Hair is the frame of the face. For some it is glaring statement of identity. A crowning glory. Take Kim Russell, the star of Americans and before that, Dawson’s Creek. She has long and spectacular curly hair. One day, she cut it very short. It almost cost her career! Her long hair had become her trademark.

Then you have Halle Berry as a completely opposite example. When she was starting out, she changed her long hair to a short pixie cut which ended up defining her brand. The bald head on Bruce Willis has made him more distinguished. So, the crowning glory can sometimes make or break a personal brand.

The fashion industry is trying shake up and rouse interest in clothing by introducing a new way of using prints and patterns in clothing for men and women. Blouses, dresses, and menswear are being designed with several different prints on one item.

Ted Baker started this by introducing collars and cuffs with patterns and shirt bodies in another pattern. Fashion savvy men began to wear them. And now, even conservative men wear multi-colors, multi-prints for business casual. DVF dresses are now loaded with several prints and patterns on the same dress. Just remember, the clothing should enhance the person wearing it as opposed to the clothing wearing the person.

People watching is fun. Trend setters determine what styles are being worn and how the clothing is put together. In a location with high income earners versus lower income areas, clothing choices are different. Lately, however, the ill fit of too tight, too short hem lengths in pants, sleeves, and skirts and clothing either too short or long is showing up in all areas.

To ensure a fit is correct, stand in front of a mirror and look at all the hems. Sleeves hems should slightly skim the palm of the hand. On pants without pleats, the hem should dip before it hits the top of the shoe. Following these guidelines means that clothing will always look elegant.

It is important to keep updated and fresh. Anna’s rule is at least once every two to three years to take a look at your hair style, eye wear and clothing choices. When was the last time you refreshed your hairstyle? As women age, makeup can either go lighter or need more color.

Men’s hairstyles change. A young man’s hair style can look foolish on a man over 50 unless he is updating his clothing choices appropriately. Jewelry styles change but good classic lines never become dated. Men’s pant styles rules get broken everyday based on the age, figure shape and industry.

We always want to stay contemporary, especially in a professional environment.

Not long ago, a major US airline stopped two young girls from boarding their plane because their attire did not conform to airline policy. The problem was their leggings.   There was some back and forth on social media, but libertarian impulses tended to dominate and the airline took the brunt of the social verdict. But every once in a while we should use an incident like this to reflect a bit more broadly on how far we have come, and where we are heading in the realm of casual dress. My answer to the first question is that we have come a bit too far and a bit too fast. For example, the time-worn rule of thumb, “No shirt, no shoes, no service” has been up for grabs for many years.   What qualifies as a shirt or blouse these days is not much more than a couple of square feet of strategically stitched fabric. What qualifies as shoes would be called a thong on any other part of the body. It will be difficult or impossible to reverse the trends we have experienced over the 30 to 40 years that casual dress has taken hold in the professional environment. But each of us can do our part to hold the line against future erosion of dignity and good taste.

Women: Nails are a major element to grooming and come in on different shapes including pointed and square contours. Colors range from dark purple to multicolored to different colors for each nail! Nail shapes and colors should complement your hair and add a polished look to the rest of your image.

Men: Nails should be cut short and stay clean under the nail. However, I am seeing more men get lax by letting nails grow too long with jagged cuticles and dirt underneath the nail itself. Keep nails short (cut at least once a week). I recommend a manicure for a guideline on length and to keep cuticles neat. Nails too long and with rough cuticles are not acceptable if you want a polished elegant image.

Polished leather shoes are becoming more commonplace with jeans for business casual. The rock stars and actors still favor the white or colorful athletic shoe. However, professionals have found that high gloss leather finished shoes gives elegance to their look.

Recently Marc Marion, a stand up comedian and podcast host, was featured in a well-known publication wearing very casual clothes with polished leather shoes. He looked very smart.

A recent Tribune article asked if a man can wear gym shoes with a suit. In celebrity magazines, we see actor’s wearing funky shoes with suits and tuxedos. If you are in the fashion or marketing industry or a billionaire why not? For everyone else, if you want to be taken seriously and not be the focus of conversations about your shoes, stick with traditional footwear. For pizazz, mix it up with a different color leather (not red!).

Often, I observe technically competent folks with reasonable communications skills rise up the ladder pretty quickly and then hit a wall. The C-Suite does not see them as the face of the organization. This usually is first impressions garnered on connecting with an audience. It is the way they carry themselves meaning posture, pace and how they look any audience in its collective eye.

Also, it’s putting together clothing choices, grooming and the key ingredient of style and confidently navigating situations. They can be cut some slack if it is noticed that confidence and communication skills promote steadiness. Can some develop the critical factor of presence to move into the C suite?  Yes, with the right coach, mentors and champions, the C-Suite is a possibility!

I am fascinated by ties worn by politicians, especially the color and widths while watching news channels and late night talk show hosts. It seems like every color of the rainbow and tie width is making an appearance! Folks who are in style, wear more narrow widths and venture into the lavender, purple and burgundy colors, rather than traditional tie colors that come in wider widths and in blues, reds and grays. The right tie with a complementary suit and jacket sets the tone needed to deliver their message. Smart, elegant or casual earthy tones should be consistent with a desired long term outcome.