How to Dress If You Want to Get Ahead at Work

Does the way you dress affect whether you get hired for a job or offered a promotion? While that sleek matching set may not be the determining factor in your success at work, fashion designer and style legend Rebecca Minkoff believes that the way we present ourselves matters in the office and beyond.

She knows a thing or two (or 2,000) about style: Minkoff, whose career took off after she released her now-iconic Morning After Bag in 2005, celebrates the 20th anniversary of her namesake brand this year.

While designing luxe looks for chic customers is her bread and butter, she hasn’t stuck to one industry. At 44, she is also an accomplished author, a co-founder of the Female Founder Collective, and the host of the Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff podcast.

In between her busy schedule, the mother of four stopped by The Looker’s office to speak with senior editor Sam Escobar and share her best tips for dressing (and impressing) at work.

“Your first impressions are really important,” Minkoff told The Looker, when asked about office-wear, noting that style can affect career growth.

As an example of what not to do, she referenced a memory from years back: “A woman came to interview [with us] many years ago, and she looked like she should work at a bank.” There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with that, Minkoff explained, but the woman was applying to be a salesperson at the fashion brand. Her outfit gave the impression that she had not done any research into the company.

What would have been a better option? Minkoff encourages people to take the work environment—and the industry you’re working in, or wish to work in—into account.

“I always say, dress like yourself and have your own personal touch, but obviously look around you,” she said. “Are you in a newsroom? Are you at a doctor’s office?” It’s essential to dress accordingly, she says, but also to “bring your unique touch.”

For Minkoff, it means dressing in accordance with her brand. “When you close your eyes, and you go, what is a Rebecca Minkoff bag?” she said. “There’s a little bit of edge, there’s a little bit of studding or hardware. It’s a little bit of rock and roll.” That’s what she wants people to see when they look at her. And people love what they see, as shown by the popularity of Rebecca Minkoff bags that align with this aesthetic, like the Edie Flap Shoulder Bag ($398, Rebecca Minkoff), a goes-with-anything leather design featuring antique brass accents and celestial studs.

Minkoff also told The Looker that her personal style has not always been the best either. The acclaimed designer only learnt to really celebrate her body through her outfits in her forties, after giving birth to her fourth child, she says.

To explore your personal style, Minkoff encouraged experimentation and fun. “Have a date where you just go play and just try on stuff,” she suggested. “Take pictures and see how you look and how it makes you feel.”

The designer’s other recommendation is to scroll through Pinterest and step out of your comfort zone: “Just start pulling things that are a little like 10% risky, and see what it feeds you. And then order those things and experiment, or go to the store and experiment.”

Minkoff noted that people have grown used to dressing very casually, thanks to the pandemic pushing everybody to stay home, and that the habit might be hard to break. Her tip for expanding a too-narrow wardrobe: “Buy one thing that makes you uncomfortable. Not physically, but [one that makes you think] can I pull this off?”

You’re never too old to experiment, she said. “There are no rules anymore.”

In September 2025, Minkoff launched a capsule collection, RM Studio, exclusively sold on QVC. With sleek designs and a great size range, the line sold quickly, but Minkoff hinted to The Looker that more is to come in the spring. Her favorite piece from the collection: A leopard print denim jacket and leopard print ankle jeans.

“Leopard is a neutral,” she said with a laugh. “I definitely like to push the boundaries.”