My mother sent me off to school in a black & white -polka-dot jean skirt, slouchy oversized pink belt, and dad’s white tee. She let me to a school dance wearing purple, floral Guess jeans with a teal turtleneck. And she was complicit in dressing me in my fifth grade Halloween costume – a trapeze artist princess, I think? Pink tights, sparkles, eye mask, and yes, a boa.
I think there were times when she tried to get me in more normal/formal attire. Pleated skirts, white button down shirts, but to no avail. It wasn’t her fault that Punky Brewster and Rainbow Brite were my heroes.
At some point things changed and I realized that my mix & match wasn’t going to cut it in “the real world”. My first white button down. A black suit jacket. Matching pants. Matching skirt. Matching shoes. Matching purse.
Trouble was, I wasn’t a perfect convert. It just didn’t feel right. I’d work up the standard outfit and then mess it up with some crazy colored sweater or some misshapen accessory. And when I’d see a perfectly dressed business women, I’d feel like a fraud. Why can’t I get it right?
Last spring, I signed up for an entrepreneurial conference. In packing, I thought I had it made. Entrepreneurs, in my mind, were jean-wearing, tie-dye-loving, creative, tech types. I’d be right in my element. And even though I walked into the marble foyer with gusto, it took little less than 30 seconds to see the sea of black, black, black, black, grey, black three piece suits. Suddenly, my mix & match confidence tanked.
The reality is that when I’m all bundled up in “what I should be wearing”, my entire essence is bundled up with it. No wonder the conference was a dud for me, I never actually showed up. I should have walked into that room with something colorful and loud – at least then I would have been bringing myself along.
Uniform mentality may have worked in a world where IBM, pensions, and lifetime employment were king – but it doesn’t suit anymore. Anyone who tells you that a black three piece will bring out your intellect probably didn’t want to get to know you anyways. Rock your mix & match and what people will notice is the real you.
More Mix, Less Match
