If Briggs Doherty Jr. were President Bush’s image consultant, America’s leader
wouldn’t have that “terrible” wrinkle behind his collar and the color of his
ties would be stellar.
“I would put him in something more lively – not flashy – but the president doesn’t have to be cookie-cutter. Something more colorful with his ties, and more interesting fabrics,” said Doherty, owner of the 60-year-old Briggs Providence clothing store on South Main Street.
Politicians seem to be among the last breed of men to wear suits every day, and even they may dress more casually to fit in better with today’s dress-down society.
“Presidential candidates are taking off their suit jackets and ties, rolling up their sleeves to show they relate to the ‘common man’ and also to show willingness to get their hands dirty,” said Kate Rice, a West Coast style consultant, author and clothing designer who has appeared more than 300 times on television programs including Lifetime’s “Head 2 Toe” and “New Attitudes,” Fox’s “Good Day Live,” NBC’s “The Other Half,” and has published advice in major magazines.
Society has made it more acceptable to “dress down” at the office, and casual Fridays are much more casual than it was 20 years ago, said Charles Tsonas, owner of CLC Menswear, a clothing and alterations store in Warwick.
“Twenty years ago, casual Friday meant wearing a sport coat and tie instead of a suit. People aren’t dressing up the way they used to even 20 years ago,” Tsonas said.
This dress-down trend has led to the downfall of fine men’s clothing stores. Look in the phone book and you may find a handful of independently owned shops in the Providence-metro area. In fact, a longtime men’s clothing store, Harvey Ltd. on Waterman Street in Providence, closed earlier this year.
“The market doesn’t support this type of business anymore. Men are still dressing up, but they are dressing up less. There was a time when there were 15 to 20 men’s clothing stores in Providence. There are one or two now,” Tsonas said. “I worked in the Warwick Mall when almost all of the stores were men’s stores. I opened this location in 1993 as a result of those stores – Anderson-Little, Kennedy’s, Wallachs – going out of business.”
Though society has ‘loosed the dress code rules,’ a person wearing jeans and an untucked shirt sends a very different message than someone in a suit and tie. In business, the right clothes may help a person advance the corporate ladder, Tsonas said.
“I have many people who come in here and vent about the way people dress at weddings, funerals, church, temple, restaurants. Dress codes are looser because business owners are just happy to get business, they don’t care how people are dressed,” Tsonas said.
An executive or someone trying to advance his or her position should “dress the part,” Rice said.
“Dress like you are the president of the company, even if you work in the mailroom, because everyone had to start somewhere. Maintain consistent look and style, always groom, have a beautifully maintained briefcase or tote and shoes, don’t dress casual on ‘casual day’ and always dress more formally than necessary. Also, don’t wear cologne or perfume,” Rice said. “Wear red, it’s a power color in the oval office and in your office, and black, because it sets you apart as an authority and makes you appear thin – always a good thing”
Many people don’t have a style of their own – which is why the same classic colors are popular every season and every financial district is a sea of navy, black and gray.
“Most people have no clue how to dress – what goes with what – and neither do most of the salespeople at clothing stores, which is why people walk around wearing the same thing as everyone else,” Doherty said.
“Everyone should make a statement with their clothes – be a leader not a follower. Don’t worry about people not liking you for the clothes you wear because not everyone is going to like you,” he said. “Fifty percent of people already don’t like the president, so maybe he’d be better off wearing something that isn’t cookie-cutter.”
Rice suggests wearing the following colors, depending on the impression you want to make:
• White: Pure, expresses innocence and honesty. Also makes a person appear heavier
• Black: Sophisticated, authoritative. Use black with care if you don’t want to appear dictative or standoffish. Best to wear a black suit with pinstripes or chalk stripes.
• Red: power, confidence.
• Navy: Patriotic, approachable, balanced – all the adjectives a great president wants to be described as. Perfect color for suits and light blue is a good choice for shirts.
• Yellow/Orange: Happy, enthusiastic. A president should wear only hints of yellow in a tie or as a shirt.
• Purple: Regal, mysterious, a bit eccentric, but loyal. A good color for a prince, not a president.
• Gray: Traditional, a third choice for a suit after navy and black.
