Elegant couple:
China’s President Xi Jinping and wife Peng disembarking from a plane on
arrival at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, recently for a two-day visit. – EPA
JUST
when you think there are no new personalities projected into the
spotlight, comes the debut of the First Lady of China (Peng Liyuan) last
week. Her first foreign engagement was accompanying the president on an
official visit to Russia and a few countries in Africa.
When the plane doors opened, people saw a modern elegant lady, unlike her predecessors.
She
took the husband's arm when walking down the stairs from the plane
instead of walking behind holding the rails. Most unconventional.
Everyone
knows that no matter how independent we are, we need to hold on to our
man for support when we are navigating steps on high heels. Especially
where there is an audience and we cannot afford to trip.
It took a
couple of days before people could figure out what “branded” items she
was wearing. The bag she was carrying looked nice but did not have the
conspicuous logos of a luxury brand that one can spot from a distance.
Throughout
the whole trip, there was only a pair of modest pearl earrings. There
were no necklaces, strings of chunky pearls or big and flashy stones.
It was just so refreshing. Now wonder there was incessant news about her in the foreign and domestic media in China.
Given
her stature, she did not need to dress to scream, “look at me”. People
will be looking and scrutinising her. It reminds me somewhat of Adele.
If you have a great voice, you can just sing. You don't need all the
massive accompaniments.
When you are in London or Paris, the
crowd who buy designer bags like they are free, without needing to think
long and hard over which one to buy, are from China. Here is now
someone who has shown that you can look elegant, fashionable and well
put together without the need to carry expensive brand names.
I
can understand the need to dress up. When one is a young up-and-coming
executive, one has to drive a nicer car and carry some expensive branded
items to show either taste or success. But as we progress in life, the
need to create an impression dissipates.
I like this interesting
story about dressing and change in a CEO interview. To change the work
culture and have people take pride in their work, the new CEO initiated a
“dress like you are attending a wedding” campaign as his first project.
His
message was simple. Be bothered to dress up for work because it is
important. Let your dressing be a reflection of your professional
attitude. When you are a slob, you will be sloppy.
Have you
noticed the ladies selling snacks on the Shinkansen? Their hair tied up
neatly and makeup immaculate. Uniform is neat, tidy and clean. They wear
black cord shoes with heels. They might be pushing a trolley and
selling snacks but they are professional and polite. They have their
processes. Before they leave the compartment, they bow and say goodbye.
Have
you seen the lady who welcomes you as you drive into the shopping
centre in Seoul? She is in a black formal looking suit, looking
immaculate and welcoming you as you drive into the car park. She does
this with pride, like welcoming a VIP. I thought it was too much.
We
did try once to dress with the times. During the initial dot-com days,
we thought we could dress casual and carry a backpack. After the dot-com
craze fizzled out, so did our dressing. It was very difficult to go
into a boardroom looking like you are better suited for a different
place. You can dress what you like at your office but when you are with
clients or in their office, you need to dress suitably so that clothes
are not the distraction or the talking point.
As a consultant, I
always felt the need to dress well enough to look professional and carry
the right demeanour to inspire confidence. Somehow, in the early days
of a client relationship, casual just don't cut it.
It is not
right to judge someone by their dressing. However there are many studies
that show the impact that dressing and appearance has on the first
impression.
Coming back to Peng Liyuan. She impressed on the
world stage with good taste, projecting a unique personal style. Let's
hope she is able to sustain the excellent dress sense by not having to
wear chunky and expensive branded items.
TAKE ON CHANGE
By JOAN HOI
●
Joan Hoi is the author of Take on Change
. She is hoping that the trend for “no brand” high fashion has been sparked!
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