Limits of Fashion Exhibitionism in the Fashion Job Interview

In Mary Lynn Damhorst and Patricia A. Kimle’s “Symbolic interaction: A Grounded theory Model of the Ideal Business Image for the Women”, “fashion excessively in business can be seen as exhibitionism” (Damhorst 54) and being too trendy in the workplace can “communicate negative ideas, including a lack of judgment in personal decisions and a tendency to conform easily” (53). While the authors are referring to the corporate business world where conservative fashion is preferred, I decided to test out fashion exhibitionism in the fashion industry. For my dress up field experiment, I decided to apply for a summer internship at a few major fashion magazines: Vogue, Elle, W, and Harper’s Bazaar. I submitted my real resume and cover letter to different departments in each magazine and I was called in for an interview at Vogue Paris for a fashion internship position and at Elle for an accessories internship position. Both magazines encourage the use of luxury goods and fashion trends so for my field experiment, I decided to test the limits of conspicuous consumption at an interview in the fashion industry. Thorstein Veblen defined conspicuous consumption as extravagant spending on products to display wealth and social status. However, Veblen’s context of extravagant spending referred to the product’s “solidity and durability… solidity, permanence and indestructibility” (Bauman 30). Today, conspicuous consumption refers exclusively to the brand of the product rather than its quality. People often make snap judgments on people’s success based on the brands associated with the things they own. In The Language of Clothes, Alison Lurie states that the language of dress announces your “sex, age, and class… through what you are wearing” as well as give clues to “your occupation, origin, personality, opinions, tastes, sexual desires and current mood” (Lurie 3). Lurie states that this information can be inferred based on what you’re wearing even before the person talks to you. In the fashion industry, an industry where luxury brands are heavily encouraged, would dressing conspicuously hurt one’s performance in a job interview?

            For my experiment, I decided to choose an appropriate interview outfit consisting of a silk blouse and a skirt. For my Vogue Paris interview, I chose to keep my outfit more on the conservative side. For my Elle interview, I decided to convey wealth and conspicuous leisure through dress. When deciding which accessories to add, I made sure the accessories either had a visible and easily recognizable logo or is eye catching and sparkly. 

Weds. March 9th 11am
Conservative Outfit for Vogue Paris Interview:
Rag & Bone Blouse, BCBG Skirt, Miu Miu Bag

Fri. Mar. 4th 3pm:
Flashy Outfit for Elle Interview:
Eryn Brinie Trench, Sly Rabbit Fur Vest, Silk Blouse, 3.1 Phillip Lim Collar, Alexander McQueen Scarf, D&G belt, Zara Skirt, Louis Vuitton Bag

            My interview at Vogue Paris was exactly what I predicted. I walked in with my conservative interview attire and waited patiently at the front desk and two interviewers came in, the female in with jeans and heels and the male jeans and leather oxfords. As jeans are considered “slang” dress meaning that it “tends to be loose, relaxed and colorful” (Lurie 8), both interviewers gave off a casual chic aura and I wondered if their personality matched what her clothes were communicating. Lurie states that “sartorial communication... can also be used to convey misinformation” which can voluntary or involuntary but careful manipulation of dress can shape other people’s first impression (Lurie 24). Was my prospective supervisors free spirited who has fun with their interns or are very uptight? I quickly discovered that it was the former as the interview was fairly casual and it allowed me to ask them what their previous experience was before working at Vogue Paris. Both interviewers were easy to talk to and they made me feel as if I were talking to my peers rather than superiors. However, when I first stepped into the Elle office with my flashy attire, I noticed that I was significantly over-dressed and I felt uncomfortable while I was waiting for my interviewer. Irving Goffman states that the concept of “proper dress” is “dependent on the situation” and the person “whose clothes do not conform to these standards is more or less subtly excluded from participation” and I wondered how my fur and rhinestones will affect the interviewer’s impression of me. My interviewer wore a plain black shift dress and 4 inch heels and I was relieved when she was heavily accessorized. She first commented on how she liked my collar and proceeded to ask me routine questions. After I told her about my past experiences and extracurricular activities, she asked me several questions about my work ethic. She asked how I would rate my work ethic on a scale of 1 to 10 and asked if I was willing to stay late if necessary. I was completely taken aback by how in depth she wanted me to talk about my work ethic. However, my interview with her was much longer than my interview at Vogue Paris so I hoped she found something favourable in me.

Damhorst’s study claims that employee’s first impression is very closely associated with what she wears and often correlates with her work ethic and behaviour. In the blog post “Should Women Avoid Carrying Birkins to Work?”, a reader asks whether it is appropriate for her to bring her Birkin to work at a small big law firm. People often advise to dress the position you would want to have but others advise to dress appropriate to your level at work. The blogger concludes that “the intern with a $9000 bag” may have negative connotations that would hurt the intern in the work place. The blogger states “you may find you have to work even harder to get the respect that you deserve” because people might think you’re “not working for money” (“Should Women Avoid Carrying Birkins to Work?”, 2010). This is similar in Damhorst’s study that the employee’s dress is reflective of her work ethic. Damhorst states that “those who are reviewed as expressing organizational values in dress and other behaviours are likely to receive greater validation for their appearances from persons in power in the organization” (Damhorst 49). Similarly, a contributor to the blog post “WTF Do I Wear to a Fashion Job Interview?” states, “Whenever I see recent grads dressed [head to toe in designer labels] I can’t help but think, spoiled little rich girl. Is she going to give me diva attitude when I’m having her cut swatches and make copies at 9pm at night?” (“WTF Do I wear to a Fashion Job Interview?”, 2009).

             The fashion industry is difficult to dress appropriately for because each work environment has a different aesthetic and vibe. In an interview for the Fall issue of NYChic Magazine (pg 63-68), I asked fashion interns what the office environment was like at their internship ranging from Elle, Vogue, Karla Otto, Miu Miu, and Nick Knight Studio. The general consensus was that the interns were expected to dress more casual than their supervisors while still looked put together. In contrast, their superiors were often very dressed up (head to toe in Miu Miu or Prada at the corporate office) and are more feminine in heels and chiffon dresses. The corporate world and the fashion industry are almost polar opposites and in the corporate world, Damhorst claims that exhibitionism “may discredit the image of professionalism… [because of] extreme consequence of fashion” and “highly fashion forward [women] in the work place draws too much attention to [herself]” (53).

            I decided to interview interns and supervisors regarding interview attire at my current internship at 3.1 Phillip Lim. I asked each intern what they wore for their interview and each intern generally wore the same thing consisting of a skirt with a cashmere sweater or blouse and a pair of heels or heeled boots. One intern asked her friend if it would be wise to wear 3.1 Phillip Lim to the interview and her friend strongly objected. I interviewed two sales assistants after they interviewed a girl for a sales internship position about the influence of dress on the interview. One sales assistant stated that while it is important what the intern wears for the interview, she does not associate the interviewee’s interview attire to her ability to work. She judges the interviewee’s clothes to better understand if the potential intern is interested in fashion and trends and whether or not she understands the brand’s aesthetic. The other sales assistant emphasized that he would not hire anyone who wears jean overalls or wears anything with large logos from Abercrombie. However, he later states that certain logos are acceptable. One thing I found extremely interesting was that they both agreed that they wouldn’t negatively judge a potential intern who shows up at the interview with an  $8000 Hermes Birkin or $700 Christian Louboutin heels. Furthermore, while some people believe that dressing head to toe in the brand’s clothes seem like one is trying too hard, both sales assistants disagree and encourage the interviewee to represent the brand to the fullest.

            I realized that dressing flashy did not necessarily result in bad connotations as my Elle interviewer spent more time questioning me to make me truly prove my capabilities. Like several blogs have stated, one has to push oneself more to sell herself if she chooses to communicate conspicuous leisure and consumption. By proving to the interviewer wrong and erasing the “spoiled little rich girl” impression, perhaps flashy dress is a good tactic to get the interviewer’s attention but should still have relevant experience in her resume. I didn’t hear back from Vogue Paris but I was offered a summer internship at Elle as an accessories intern. The fashion industry has a completely different set of rules when it comes for office appropriate attire as there are no rules but the limitations are a slippery slope. Through my field experiment, I realized that dressing conservatively works against the interviewee when looking for a job or internship in a luxury brand company or a high-end fashion magazine because the interviewer meets with many prospective interns that dress the same.

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Bibliography

Bauman, Zygmunt. Consuming Life. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007.

Damhorst, Mary Lynn and Patricia A. Kimle. “Symbolic Interaction: A Grounded Theory Model of the Ideal Business Image for Women.” Caliber 20(1) (1997): 45-66.

Lurie, Alison. The Language of Clothes. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2000. pp.4-36

“Should Women Avoid Carrying Birkins to Work?” Corporette.  Access Date: 21 March 2011.  <http://corporette.com/2010/06/03/the-intern-with-the-9000-handbag>

“WTF Do I wear to a Fashion Job Interview?”  39thandbraodway.com.  Access Date: 21 March 2011.  < http://www.39thandbroadway.com/wtf-wear-fashion-interview>