The dynamic shift in working patterns has given birth to a new ‘above the desk’ work culture. With this new wave of change quickly making its way towards us, the best thing to do is riding it like you own it!

Being amidst a global crisis and trying to keep your sanity is tough. The pervasive influence of social distancing has a lot of us working from home, and contrary to popular belief, it’s not a piece of cake to look like the ideal WFH professional. More and more celebrities and public figures have jumped on to the bandwagon of conducting live interactions on social media platforms, from video conferencing to health coaches and spiritual healers holding webinars for thousands of people from around the world. Therefore, it becomes all the more significant to maintain an ‘above the keyboard’ persona that resonates with the content you’re delivering. This is what I call fixing the frame of your fashion for virtual interactions.

“It is deemed that fashion is an implicit expression of your own existence. So before you explain your philosophy through your work, one must radically embody it as if it’s built within you.”

I need you to remember these three keywords when it comes to framing your fashion – comfort, simplicity, and functionality.

Comfort – You don’t want to be wearing something that will make you fidget throughout the video; clothes are supposed to be a second skin. So, what you choose to wear for your online appearance has to be effortless for you, keeping in line with your self-expression (the most important thing!). Besides clothes, whether it’s the chair that you’re sitting on or if you’re strolling in your backyard, the camera angle where your webcam is placed – everything has to be comfortable for you.

Simplicity – Being simple while choosing your outfit, hairstyle and makeup will put your mind at ease and not worry you about whether you’ve over or underdone yourself. Moreover, if you’re online to sell your content, it would be a good idea to not let your appearance, or anything in the background for that matter, distract your viewers from the actual thing, by being out of place. Remember, the more you balance, the higher you impress.

Functionality – Expressing yourself with clothes and accessories, choosing the right silhouette for your body type, the right colour for your skin tone, the suitable necklines and sleeve-shapes, and below the waist dressing will set the benchmark for your framed fashion. With your shoes and bag being out of the frame, focus more on choosing statement jewellery pieces that complement your background and lighting, along with the tone of the subject being discussed.

I know a lot of you might be thinking of applying these tips to your appearance from the waist up, and that’s absolutely fine as long as you don’t have to stand up during your live session. But has it ever happened that you had to get up to grab something that was out of your reach, but couldn’t do it because your top and bottoms are a fashion blunder, and the world is watching??? This is where we emphasize on below the keyboard appearance as well. In case you are supposed to stand up for even a few minutes to demonstrate something, or if you have to randomly get up to grab a pen or a water bottle, the bottom line is – don’t become lazy in dressing up. The whole idea of framing your fashion is that whatever is captured in the frame in your camera has to be perfect in its entirety. The things visible in the frame should appeal to the status and what you have to offer to your audience.

Working From Home style (Photo Credits: Jasmine Dawda/File Image)

Top Trending Fashion Topics of Pandemic 2020

So, the key points to take away from this are that your virtual presentation is the backbone of the content you’re delivering. There’s very little information that one can give that’s already not on Google. It is how you magnify the subject with your knowledge and present your unique take on it that will matter. Accept it or not, this virtual frame of fashion is going to be with us for a long time in the foreseeable future. So why not embrace it fully, dress for the occasion, and blossom forth!

Appearances, of course, make impressions, but it is the personality that makes a foolproof impact. You are more than your physical appearance, your gender, and relationship status.

You’re a soul with a beautiful purpose and let that purpose be a part of your presence online.

The article "Frame Your Fashion" was originally published on Studded on Cluster website.

About The Author - Jasmine Dawda

Former model and fashion entrepreneur who’s enthusiastically encouraging sustainability and wish to create a line which will be helping to empower the authenticity of Indian handicraft and fabrics with chic and new edge twist.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2020 07:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).