Here’s a group THANK YOU for your very nice comments – unfortunately I spammed them before I could reply… Glad you like the site and please keep watching it for new articles.

Btw I have one of your leather bags Louis and I love it!

Cheers, Denise

Some quick pointers on how to dress, behave and speak to achieve various business images:

Look Influential A commanding or powerful presence can be achieved without physical stature. Your bearing, appearance and actions can lend an air of authority. Immaculate grooming, formal clothing, a straight back, a steady gaze, a confident facial set, spare but directed gestures and a strong, firm voice will give you authority.

Appear Confident Speaking, shaking hands, gesturing and moving with assertion creates confidence in your judgment and decisiveness. Look a person in the eye when speaking or listening to them. Dress in defined colors with a strong sense of personal style.

Look Successful An affluent person is generally considered a successful person. Wearing designer garb or donning expensive accessories is the fastest way to look like one has “made it” but the real look of success is more subtle. It has to do with quality. Buy the best you can afford.

Look competent Sloppy clothing, dirtiness and untidy ways implies inattention to detail and disorganization. It suggests that you are slack and “can’t be bothered”. Cut that loose thread, polish your belt and tidy your desk. Good grooming and organization looks “on-the-ball”.

Look current and forward thinking Maintain a modern, current look.  It helps give the impression that you are “up with the play”. Inspire confidence in your broad and creative thinking. Warning: up-to-date does not mean fashion-forward or quirky unless you work in fashion-related or creative industries.

Look Able to do the Job Whatever your age, appear in peak physical condition. A strong mind and body suggests you can cope with the demands of the job. Maintain a youthful mien when middle-age brings physical changes.

Look Sophisticated This is an over-all quality.  It has to do with good posture, bearing and manner as much as the way you dress. Easy, fluid movements, a modulated tone and volume of voice, courteous ways, good manners, well-coordinated fine quality clothing and accessories, impeccable grooming and appropriateness in behavior and dress signify a well-bred person.

Appear Friendly and Approachable Good people-skills are a must in business, especially in sales and marketing.  An “open door” policy with staff and colleagues only works if you are approachable.  If you appear intimidating, up your friendliness-factor by dressing in more casual clothing (e.g. open collar), earth tones, low contrast colors, a yellow tie, tweeze your mono-brow, relax, don’t frown, SMILE.

Consistently looking and being professional gives you an edge on others.  Look right for the job. Create a personal brand that reflects your company’s brand and promotes its product or services.  Most importantly, build an authentic image that sells you yourself.

Learn More » Color psychology can help build and manage business relationships >>

The writer, Denise Ng, is a certified image consultant in Singapore. Her consultancy Imago Image specializes in personal image, offering advice on style, the art of dressing, wardrobe, color, grooming, social and business etiquette and communication skills.

Contemporary work-wear is defined by function. Is your job front-line or back office? Academic, technical or practical? Traditional or creative ? Do you deal globally? There is a range of business-appropriate attire, categorized simply by formality.

• Traditional professions demanding a high level of client trust, such as banking and law require more formal dress codes.  Classic suits, shirts and closed mid-height shoes convey reliability, conservativeness and seriousness.

• Medicine, teaching and engineering need clothes that say: “professional and capable but practical”.   A conservative long-sleeved shirt worn with smart trousers or a mid-length skirt (not for some engineers), low to mid-height covered shoes and a smart casual jacket (if the climate allows) are conventional but not necessarily boring. For medical specialists, particularly those performing operations, formal business wear inspires patients’ confidence.

• Sales and marketing needs clothes that spell customer-oriented and trustworthy.  The level of formality should be in sync with the clientele.

• Jobs that require flair such as design, architecture, fashion, advertising, branding and product development need garb that reinforce an image of creativity – these are likely to be smart casual, fashion-forward and individualized.

• Practical trades that provide products and services like gardening, catering and building need sensible casual (not sloppy) work wear that says “I’m ready and able to do the job”.

The shift towards more casual business dressing over the past decade has made trousers a fixture of women’s work wear. Even strict company dress codes will generally allow trousers these days.  However, a skirt suit is still perceived to be more formal than a trouser suit. Don’t forget, more substantial heels work well with with wider-legged trousers, slim heels are better with slim pants and skirts.

So what of high heels? Well, the sensible medium-heeled court shoes of the 1970′s to early 90′s are still around but business casual work-wear has opened up the options to all types of footwear.  Just ensure shoes are job and dress code appropriate. Match them to the style and formality of your dress.  And don’t let sexuality be your defining quality!  Other than that, why not climb the corporate ladder in high heels?

The writer, Denise Ng, is a certified image consultant in Singapore. Her consultancy Imago Image specializes in personal image, offering advice on style, the art of dressing, wardrobe, color, grooming, etiquette and protocol and communication skills.