Friday, February 26, 2010

On Dressing for Success


"The clothes make the man."

"Dressed for success."

"Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have."

Today, in a fit of delusion almost unprecedented in my grand history of delusion, I realized I've unconsciously been following these rules for years. See, the job I want is to be a writer. So, I wear jeans, comfy shirt, and slippers or flip flops. Not to mention the hairstyles I sport should probably never leave the house. Lord knows my roots should make me eligible for one of those eyesore citations from the neighborhood association.

My power suit is jeans fresh from the dryer and a shirt that makes me sigh with happiness (could be extra soft, extra flattering, or just the right shirt for the moment.) And on those days that I really need something to keep me going, there's nothing like new socks and The Underpants of Confidence. A good friend of mine said that good underwear is like wearing a superhero costume under your clothes. You feel like you have a grand secret that the world would clamor to know if only the had a hint....

I've digressed (as I so often do) into underwear again. I had a point, and it was this:

All this time I thought I was a slob, but I was actually visualizing success!

- Liz

**This post brought to you by Delusion. Delusion, when reality is just not working.

Writers: What's your uniform of choice?



12 comments:

Katie said...

I'm with you! Dress the part, become the part. And ditto to the underwear secret. I may look like crap, but dang it... my underwear is cool! :-)

Me, I have three modes of dress.

#1: I have to leave the house. This is always tragic. So that my husband isn't too embarrassed, I wear jeans, some sort of shirt, flats, and a little coat. Fairly stylish. That all goes to hell the second it gets warm outside :-)

#2: My muse is in trouble. When this happens, I break out the heavy artillery. I own several pairs of striped arm warmers and twenty gazillion pairs of crazy knee-high socks I like to mix and match. The worse the muse's funk, the more off the wall the combinations. I also go for the brightest, most gaudy (they're really cute, I swear) underwear sets. There's just something about tons of bright, mismatched stripes/colors that turns my muse on. ::shrugs::

#3: My normal attire. Flannel pants, comfy t-shirt or tank top, hair in a ponytail that sprouts from my head like a fountain, and my husband's flip flops if (heaven forbid) I have to go outdoors. I gardened last week in a pair of purple flannel pants with polka dots and a pink tank top. My neighbors thought I was insane.

Kristan said...

Haha, I totally do the Underpants of Confidence!

Liz Czukas said...

Katie, I love that you have arm warmer to lure your muse back to the fold. We are so on the same wavelength for clothing it's scary.

Kristan, underpants are magic.

- Liz

nrhatch said...

My dress for success ideas mirror your own ~ when I stopped practicing law, business suits and pantyhose got ditched immediately.

Comfort is King! Or Queen!

Anonymous said...

My mode of dress, even when alone the way I am, is very Katherine Hepburn - slacks or a straight skirt, the classic button-down blouse and a jacket or cardigan sweater. If I don't start the day dressed the same way I did at the university, I can't stay focused.

Of course, when I close the door, the sweats come out...

J.A. Souders said...

Yep, I do the same. I usually toss on a part of yoga pants and a t-shirt and I'm good to go. My hair--well, let's just say I usually keep it in a braid for a reason. : )

Liz Czukas said...

Nan, that doesn't surprise me in the least about you.

And that, M, is why you are a business owner while the rest of us are (as yet) unpublished writers ;) I love that you're classy. You can take the girl out of Europe...

Jess, if I had as much hair as you, I'd keep it in a braid, too. Hell, I'd probably have to wrap it around a spool and pin it to the back of my head, LOL.

Eleven Eleven said...

Pajama pants. My dressing range is wide and verges often into Ann Taylor territory, but I write best in pajama pants. My polished and thoroughly disinfected sister was appalled to discover this fact. She dresses to be an RN, though, not a writer. For her, scrubs are fine, but pajama pants are not.

Kelly@ JustWrite said...

Yoga pants/oversized long sleeved tshirt. When it's warm, jean shorts/tshirt.

Ponytail year round. Always. :)

Liz Czukas said...

Slobs of the world, unite! We are living the dream, ladies.

Thanks for all your comments.

- Liz

aketter1 said...

E,
If I were a writer (which I'm not) I would totally wear the snazzy skirt with the big hat from the picture in this post. I would come over to your house with my laptop and sit on your couch, drink champagne, eat taco dip, and write. I would occasionally look over at you, admire your jeans and t-shirt. You would occasionally look at me and snort at my hat. I think both of our writing would benefit. In fact, once I start my dissertation, I think I am going to make sure that I get a grant to fund this process. You in?

Liz Czukas said...

AM, you make my day as ever. Your champagne, taco dip and fabulous hats are welcome on my couch any day of the week.

I adore you.

- Liz