By Jordan Koziol
Columnist
This week we caught up with Arash Nouri, a 2011 College alumnus who double majored in psychology and communications. Currently employed as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, he shared some style tips for the workplace and post-grad life:
JK: How would you describe your style in college?
AN: My style in college always kept evolving. When I started college, my wardrobe style from high school sort of flowed into college with me, and it was atrocious. I wore baggier clothing or loose-fitted clothes and, in a way, I looked unkempt. As time went on in college, I started wearing more fitted clothing that complemented my body better.
JK: How has it evolved since you graduated from the College?
AN: I used to wear a lot of polos or button downs in college, especially when I went out partying. I have discontinued polos in my wardrobe because I personally do not like them on me and they do not match my style anymore. I do love nice T-shirts, from tees, to henleys, v-necks because they’re not as constricting and I feel like I can breathe more in them. I try to steer clear from store logos or big emblems. One’s appearance looks cleaner when you aren’t a walking billboard for a store.
JK: How does your casual wear differ from what you wear to the workplace?
AN: Some of the clothing I wear to work I actually wear out in everyday life or for a night out with friends. This usually consists of the button down or shoes that I wear to work. If I’m going somewhere classy, like a really nice nightclub or something, I’ll wear slacks, but only if the occasion calls for it. Clothing for work can definitely be versatile and be worn for everyday life. You just need to figure out when the occasion calls for work clothes to be used as everyday/going out clothes.
JK: How do you incorporate style into the workplace?
AN: I tend to match my dress shirts to my dress socks and then wear certain pairs of shoes with certain pant colors. For example, I wear my brown leather work shoes with my navy blue dress pants for a crisp look. Or, if I have a purple button down, I will match that with a pair of predominantly purple dress socks.
JK: What wardrobe staples would you recommend college students investing in for their professional wardrobe?
AN: Make sure your business and professional clothing are flattering and fitting to your body. I can’t tell you the countless amounts of people I encounter in the work environment who are not dressing to their body type. Both guys and girls will need a nice, clean suit. Guys will further need neutral colored button downs, like white, pale blue, etc., for their interviews and a nice skinny tie. The fatter ties are not in style as much anymore.
JK: What is your go-to interview outfit?
AN: I like to keep it simple and wear a black suit, black tie, black dress socks and black dress shoes with either a white or pale blue button down. If you have other suit colors, like blue or grey, then dress that suit accordingly. When I actually land the job and join the company, I break out more fun colors in my wardrobe because I literally have every color button down possible. Once you’re hired, you can spice things up with your outfits and stand out.
JK: Any trend predictions for fall 2015?
AN: Scarves and hats, mainly because I am going to be investing in them and applying them more into my wardrobe, so let’s get that going.
