This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Liz Weselby, a 53-year-old communications executive based in Sydney. It has been edited for length and clarity.
At 29, I left the UK for a job at a newspaper in Thailand. Over the years, my career has led me to live in five cities around the world: London, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney.
I’ve had to adapt my work wardrobe multiple times. Each place brought unique challenges and cultural nuances, and I’ve had some awkward encounters to show for them.
One thing I’ve learnt is that the color of my clothes matters more than I’d ever thought it would.
Colors reflect cultural nuances
I enjoyed living in Bangkok and stuck around for 7 years. During that time, I learned that the color of clothes matters greatly to the Thai people.
In 2010, Bangkok was in crisis, and there was a series of huge demonstrations across the city. Supporters of the ousted prime minister wore red shirts.
I remember going to meet a client and accidentally wearing a red top, and they commented on it even though I’m not Thai. I found out later that one of the client’s properties had been burned down by the red-shirt protesters.
I learned about what other colors could offend the people I was working with, and in the end, one of my favorite things about Thai culture was that each day of the week has a different color.
On Mondays, many people wore yellow because it was the Late King’s birthday, and yellow is associated with royalty.
On Tuesdays, people wore pink in honor of the late Queen Mother.
Black was generally frowned upon at the time because it was associated with death and bad luck. I’d moved from London, where I wore black four out of five days a week, and suddenly, it couldn’t be my dress code anymore.
I didn’t think to research cultural norms around fashion before moving to Thailand — and I should have. These days, though, there is tons of information online, from practical guides to millions of Reddit threads you can scroll through.
So do your research before building a work wardrobe for a new country. It’s important to be aware of the country’s cultural etiquette.
The right colors build rapport with clients
Another thing I like doing is researching the color of the brands I’m pitching to.
I worked on a pitch for a company in Hong Kong where the branding was all bright pink, so I wore a bright pink jumper. I’ve done it for another client who had purple branding, and I wore a mauve top.
It helps to mirror a client. It’s a hack to find a rapport with them. If you’re too mismatched, it’s harder to establish that connection.
This goes beyond colors — sometimes your entire outfit has to change depending on the client.
For example, most of my tech clients in Australia dress pretty casually, so I know I can wear jeans and a jacket. But when I’m meeting with people in the fashion industry or at luxury hotels, they tend to dress much more formally, so I’ll make sure I do too, usually wearing a trouser suit or a more formal dress.
So again, research is the key. You need to understand their business — but also who they are: their background, their age, and the environment the meeting will take place in.
Is it a coffee shop or a corporate office? Is it an event? And, if so, what kind of event?
Once you know that, you can show up in a way that feels appropriate.
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