Since about the mid-seventies there has been this persistant belief that wearing red is the key to projecting an air of power over your opponents.
For women, it’s the ubiquitous red power suit, favorite of Nancy Reagan, Gloria Allred, most female newscasters and just about every female member of Congress.
For men, the red striped power tie is worn by businessmen, lawyers, politicians and news personalities as a badge of dominance.
Is there any evidence that the Great Unwashed Masses (as opposed to the Teeming Millions, who are beyond subliminal control) are actually influenced by the color of someone’s clothing, or does it just subconciously bolster the confidence of the wearer? Or is it a case of "if you repeat it often enough, they will believe it
TT
“Believe those who seek the truth.
Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide
Shows you what I know - I thought yellow was the color for power ties.
There used to be talk about red reducing your blink rate or some such - that was why most packaging in grocery stores used red. But that may be one of those Evil Advertising Conspiracy Theories. No one ever really explained to me why it was beneficial for advertisers to reduce the blink rate.
Someone from the Sensible Party will be along soon to give you a real answer.
Since the “Business-casual” revolution, if you actually wear a suit to work, you look like you’re going to a job interview. My power suits are black, black, and blue. They can be intimidating for people who never see a suit, but most “suits” aren’t as naive.
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. That’s my name too.
Wait, no it isn’t.
In theory, we are so smart that we decide whether or not we like a new person in 30 seconds.
So the BUSINESS suit was to make a busness person look as much like the person who was to interview him as possible. And the interviewer would like the interviewee in that 30 seconds because the interviewee looks like the interviewer himself.
I made a suit for a ten lb. poodle to keep her warm in the snow (she used to get caked snow in her armpits). She pooped in the suit and from then on that suit was known as her BUSINESS suit. She never wore ties at all. Everyone who ever met that dog liked her.
I think you have to draw your own conclusions.
Oh, I’m gonna keep using these #%@&* codes 'til I get 'em right.
The problem is that with everyone wearing a suit and tie, this outfit no longer conveys a real image of power. For your next job interview, I’d recommend going with a cape and leotards with a big “S” on the chest.
But seriously folks. Although it’s changing somewhat now, the accepted suit for a serious businessman is dark blue or charcoal gray. A white shirt and a nice red tie are just about the best visual effects to set it off.
For women, the whole thing dates back to Nancy Reagan and her red Adolfo suits. However, I think red was just Nancy’s color, and people copied her. For the last two years, as near as I can tell, the power color for women’s clothes has been black.
True story – I had a major American auto manufacturer as a client back in the 80s. I showed up in a very sharp, light gray suit with a distinctive pattern. They passed word back to my boss that next time they’d like to see me in something a little more “professional.”
Coming from a company where Mon-Thurs everyone has to dress in the stick-up-their-ass suit look, I can tell you that blue, black and any variation (i.e. charcoal) of these are the accepted colors. I have a dark green suit that I picked out because I my wife said I “look hot in it” but it gets some strange stares around the office as does any tie that doesn’t at least quasi-match with the suit. I think the so-called red ‘power’ tie doesn’t do much more than add a sharp contrast to your suit, which most people would simply say makes you a ‘fashion-retard’. In an introductory meeting though, especially where a lot of people are involved it does probably get people to remember you, though I hardly think that’s what I’d call ‘power’
“Bob? Oh yeah, wasn’t he the one in the Bozo-the-Clown red tie?”
John Malloy’s “Dress for Success” books discuss this; the men’s book hasn’t been updated in while, but the women’s is fairly new. He bases his findings on actual research, unlike fashion designers, Joan Rivers, etc.
His findings in a nutshell:
Conservative colors are still usually your best bet, red is good for small women as a jacket but not as the whole suit (usually), your clothing should “scream” money. He didn’t say a lot about “power ties” that I recall, other than that (extrapolating a bit here) Scooby Doo ties and the like would be their opposite.
On a somewhat more serious note than my previous post, there seems to be two divergent themes developing here. You can dress for “power” or you can dress for “fashion”. The two do not necessarily coincide. I would speculate that in most cases, “power” clothing (ie outfits that create a favorable impression in the business world) would be more conservative than “fashion” clothing (ie outfits that show you are a leader or close follower of current cultural ideas). In fact, there is a current ad campaign (for Bacardi rum) that plays on the difference between business style and fashion style.
red is by far the worst-looking colour on NTSC television. have you ever noticed, when watching an old movie with red titles and credits, how bad it looks? they weren’t intending on it going to NTSC, so it didn’t matter then.
but you will notice that red is rarely used now in movies, because they know it will eventually be put on NTSC video.
ETSC red won’t be as bad.
what is essential is invisible to the eye -the fox
Kilgore, you got that right. When my wife and I just bought our 32" TV, we spent about 2 hours in the store comparison shopping; and much of that was devoted to checking the reds, the bright whites, and the blacks. (We ended up with a Sony Trinitron, BTW.) Some of the reds were just downright unwatchable, like they were in 3-D or something, they were so blurry and oversaturated.
“It’s my considered opinion you’re all a bunch of sissies!”–Paul’s Grandfather
I find that my tie with the pictures of a snake wrapped around a skull with a dagger through it projects just the right image of power and intimidation. I get especially good results when I wear it with my orange-and-turquoise double breasted vinyl pinstripe (I’m a dolphins fan I explain if anyone asks, which they rarely do). I top it off with some two-tone Italian swim fins - VERY stylish, and mexican sombrero with an ostrich feather. Some other fashion experts will tell you not to mix elements from different countries like that, but I say in the new global economy this is the kind of cosmopolitan spirit businesses are looking for.
I think of it as my “lucky” outfit for job interviews.
Of which I’ve had more than anyone I know, so you can take it from me…