At Clearbox, we recently hosted a “colour analysis” evening with Mary from Corporate and Creative Image. A fun (and informative) evening was had by all, discovering our unique colour palettes and the tones that would help bring out our best (looking) selves. As it turns out, there’s a lot more to power-dressing than suits and shoulder pads…

It got us thinking about the connection between how people dress, and what it says about them. We’ve all heard the statistic that over 50% of communication is non-verbal, and this includes clothing! Far from being scoffed at, the manner in which we present ourselves is the very first piece of messaging anyone receives about who we are. That’s a lot of comms responsibility riding on fashion choices. Where this is of most relevance from a PR perspective is in visual media, be it photography, broadcast television or social media. If you know your client is going to be seen and potentially photographed, it might be worth considering how they’re going to present themselves. For an extreme example of tone-deaf dressing, look no further than the Melania Trump controversy of 2018, when she wore a jacket with the words “I really don’t care, do u?” on the back during a visit to a detention centre for migrant children in Texas. 

Image Credit: Reuters

Even in scenarios where the fashion faux-pas isn’t as blatantly obvious, clothing can indicate so much more on a subconscious level. After all, audiences aren’t always consciously grading outfits – but their brains are likely pattern-matching in the background. Here are some psychological phenomena to consider when curating the appropriate image for your client.

Authority cues – Structure, tailoring, and a minimal, “put-together” look read as competence.

Cognitive load – Busy patterns, distracting jewelry, or clashing colors pull attention away from the message itself, competing with it for mental bandwidth. 

Context expectations – What reads as “credible” shifts by industry. A startup founder in a blazer over a t-shirt can look confident, but a bank spokesperson in the same outfit may look unprepared.

Aside from audience perception, psychologists have also studied what’s called “enclothed cognition” – the idea that what we wear doesn’t just change how others see us, it changes how we think and behave ourselves. A spokesperson in a sharp, well-fitted outfit doesn’t just look more composed; they often feel more composed, which shows up in their posture, tone, and pacing.

There’s also a halo effect at play. Viewers make snap judgments about competence and trustworthiness within seconds of seeing someone, long before assessing what they actually say. 

How do I decide what to wear for a media interview?

• Solid colors over busy patterns – patterns can shimmer on camera and add unnecessary visual noise.
• Fit over brand – an ill-fitting outfit reads as lower status regardless of the price tag.
• Color with intention – blue tends to read as trustworthy, red as intense or urgent – but context always outweighs a color chart.
• Minimize distractions – avoid noisy jewelry, shiny fabrics, or anything that moves when you do.
• Match the medium – TV needs different choices than a podcast or a print photo shoot, where stillness, sound, and framing all vary.

What are the most common mistakes?

• Overdressing or underdressing relative to the brand’s identity.
• Trying so hard to look “authoritative” that the result feels stiff or inauthentic.
• Ignoring how clothing interacts with lighting and background – a color that blends into the backdrop, or fabric that reflects badly under studio lights.

What a spokesperson wears isn’t just decoration – it’s preparation. It shapes how the message lands before a single word is spoken, and it shapes how confident the speaker feels delivering it. Dressing well for public appearances isn’t just about looking good. It’s about managing perception and self-assurance at the same time – consciously, instead of leaving it to chance. Do us a favour though – leave the shoulder pads at home!