Ideas For Final Project

For my project, I am going to focus on the topic of expressing oneself through clothing.  Because many of my peers are currently looking for internships and jobs, I am going to narrow my focus down to appropriate “professional attire” (i.e. attire for interviews and the workplace).  I will discuss how there is a way to look professional while still expressing oneself through clothing.  I will speak about both men and women’s clothing and accessories.  Moreover I will speak about the various types of work environments that exist.  While some offices and interviews do require more formal professional wear, others may want to see some more personality reflected in ones attire.  In my final post, I will elaborate on how to know what to wear by using context clues from e-mails, company websites, previous interaction, etc.  I plan to incorporate interview questions from someone in the career center.  Additionally, if possible, I plan to use a quote or two from one of my past employers (fashion editor of Westchester Magazine).  I want my post to act as a guide for my peers on what to wear during professional interactions.  While this may seem silly, many people often do not know what to wear or wear something that could give an employer the wrong impression.  Throughout my post I pan to compare and contrast right vs. wrong attire.  I want to make sure that people feel they can express themselves through clothing while still remaining professional and appropriate for the work place.

Expert Questions:

1.     Specifically, what qualities make up a “professional” outfit?  Do these qualities differ for different jobs?

2.     Is it better to dress plain and simple, or show personality during an interview?  Are there certain things that would make an interviewer think “absolutely not?”