You’re a freelance creative. You’re lucky enough to work from home, or out of your own office. You can spend the day working in your underwear if you so desire. At the very least you’re pretty free to choose your own clothes on a day to day basis. No suits, no ties, no uncomfortable shoes. Being able to dress as you want is one of the small joys of being your own boss.
It’s actually pretty easy to get into the habit of dressing casually when you’re a freelancer. Sometimes it’s possible to get a little too casual. Hey, sweatpants are comfortable, right? Then a potential client calls. Sounds like it could be a great contract. They want you to come by their offices to pitch. Those sweatpants probably aren’t going to cut it.
Suited And Booted?
You’ve probably still got a business suit somewhere in the closet. Maybe from when you worked in a corporate office, or maybe you bought it for a wedding. Business suits are what you wear to business meetings. They make you look smart, give the impression that you’re a real professional.
And if your potential client is a very traditional corporate business, maybe that business suit is the appropriate attire. It might not make you look very edgy though. If you have to put on an act, be someone you’re not, to pitch a job…then are you sure it’s the job for you? Didn’t you become a freelancer so that you could be yourself?
Flashy And Edgy
So don’t play to your client at all. You’re a creative artist. They’ll understand when you wear your torn jeans, Affliction t-shirt and don’t bother to shave. Of course they might think that you look unprofessional, that you haven’t made any kind of effort to smarten yourself up.
Again, if your potential client is edgy and out there themselves, an up and coming band for example, then the clothes might fit the pitch. Most of the time that’s not the case though. It might be all you in terms of fashion, but it doesn’t really say “professional approach”.
The Well Dressed Creative
OK, everyone’s got different styles, but I’m all about the happy medium when it comes to dressing for a pitch. I’m not a corporate suit, so there’s no point me pretending to be. I do have a couple of very nice fashion suits that I’d wear to a corporate pitch, but I hope they’re a little edgy. And I’m definitely not someone who wears a tie, I just hate it. So even if I’m wearing a suit then I’m not going to wear a tie. It just isn’t me.
I’ll make an effort for a client meeting. I’m still going to be me. My standard meeting outfit? Paul Smith suit jacket over a bold t-shirt. A good quality pair of jeans (usually from Buckle) with a strong belt, and a good pair of shoes. It’s a little smarter than I’d wear day to day, and I’m definitely trying to strike a balance between demonstrating that I’m professional and creative, but it’s still very much me.
That’s pretty much my advice in a nutshell. When you’re meeting clients, be you, just a little bit smarter!
