same message to everyone in the room.

Next time you have an important event to attend, I want to be your go-to fashion maven. You can ask me about shoes, send me a photo (elizabeth.p.gibbens@gmail.com), or Skype (ElizabethGibbens). I'll help you avoid style snafus. Looking forward to getting to know you.