ArtBistro

Boy, this is a subject that could be gone on about.... but I'll try to be brief and yet communicate fully. People will treat you in the manner they perceive you. It depends on how you dress, speak, your portfolio, your attitude and behavior. I checked your profile... 23, if you wanted to be treated with respect your dress and speech are even more important due to your obvious lack of experience/age... like, you know what I mean, like, like, like it's important to you man.LOL

Employers and clients do NOT have to take you on your own terms, that's what friends and family are for... fine artists get a little more latitude but a gallery manager still wants to see that the artist is a professional who is going to come through for them.

If your individuality is more important to you than other's perceptions of you and your career's immediate future - fine, but if you have ambition and want to be taken seriously you may have to make some work-time compromises to your wardrobe. Kind of like a date. Look on the bright side Deliverator, atleast men get to keep the comfortable shoes no matter how posh they have to dress :)

When I went on the interview for the company I work for now, I was very dressed up. Then I asked about dress code and it was work casual. My boss was even cool enough to let me put hot pink streaks in my hair, then blue, then green, then purple. However... I realized that she may be cool with it, but what happens when I move on to another place? So now I dress how I want to be looked at, BUT i use my own style. So I'm work casual, with a stylish edge that is me.

I think that if you really want a job, if you show them what you can do, it shouldn't matter if you have to wear a dress shirt everyday. Because self expression is not soley based on your fashion sense. It's also shown in your work. Which is most important.

This is a tough one. I asked right when I was hired at my current job. It's a casual environment, but if you had to go to a meeting obviously you dress up. I usually wear a nice top like a sweater or button down shirt with jeans and flats or sometimes sneakers or boots. I try to look nice, but still retain my "jeans and band t-shirt" style.

I don't care what anyone else is going to wear to an interview or corporate meeting, I'm going to be either the best-dressed person there or the most over-dressed. I can always remove a tie or a coat if others aren't 'done up' as tight as I will be, but I sure can't add anything I didn't have the foresight to bring with me. Let others dress 'down' or 'casual' - it adds nothing to the image of professionalism they (hopefully) want to project. Want to look and be treated professionally? Dress the part. Learn to tie a tie if you're a guy. Make sure the shirt is starched. Do NOT wear something that looks like it just came from the laundry basket. Shave. Use cologne. Seems like I'm wrapped too tight? Maybe so. But I'll be the one they remember ... Professionalism extends beyond the stuff in the portfolio.

Just a thought: If you're trying to get top dollar and dress like you shop at Salvation Army, you've already built in a contradiction that says you're either not serious about your request or you wouldn't know what to do with that much money anyway.

I don't know why this was back on the top of the posts, but I did take a lot of that advice, and got the job.

I just am posting this in the hope that other fledgling designers are reading this... I wore straight black (yes, creatives wear black is a cliché, but I feel it's a very solid, commanding color and I don't like fruity pastels). Basically, a fitted black dress shirt and nice dress pants, which really didn't run me too much, and then some square-toed dressy looking non-slip shoes I used to wear in food service. Go figure. I polished them up and everyone gives me compliments on them. Cost me about 20 bucks at Wal-Mart. But in hindsight, I would not recommend wearing fitted shirts every day, as I did wear that one for about a month, and the elbow ripped out at the end (that's what drinking a lot of dark beer will get you). I think stretch is the way to go.

tdumenjich said:

I too have to agree with Richard's advice. A good rule of thumb when you interview or have a presentation is to dress one level better than the people you're going to see. Then, in the case of an interview and you get the job, you can dress more casually.

That said, there's a lot to be said for working at home and wearing T-shirts and sweats!

I ALWAYS dress up for an interview. I learned very early on how important this is. There is no need to go to an interview wearing flip flops or a t-shirt. Secondly, how you dress at work depends on the company. I've been a designer for two different companies. The first one was okay with jeans and t-shirts, and even let me have my piercing in and my hair magenta. The company I work for now is very strict. You can't wear jeans, you must dress up, wear minimal to no make-up, no piercings ... and so forth. I can't figure out why I have to do that since I never deal with clients personally or even leave my corner for that matter. I also get irritated that I am being paid to be creative yet I can't express who I am. I have to behave like a business woman I guess.

Bully!  I take a long look in the mirror and think how i am going to design my presentation of me to suit the impact i am trying to make on the client.  First there are the givens of what sort of character i look like, and then there are the things i can easily change to portray what i want the client to see. Fashion design is part of art and it never hurts to use some skill on self presentation as well as on the actual art work you are presenting.  You don't even have to mention it, but if you are dealing with an art director or even a normal business person, you can say a lot with a good self presentation.  And don't forget the need to be squeaky clean and smell good too.  When i sing, everyone looks at me, so i try to look the part of a classical bass by wearing a spotless tux so they can just work on enjoying my songs.  When i am an artist, i may wear blazers and carry a beret to visually look like the painter i am.  Ask yourself who they are looking to see and be  that person for them as it is as much performance art as anything else you do.  If your office dresses casually, it still doesn't hurt to have some visual cues for them about what you do even if you spend all your time drawing on a computer screen.  Maybe some Tspline t shirts over a turtle neck or something. 

My passion!  I am an artist who has focused on paint and sculpture for the past 15 years.  I have always had my own style which tended to be a little off the beaten track.  I began designing my own clothes years ago!  My "art" friends loved borrowing from my closet.  This lead me to a new meduim ~ clothing design.  I work in Organic Hemp, Bamboo and Soybean and also a high end knit.  All my work is free form, flowing and truly embraces the unique forms given to all of us.  My work is stunning on size 4-24+.  I recently starting designing for men and little girls as well.  Check out my site!  You'll love it!  www.JAZ-ZY.com  ~ Ada Hansen

And a PS to this;

what's wrong with asking before an interview what attire is appropriate for the job?

When one goes in to a company they see so many different people with different looks. To me this is fabulous. One should dress how the see things around them and what makes them comfortable. I am not saying walk around in tight jeans and a short short shirt and showing things that shouldn't be seen. I am talking about wearing a long sleeve shirt (color or not) under a tee shirt with slacks or wide leg jeans, a belt and tie if that person feels the need to dress like that. When one has to dress a certain way for the company they are hiding their personality and not being true to themselves. If they can be this open with their attire just think how their designs will look with all the creativity and imagination possible. It is time for the world to not base to much on the attire but the individual his/herself and what they have to offer.