Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [17]
But the most important consideration is to travel as light as you can. One learns to eliminate the nonessentials. Once you have packed your bags, repack them, leaving out everything you can do without. (Remember, there are times when you may have to carry your own bag.) When possible, take clothes that are washable, such as knits, polyester, cotton, or synthetic suede. Coordinate your wardrobe and accessories to one color, anticipating the occasions and climates in which they will be worn.
Emergency Kit. Assemble an emergency kit and keep it in a desk drawer or within easy reach in case you have to make an unexpected appearance. It should contain a few essentials such as a toothbrush and deodorant. Add a fresh blouse that will go with most of your clothes, and an extra pair of hose.
Take your individual needs into consideration: extra contact lenses or glasses, a source of fiber, a food bar, or some reading material.
During the years I was the personal makeup artist for several U.S. presidents, I had many an opportunity to use my own emergency kit when I was called to the White House with no prior notice. I remember one time in particular when I was glad that I had a food bar and a magazine with me, because I had to wait in a formal anteroom for three full hours for Gerald Ford due to a sudden scheduling change.
A Few Additional Tips. Reserve low-cut bodices for the Academy Awards.
Your neckline should conform to the contours of your face. You can lengthen the face with a V neckline or soften the effect with a scarf. Scarves can be tied or looped around the neck in many different ways. If you have a short neck, avoid bows, turtlenecks, and collars that sit too high up under the chin.
When making a grand entrance, take off your coat before you enter the room so that you do not have to struggle out of it in public.
Imagine the nation’s First Lady entering a crowded hall directly through an outside entrance from where she is going to walk across part of the room to a podium to give the keynote speech at a function. Can you see how her dignified entrance would be spoiled if she had to pause by the door to slip off a coat with the help of an aide?
Or what if you had to face a situation such as going directly from the outdoors on a cold, rainy night into a hotel lobby where you were to meet some business clients? Wouldn’t it be better to shake out your umbrella and take off your coat under the awning before entering the lobby?
Clothes for Men
What do you want your clothes to say about you? What message should they transmit to your peers, clients, or members of your audience? In that brief first impression, they make a lasting judgment about you. Your clothes should be so well chosen that you communicate well-being, confidence, and authority.
You also have to dress for yourself. You, the wearer, must feel good about your appearance, so that you can forget about how you look and concentrate on the message you are transmitting.
Your clothes should be well cut, fit perfectly, and be made of good fabric. It pays to spend as much as you can afford on a few plain, elegant suits. Your wardrobe might include an Oxford-gray suit to wear on television, a dark blue suit for public appearances, plus a navy blue blazer with dull-gold buttons and two pairs of gray pants—one light and one medium gray in color. These few pieces of clothing could be interchanged to take you through various situations. Add a tweed jacket in subdued tones for less formal occasions, and you are all set.
Avoid bold patterns, most plaids, checks, stripes, garish colors, and anything that attracts attention away from your face.
The three-piece suit with a vest is always a good choice.
Since the shoulder line is a part of the setting for your face, your jacket must fit smoothly across the shoulders with the lapel lying in a straight line. To keep the lapels in a smooth line down from the shoulder,