Fashion Show!

Last night I had the pleasure of being a judge for the second annual HAMA Fashion Show. For those of you who don’t know, HAMA is the Hofstra University Chapter of the American Marketing Association.

The goal of the event was to showcase various business looks, from first day on the job, to holidays in the office, and everything in between.  Various on-campus groups participated and presented two looks, one “do” and one “don’t.”

 

There was some disagreement between us judges, not at the Simon Cowell-Paula Abdul level, much more civil.   What was right for one judge was too much or too little for another.  So just to be safe, I would caution any job seeker to be conservative in their interview or work look. You can’t go wrong with the classic suit, for both males and females.  Pick one or two accessory items to wear.  Let those pieces stand on their own to complement your attire, rather than having them fight for attention with other pieces. Also, make sure your clothes fit appropriately, and that goes both for clothes that are too big as well as too snug!

However, one point I made to the students was that in some cases, what works in one setting does not work in another. For example, what to wear at your internship will vary greatly between a job at a music label or a job at a bank.  You will look dreadfully out of touch if you wear a suit to your internship at MTV, and you will likely get fired if you wear jeans and a t-shirt to your internship at HSBC bank.

The bottom line?  Do your homework and ask for advice! The career center is here to answer any questions that you have about your business attire.

~Darlene Johnson, Assistant Director