Does the suit make the woman

Sitting in the lobby of Angostura after long after IABC T&T's Wine and Cheese had finished, my colleagues Wynelle Gregorio of Clico, Carlon Kirton of CIB and I were shooting the breeze. We were talking about everything and nothing, all at the same time. It was the kind of conversation I like best though, there's no agenda, dialogue about the personal as well as the professional and what seems like all the time in the world.

During what seemed like an endless chat we stumbled across the topic of conforming and the perception that you are a professional if you dressed a certain way and looked a particular way. Think suits, high-heeled pumps and dark stockings. Somehow that irked me. I was none of the above and it got me thinking was I unprofessional because I wear my hair afro-styled? Is the label applicable, because although I have numerous suits in my closet I tend to shun them as I would the plague.

I must end all this by declaring that I run a very successful PR firm, have pioneered several large scale national projects and have a slew of clients that are not only the best in the region but the best in the world. And I got here sans the trappings of ‘the right look’.

What do you think? How much do you have to conform in order to do well in the professions you hold? I'd love to hear from you.