You're headed out to an important job interview, and even though your old black slacks and plain blouse aren't particularly exciting, your amazing resume and winning personality are all that matters, right?

Wrong, says Sheila Coates, a record company executive-turned-visual presentation specialist. Research has shown that people form their opinion of others within 30 seconds of meeting them, meaning a beat-up pair of slacks might be telling a stranger more about you than your Harvard degree. Coates spent her happiest years in the music industry helping recording artists establish their brand and project themselves through their appearance. After she left the industry, Coates decided to help regular folks do the same thing through her consulting company B.Y.O.B. (Be Your Own Brand).

"The same things you do in the entertainment business, a regular person needs," she told Black Voices. "We don't transform ourselves over and over, because we don't make music. But we do have the opportunity in our daily walk, especially as women, to have a target -- what it is you're trying to project every day. You've got to know that before you walk outside, or you'll just put on clothes and go. If you have a direction and a target, then you're projecting something you want people to get."
Coates travels the country working with and speaking to everyday professionals, many of whom, she says, are not projecting their personalities and strengths through their clothes. She told the story of a life coach who many people found to be unapproachable based on the outfits she wore.

"Most people have no idea the target they're shooting for when they get dressed," she said. During seminars, Coates hands out cards with the age-old "Perfect 10" listed on the back. The Perfect 10 is a list of clothing items every woman should have in her closet -- black pants, a black blazer, a black dress, a white shirt, black shoes, a black belt, a cardigan, a black skirt, a black overcoat and a camisole. On the front of the card, there's a space for the person to write her branding statement, a group of adjectives that describe the image she wants to project.
Depending on your personality, goals and career path, you might write down anything from creative and modern to classic and authoritative -- your brand is what you make it. Coates suggests that clients slip the card into their wallet and take it with them when they go shopping.

"You may not need the black skirt with the flared bottom," she said. "You may be the pencil skirt type or you may like the skirt with the pockets in the front. There are 30 black skirts in the store. How do you get to the Perfect 10 item that you need? You know your brand."

Studies have shown that women wear just 20 percent of their wardrobe. In this economy, Coates said, that's a shame. Following her tips will help decrease wasteful spending and help women invest in pieces that will last them forever and enhance their image.

"I'm about building a wardrobe," she said, "so that in economic times like these, you still only have to add maybe a cool necklace or a great pair of shoes because you already have the basics."