Fashion’s power doesn’t only lie in its ability to make you look better. Although aesthetics are a driving force, there is another amazing advantage that clothing allows us…the ability to modify people’s impression of who you are. It allows you to distort peoples perceptions thus allowing doors to open that otherwise would stay shut.
On the right is what I look like every minute that I am either not at work or some work related event; I am Carlos Martinez. On the left is the man my friends and family humorously calls Carlo Martini, my sartorial alter ego. People create disguises for many different reasons whether they are trying to fool someone, fit in somewhere, or to awaken a different part of themselves. When I get dressed for work I am not only changing my clothes there is also a transformation taking place within. The second I walk out the door my posture is a little better, my vocabulary is a bit more refined, and I feel confident about how the professional world is going to perceive me. On the other hand when I am getting ready to hang out with my friends I require less modification, but certain traits come to life. This time when I walk out the door my stature and overall attitude is noticeably more relaxed, my vernacular is laced with sarcasm, and life is just a little less serious, but I still feel very confident that my social world will also embrace me. The core of one’s personality remains unaffected but small alterations, whether conscious or not, can dramatically change societies’ perceptions.
There is also how it is that you identify yourself. Are you expressing who you really are or are you bound by outside influences? Does your profession dictate what you wear even when you’re not at work? Is your spouse the authority of what you put on your body? Have your children confined you to a prison made of sweats? Those among many other reasons could keep you from dressing or even being whom you decide to be. The correct path for this particular impasse is to develop into a clothing chameleon. Acclimate to your specific environments and/or roles in life to satisfy not only everyone else, but most importantly yourself.
Fashion Fridays is a weekly column where we celebrate the arrival of the weekend a bit early by taking a break from the business side of things.
Author: Carlos A. Martinez
