Men’s jackets and suits come in short, regular and long. Recently, when shopping with a client, the sales person handed him a regular 42. Because of his height that would be the right size. However, I felt he would look much better and more elegant in a 42 long. The reason we ended up with the 42 long is because he measures with more length from head to waist so the longer jacket proportionally looked like better fit. Rules can always be broken if it works in the eyes of the beholder!

For women who fervently oppose makeup, try tinted moisturizer (We all need moisturizer.), a well-defined eyebrow and a bit of color on the lips and check. Burt’s Bees is one of many brands that offer a lip stain combined with a chap stick. Women’s lips never should look dry.

For men, even those who prefer a shadow beard, the rest of the face must be well groomed, with trimmed eye brows and no other facial hair out of place. It is amazing how popular men’s products for the face, moisturizers and exfoliates currently are. Also, instead of the heavy colognes of yesterday, light fragrances are the rule now.

It is not easy to dress for the masses, especially on television. In today’s race for the White house, the male candidates have it much easier. Their choices are simple because it comes down to the shirt and tie combination. Their main battle is the fit of the jacket. President Obama has his suits tailored to fit him so he always looks elegant and crisp. He is also tall and slim, so his main issue is look stately and in command in an approachable manner.

For the heavy set candidate, it can be difficult to not look rumbled and clown-like. Women, on the other hand, have an even more difficult task. Their clothing choices are either too bland or tend to look matronly. Another challenge is that they must look feminine but like they’re still in command.

Television will add at least 20 pounds so clothing choices must accent the slim side of women. We are now in the midst of a presidential campaign so look for the dress style wins in the candidates and learn from those that miss the mark.

Why are we surprised when we see actresses and actors who look short in real life? That’s because on the screen, their clothing has been tailored to scale to give an impression of greater height.

I like to stretch accessory guidelines. I have been told many times that only certain items should be worn on tall folks and short people. For instance, the rule is that a short person should never have cuffs on their slacks. Also, a tie on a shorter man should be worn slightly longer than appear too short. However, I feel that if the proportions are working and the accessories look good, that usually works no matter what the person is wearing.

Stretching the guidelines on accessories can make an outfit truly stand out.

Recently, I was with a client and her staff. The question came up about professional dress: Is it a requirement to wear a tie or can a sport jacket or suit be acceptable without a tie? Sometimes, clients are dressed without a jacket but always in a shirt and tie. What should they wear to always be acceptable and not under or overdressed?

In a first time meeting, always wear a full suit with a tie. If it is a very casual environment, a gray suit or a navy blazer with gray dress slacks can be worn instead. When making a first time presentation, it is suggested to always wear a blazer in very casual settings without a tie. You can always remove your tie or take off your jacket if the environment is very casual.

Walking in the first time in full dress sets the stage that you are the expert. It is more difficult to appear to be the professional if you come in with just a shirt and dress slacks because jackets always project the leader and subject matter expert look.

The challenge for wearing tee shirts are that, in general, they are made in very lightweight cotton and can look like athletic and sleepwear.

But, now, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan have them in fine cotton and silk. These shirts do have a dressier and more polished look. However, wearing them makes it very difficult for senior management to police the difference between the very casual cotton and silk materials.

Maybe, the organization could help by allowing one day a week that tee shirts would be allowed. Further guidelines could be that shirts must not have any wording on them and that solid colors work best. Wearing tees with jeans or twill pants would be fine for casual days.

Ladies, do not wear tees with leggings or capris. That is too casual but capris would work for an outdoor event.

A true custom made suit is tailored to your body and has enhanced features to strengthen some of your body’s features. For example, Cary Grant’s suit jackets always had extra pads in the shoulder area to give him better posture.

Following are some characteristics of a classic, trim and extra trim fit:

Classic Cut  Hart Shaffner Marx) See my father pictured. He was always a classic cut.

• Cut wider through the shoulders

• Extra room through the chest and back for ease of movement

• Slightly lower button stance

• Fuller trousers (may have pleats)

• Trousers (have a break)

Trim Cut (Calvin Klein)

• Cut narrower across the shoulders

• Higher armhole

• Trimmer through the chest and waist, with room for movement

• Slim trousers

• No break in the trousers

Extra Trim (Ted Baker)

• Cut slim through the shoulders

• High armhole and narrow sleeves

• Slightly higher button stance

• Extra-slim trouser

To tailor a suit to a trim style:

– Slim the arms of the jacket

– Slim the legs on the pants

– Ensure pants have no break

The new trend is wearing bold on bold in patterns and colors. It is the fashion industry trying to mix it up. I myself love the new trends. However in my profession, the center of attention is on the client and the audience so I stay more conservative in my dress.

But in my personal world, I like living large! All my sport clothing is in bright yellows, greens and pinks. I have yet to embrace the patterned leggings, though, maybe next year. I have encouraged my C-suite clients and friends, men and women, to add bits of boldness to their accessories. For the women, larger necklaces and very smart print underpinnings look good with their black and gray suits.

Men can wear the tie and shirt selections with a bold print in the tie and pick a shirt color to match the suit. They can do the bold stripe socks as long the sock is in the same color family. Recently, a client wore a grey striped sock with his gray suit. It was fun but not distracting. Having fun with clothing selections will definitely make you feel more uplifted.

Years ago, men’s styles changed once every eight years. Today, they seem to change daily- men’s slacks especially. They have become narrower and sport a flat front for the younger man. There is very little break or the pant length just skims the top of the shoes.

There are definitely no cuffs on these slacks.

For the man who wears the traditional slacks with pleats and a fuller pant leg they do tend to have cuffs and a bit of a break in the length (which is considered a dimple on the slack).

Men do have a choice and it really depends on their audience wants and what they want to achieve with their personal brand.

It is often said that our eyes are the window to the world. They are also are how folks read you. Eye contact is critical when first meeting someone because it shows engagement and that you are focused on what they are saying. It also will help you remember names and something about them.

Eyes, when looking down, up, to the right or to the left, do not send a good message. In some cases, it shows nervousness and even deception in a reply.