Kay Cadman, director of Core Marketing & Events, says appearances may be deceiving but in a world of commerce they matter, despite the casual approach to work attire that has dominated, perhaps until now...

I was listening to Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen on the radio last week remarking on how casual a dress code we have adopted in the UK.

I found myself agreeing with him, especially regarding dress sense in the workplace. I think we sometimes forget that how you dress says a lot about you, your lifestyle and your approach to work.

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It is said that you have ten seconds upon meeting someone to make your first impression.

Fifty five per cent of the impact we make is the way we dress, act and walk through the door.

You can't hide from the fact that people will judge you on the way you look. This applies to clients, employers, employees and others that we meet at networking events and other external work related occasions on a regular basis.

Your appearance plays a huge part in the way you are perceived and treated.

The time-old adage of never judge a book by its cover may be a wise one but I'm not so sure it applies in the workplace.

Others seemingly agree and the mood is turning.

A decade ago 'dressing down' was most certainly in vogue.

However the tide is turning and major blue chip employers are beginning to once again make waves about the smart suit look that, obviously worn properly, delivers a statement of efficiency like no other. I am not knocking the likes of dress down Fridays and Hyacinth Bouquet.

However, I think that keeping up appearances in terms of dress sense is an important one and I am obviously not alone as a new trend looks set to begin.

How you dress says a lot about you and I think it's well worth making that effort.