The question is an old one: do clothes make the man?
No. And yet, in professional or formal settings, what we wear does influence immediate perception. Not out of superficiality, but because dress code is one of the fastest ways to decode an environment.
The collaboration between Pineider and the Italian Etiquette Society stems from this very awareness: form, in all its expressions, is an act of clarity. Pineider has long embodied this principle through paper, leather, and accessories designed to accompany both work and everyday style. Reflecting on dress code means extending the same principle to personal presence.
The workshop led by Elisa Motterle addressed the topic with a practical, contemporary approach. Not a set of rigid rules, but a method for reading codes—both explicit and implicit—and learning how to interpret them without ever compromising one’s individuality.
The most common uncertainties concern familiar situations: job interviews, important meetings, networking events, institutional dinners—occasions where every detail matters. The main dress codes, from business formal to the more current interpretations of business casual, were analyzed through key variables: garment structure, clean lines, color palettes, and materials.
The goal is not to strive for perfection, but to build awareness: avoiding missteps that weaken authority and enhancing one’s presence through measured choices. When understood intelligently, dress code becomes a tool for confidence, allowing one to enter an environment with greater balance and ease.
Within the Pineider setting, this principle became evident: form does not replace substance—it enhances it. The workshop on November 22 was conceived as an opportunity to offer concrete, immediately applicable tools, helping participants present themselves with clarity and coherence in the situations that matter.
A simple skill, yet one capable of making a real difference.