Edith Head, the famous costume designer for Hollywood movies said, "You can have everything you want as long as you dress for it!" She had a point. Costumes are as essential for the movie of your life as they are for a Hollywood film.

Before you open your mouth, your appearance speaks for you. How you dress affects how others perceive you and how you perceive yourself. Once people get to know you, they may change their opinion of you despite how you look, but why risk it? Make it easy for them.

Even before actors are cast, they dress themselves for auditions (AKA job interviews). A dozen or more actors may "read" for a part, so the competition is keen. If they know the part is that of a farm worker, they don't come dressed in the hottest new fashions. If they hope to be cast as a biker, banker, pharmacist, or athlete, they buy or borrow a "costume" -- street clothes that will subtly suggest the character they want to play. When Estelle Getty auditioned for "The Golden Girls", they said she was too young. She returned, dressed as the character she was to play, and was hired on the spot. Theoretically, casting directors should be able to look at someone dressed like a Wall Street broker and imagine a trucker, or vice versa, but why make them work so hard?

Once they've got the part, all actors know how important it is to create the right visual look for the character. You also should be aware of the intended and unintended messages that your clothes can send to your audience. Different groups have unspoken "musts" and "no-no's" that indicate "this person is one of us" or "this person should be ignored or even shunned."

Just like film costumes, well-chosen clothes can conceal figure flaws, elevate your mood, and affect how you stand, sit, and walk. More conservative outfits usually dictate the restricted, subdued movements more suitable for formal and business situations, while soft, loose clothes allow dramatic gestures and more athletic strides. Depending on the scene being played, your star may require clothes that are wildly memorable or subtle and discreet.

In my business, part of my marketing strategy is to be noticed. Although I would never wear a hat on stage, hats are part of my costume at networking events. First, they get me noticed, and second, total strangers initiate conversation and remember me afterwards. "Yes," they say, "I know Patricia Fripp. She's the one who always wears hats."

Several years ago I delivered a speech wearing a custom-made Wonder Woman costume. I posed the question to the audience Whether Wonder Woman was a fictional character or a state of mind. We concluded she was both. I then suggested that everyone needs their own version of a super-hero costume, something you wear to guarantee you'll feel so good you know you're going to succeed in making the sale or get the promotion.

So be sure you dress for the part you want to get as you produce the screenplay of your life.

About the Author
Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional .She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at:PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com