Yesterday I heard a report about a UK Study that found that women who wear skirts, rather than pants, to work make better first impressions and are ultimately more likely to succeed at work. The study does focus more on skirt suits than just skirts and dresses, but it suggests that "women can still dress in a feminine way yet still be perceived as confident and successful," so this made me think about skirts and dresses in general, not just skirt suits. I found this really interesting, especially when you look at women's professional fashion of past decades. In the 1980's especially, women's work wear was designed to look more like men's, as women worked to shatter the glass ceiling. Shoulder pads added to that perception, and were used as women "power dressed" for the office.
I've spent my entire career, a good part of the 'oughts, in a business casual office, so wearing a suit has never really been required for me. But I have kind of seen this shift. When I graduated college and started looking for jobs, I wouldn't dream of wearing anything but a pants suit to an interview (part of that may be that I couldn't afford another suit, but pants were still my first choice). If I ever had an important meeting, I'd always go with dress pants and a button-down. But something shifted over the past few years, and I know that now if I ever want to convey any kind of message like "please, take me seriously" or "pay attention to my presentation," I skirt up. But I wonder, why is that?
Do you think there's any truth to the notion that skirts make better first impressions and lead to more overall success? How do you dress when you want to make a good impression?
Cardigan: Limited
Dress: Target (last worn June 15th)
Belt and Necklace: New York & Company
Shoes: Naturalizer
