SUBTEXTMs. Grillo pointed out that there is no easy formula. "You
can't go to a book on how to dress for success and follow a rigid
pattern. It won't work. For one thing, those books are too conserva-
tive for today's world! For another, each woman must develop
her personal style, a style that suits her own personality and sub-
text." She stresses that women in business should, above all,
dress with quality. As for color, that depends on the situation.
"If I were going into a bank in a business situation for the first
time I would wear red. It's a very warm color and it stimulates
people. It sends a subtext of confidence, and today it's as acceptable
as navy for women. People like to look at it, and women like to
wear it."
She listed yellow as another attractive but unappreciated color,
warning, however, that women must find the shade of yellow that
suits their particular complexions. "It's not an easy color, but it
can be effective. I think green is another wonderful color, particu-
larly teal."
The point she emphasized is that women in business can be a
lot more creative today in terms of dress. They should develop
their own style and be comfortable with what they wear. There
are a lot of options available, but the businesswoman must be
careful to avoid clothes that are too trendy or outlandish. The
most important element in dressing for business is that the type
of business will dictate the style of dress—and, in turn, your
style of dress will dictate your subtext.
As an example, Ms. Grillo cited the area of sales where a
subtext of credibility is the most important thing. "If you don't
impress me as being credible, why should I buy from you? Why
will I believe you're selling me something that works?"
The subtext of credibility comes not only from how you speak
in the sales pitch itself, but also from how you dress. A saleswoman