Express your style in the office

How to Express Your Personal Style at Work
“Fashion fades, style remains,” said Coco Chanel. Fashion can help create your style but cannot impose it. Often, people confuse fashion with style, thinking being stylish means following current trends. This leads to wearing what’s popular without personalizing it to what truly suits us.

So, what is style? It’s the ability to wear clothes and accessories harmoniously to express personality and enhance appearance. Fashion offers suggestions, but only by choosing colors and models that suit us can we define our true style. Style differs from merely being fashionable or displaying status—these are related but distinct concepts.

Finding your style is easier than you think. It starts with understanding your physical traits and personality. Style acts as a bridge, creating harmony between your clothes and who you are. For example, strong bone structure pairs well with thicker fabrics, while softer figures suit curved accessories. This uniqueness means someone else’s style might not work for you.

There are six universal styles: classic, romantic, aristocratic, dramatic, natural, and creative, with many variations in between. Each style has specific types of clothing, fabrics, accessories, colors, textures, and patterns.

At work, dress codes limit how much we can express, especially as we climb the hierarchy. Still, some freedom remains. For instance, an aristocratic manager in a service company might wear a suit with a subtle check pattern, while a bank president likely can’t, due to stricter dress codes.

If a white shirt is required, you can express style by choosing the shade, cut, and details that suit you best.

Personal style boosts self-awareness, strengthens how others remember us, and helps communicate our energy, balancing expression and professionalism.