As part of our train-the-trainer program at Marlboro College, we offer shadowing opportunities for participants. They join a faculty member for a workshop or facilitated meeting, observe what happens, and then we talk about it.

Before a recent gig, one of the students surprised me with a question – one that I don’t consider very often or very deeply.

“What do I wear?” she said.

Long pause. “Whatever’s comfortable and reasonably professional,” I mumbled, not terribly satisfied with my answer.

So I decided to crowdsource a better response from my peers in the program: Dianne Russell, Kim Lier, and Stephanie Lahar, who responded, “Really? A blog post about getting dressed?”

Hey, inquiring minds want to know.

Most often, you want to blend in 

To the best of your ability, discern what the clients or participants will be wearing, and “aim for similar level of casualness or formality,” says Steffi. For a meeting with a solar company in Vermont, she wore a pullover sweater and corduroy pants. For a trade association in Washington, DC, a skirt suit, silk blouse, and gold jewelry – much more formal.

As she points out, “business casual” means something very different in rural New England than in Texas. “If I’m not sure,” she says, “I’ll ask.”

Who’s the best-dressed person in the room?

In recent years I’ve consulted with bar foundations across the U.S. These are the charitable affiliates of the legal profession’s bar associations; most often they raise and distribute money to support equal access to justice. As you can imagine, pretty much everyone in the room is a lawyer.

At any given training, the apparel ranges from business very-casual (some of the board members are retired) to high-end suits for both women and men. I aim for the middle, wearing a tie but seldom a jacket and never a suit. (Full disclosure: I don’t own a suit). They keep inviting me back, so apparently no unwritten rules have been broken.

However, when I shared this story with Dianne, she proposed a different strategy. “I never want to be less formally dressed than the most formally dressed person in the room,” she said, “because that’s one way to show my respect for the group, and to help build my credibility and authority.”

Clearly, these unwritten rules vary a lot based on gender, race, age, social class, etc. Watch for a future post that unpacks this topic in greater detail.

You need to be comfortable

Pay attention to your practical needs. Here’s Steffi’s list:

• Comfortable, flat shoes. “Helps me feel grounded,” she says. “Sore feet are distracting.”
• Pockets are handy for your markers, slide clicker, or a small noisemaker, like a whistle.
• Consider wearing a watch so you won’t have to keep looking at your phone.
• “Clothes you can bend over in,” she adds. “You may need to get on the floor if the easel is low and you have to write near the bottom of the flip chart.”

Dianne adds, “Black clothes travel so well. You can spill or spot them and it’s not as big a deal. And the wrinkles don’t show as much.”

“I always pay attention to my neckline,” says Kim, “after seeing a colleague bend over while wearing a loose-fitting scoop-necked shirt and giving everyone a clear view all the way to her waist.”

It’s all about culture

In any situation, you want to understand the cultural norms and decide how much to honor them – or perhaps subvert them, if that’s the nature of your work. Regardless, be mindful and do your homework.

In her experience working in Europe and Central Asia, says Steffi, “Dress is more formal in consulting and training settings, especially for women.”

She recalls wearing a nicely tailored suit for a job in Kazakhstan — and getting grief about her utilitarian shoes. “After that I bought a different pair of flat black shoes, with points on the toes and a little fashion flair!”

Kim taught and trained in Japan for many years. The local dress code? “Navy skirt suit and white blouse for work at companies, and skirts or dresses and stockings (always stockings) for high school teaching. Although shoes were often exchanged for slippers at the entrance, it was important to be seen wearing the right shoes on the way to work.” 

Wear what empowers you 

In a recent post, How to Claim Your Trainer Power, I shared my love for an old El Mundo T-shirt, which shows Atlas holding up the world. I used to wear it under my dress shirt because gave me strength.

Kim says, “I try to wear clothes I like and colors that give me energy.”

In the end, your clothing is far less important that the quality of your work. Wear what feels good, then do your job really well.

That’s what people will remember about you.