Dress For Success
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University students took to the catwalk last week to show fellow students how to dress to professional standards.
It was the second year of the “Dress for Success” fashion show featuring students modeling business clothing.
The Wednesday night event, attended by nearly 130 in the university's Russell Wright Alumni House, featured six female and two male models.
But none were wearing bold, fashion-forward clothing, said Michele Czerwinski, assistant general manager of Grove City Premium Outlets, one of the sponsors of the event.
In a job interview, Czerwinski said, “you're going the most conservative route that you can. You want the focus on what you are saying and your presentation. You don't want any fashion distraction.”
The fashion show is part of making Slippery Rock students well-rounded individuals, said LisaMarie Weinzetl, director of the Office of Conference Services at SRU.
“I worked in the corporate world, and I would see interns and see how they dress. And now that I am in the higher education field, we can fix that or we can better prepare them, when they might not be dressing appropriately,” said Weinzetl.
Weinzetl said the fashion show covered more than just dressing for a job interview.
The show illustrated how to dress when traveling with your boss, attending a conference, presenting at a conference and even working out in the corporate fitness center, she said.
“Once you are on the job, what is casual Friday? How far can you go on casual Friday?” asked Czerwinski. “The bigger corporations now have gyms. What's appropriate to wear to your fitness facility when you are surrounded by senior executives?”Weinzetl said the students registering for the show split evenly between men and women and included freshmen through seniors.Czerwinski said a basic workday wardrobe can be assembled fairly cheaply.“Stick with the basics, clean lines. A couple of good pair of pants/skirts and a really nice jacket is enough to get you started,” she said. “You can mix and match with shirts and various accessories.”“You are your own billboard. You are your own brand and what you wear is part of your brand and you want to represent yourself in the best light possible,” said Czerwinski.The event was sponsored by the Slippery Rock University President's Commission on the Status of Women, SRU's Office of Career Services, AVI Food Systems and Grove City Prime Outlets.
