Although popular culture gives the impression that anything goes in 21st-century fashion, for those searching for a job, it might as well be the 1950s.
Managers and human resources specialists are rightfully leery of self-expression when the only message they want expressed is the company’s. Every business wants to be perceived as respectable, trustworthy and professional, and that can be difficult to convey when employees are wearing slouchy T-shirts and rubber slippers.
Jenny Cao-Wu understands the urge to be expressive.
"If it were up to me, it would be a fashion show every day," she said. "When I entered the corporate world, I was so unimpressed by the clothes available to me. Most people end up buying very similar things."
Cao-Wu grew up in Colorado and worked on the East Coast before moving to Hawaii with her local-born husband in June 2012. While casting about for work here, she decided to merge her love of fashion with an understanding of corporate demands to establish her online shopping site, Freshionable.com, focusing on business wear.
Along the way, she enlisted many local designers as well as national designers, whose separates fit the bill for clothing that manages to be stylish yet office-appropriate and affordable for ambitious young women.
"There are many wonderful brands targeting the mature population. They’re beautiful but expensive," she said. "Maybe they just graduated, maybe they have student debt. Maybe they’re looking for their first job and just don’t have the budget, so that’s my motivation. I wanted to offer items at a more acceptable price. Almost everything on the site is less than $100 but still of good quality.
"I was fortunate to have been able to meet a lot of local designers. I feel like there’s so many things happening in the Hawaii fashion community, and I want to be able to help export these designers nationally and internationally."
Among the local companies and designers featured on Freshionable are Allison Izu, UMEE, 19th & Whimsy, Panacea and H&K Handbags.
While trying to figure out how to best help others dress to impress in a tight job market, Cao-Wu also started writing down her thoughts and is just about finished writing her book, "A Fashionista’s Guide to Chic Career Fashion." She will be offering it as a free download for one month after its launch sometime this fall.
One of Cao-Wu’s major themes is the disconnect between personal style and work style.
"Personal branding is incredibly important, and your attire is a big part of that. The problem is that people are not schooled in how to dress, so people come to work in their weekend wardrobes," she said. "In Hawaii we’re so used to being casual all the time that it’s hard to walk that line between being casual and dressing up when an occasion requires it."
Her former job involved recruiting new graduates from college campuses, and as much as she was aware of potential biases associated with candidates’ dress, she said she found it true that first impressions spoke volumes.
It’s human nature to size up others — a survival trait to separate friend from foe.
"It’s instantaneous, and it’s a reality that people make so many judgments based on the way you present yourself. That may be wrong but that’s just how things work," she said. "I could tell whether a candidate would be successful within the first 30 seconds of our meeting."
She said she saw many women who would have been wise to cover up more, though it was not her place to give fashion advice that might have helped them on future interviews.
"It’s really important to know how you’re being perceived," she said.
It’s an area of sensitivity for Cao-Wu, who said her parents didn’t have much money when she was growing up, and she was teased for wearing secondhand clothing.
"It’s one thing when you’re a child and have no control over what you’re wearing, but we’re adults. Even if we’re on budgets, we can learn to make smart choices."
