Does The Color Suit You Wear Matter?

A while ago, upon my dawning into the age of the ever-popular "Bar Rescue" (a show hosted by John Taffer, a renowned Bar Consultant who, suffice to say, scares just as much as he delights), I began to notice something interesting about this man.

No, it was not his screaming voice when he yells at bar owners for not "cleaning their f'ing kitchens!" At best, fascinated by this militant voice, I began to grow tired and bored with the concept; it made no sense to begin with. How could so many bar owners fail so blindly? How could a bar owner (or any business owner) not know when to cut their losses?

They end up in debt of upward of $100,000.

Do people not know what an exit strategy is?

Anyway, this is not the point of this 90 Day Content Challenge article but it does have a point, I promise, aside from the failures of bar owners. Every time this man walked into the bar he was working with, his suit would be a different color. Now, most people think:

"Any suit is fine."

Wrong Way To Think...

First and foremost, it has been proven in a 2011 study that the color of your suit can make an assertion. We all want Armani suits, yes, but that is not what I noticed from Taffer.

It was not the make, the undershirt beneath the jacket, or even the expression on his face while first coming in contact with a newbie bar owner. Most would suffice that black suits, blue suits and gray suits all mean the same thing. But then I began to do some intense observational research on the matter, and boom, I had found a topic.

It was the colors he wore when in certain situations that dawned a new interest in "color psychology." I began to notice that he wore mostly blue suits when first scoping out the bar. Later, he shifts to a red color. Then, later, he moves onto blue again, and so on.

Once again, this does have a point.

Color psychology is a concept many think they understand, but before we continue, I quote an article I read a while back: yes, the color of suit you wear can matter. In a 2011 study by Bertram Gawronski, et. al. (weird name, right?!), that first impression does matter.

This part we do know for sure.

We do know that though when you wear a certain color suit, and you are making an impression at, say, a job interview, the mind's eye wanders through the occipital lobe, associating color with power, leadership, teamwork, association of mindset, and more.

The Psychology Of Suit Colors

The color suit you wear to a job interview can actually determine your chances at obtaining it (if matched properly.) As an example, it is stated that blue suits represent teamwork; black suits represent power; gray suits work best when trying to look hyper-organized; white or brown suits incur the idea of a hard-worker....

I began to assimilate the colors of his jacket with the entirety of his approach.

Though you may think you are choosing a certain color suit because it "looks good," there is ample research on this topic. The psychology of color remains undetermined, and is a mystery at least. Despite this, I wanted to take a moment to discuss in today's article: what color suit should you wear and how does it determine your outcome?

The First Encounter With Taffer

So, that first encounter, Taffer is always wearing blue.

I never see him without a blue blazer on that first encounter when he has to emphasize leadership and power. This is the point of the show that comes with yelling.

Tons and tons of yelling.

Now, when we examine this in context, why would he wear this color when trying to gain trust? Well, that question does not have an answer. There are actually no conclusive studies on color psychology, despite what my Psychology classes once taught.

Though we know color does dominate on an anthropological level (hence why bulls react to the color red with anger and aggression, which is another topic we do not understand yet), color psychology is mixed in dexterity, at best.

It began in the early 1990s when individuals began to see lawyers wearing mostly blue and gray suits. This is because we deduct that a blue suit indicates trust. Then, move onto another article and boom, they say use black to deduct authority.

Is any of this really backed by science?

No, it is not.

It Is Nothing New, But Not Yet Understood

You see, color psychology is such a new concept that it can be rather difficult to trust.

Why would Taffer yell while wearing it? Would he not choose red (a color associated with power and intimidation tactics)? I always see him breaking out the red suit when he is trying to mediate a given scenario, and this is a fascinating way to look at the world.

However, in doing my due diligence for this article, I found an impressionable concept: everyone has a different assertion of what color truly means. McDonald's, as an example, took a clue from a study that determined yellow makes people want to buy more items.

Why Is Research So Mixed?

It is because the human mind tries to wrap itself around abstract concepts. When we do not understand something, we spirit into debate, until we can prove the reason. Yes, that is the power of the human mind, and it is mixed when it comes to color psychology.

If you Google: "Color suits for job interviews," as I did a while back, you will notice something amidst the first string of, say, five links: they all say different things. One says black intimidates, while another says it represents mourning (much like a funeral). It will say blue indicates power, when in other studies, it indicates that blue indicates teamwork.

This all culminates to human observation.

There Is No Dominant Variable!

We are irrational creatures, at best, and we all want to make a good first impression. So, take this to heart before trusting the Internet with first impressions: at the beginning of a job interview, or an encounter, stick with black.

Black is not symbolic, as it is quite literally the culmination of all colors (worded exactly as that, and if you paid attention in art class, you will understand this all too well).

A dark blue also works.

In fact, I have found in time that I get the best reactions from flashy colors rather than those mediated by reason. Taffer, suffice to say, it not wearing a certain color suit because it will indicate his mood or temperament. Rather, he wants to be seen...

Heed This Warning

The idea of color psychology and "suits" is a bag of crud. I went into this article thinking that it would be a good idea to discuss this topic, and boy was I wrong! The fact is, the research I was hoping to confirm about Taffer's approach is beyond chaotic.

In fact, no one seems to have a fond grasp on the color suit to wear, the color that indicates buying patterns, or even the smell of Disney World (which, once, was accused of pumping pleasant smells into the park to initiate buying behaviors).

After writing this mysterious (albeit, useless) article, I have found only three tips that I can give you. If you want to make a good first impression, do the following:

a) Wear a dark suit, whether black or blue,

b) Brush your teeth or take a chew of gum,

c) Don't trip on the way in, and shake hands firmly.

I Think We Can All Agree That Is Power

But do not over-worry. I have found the best reactions I get from people culminate based on the impressionable facets of my personality, and that is power. However, I do recommend that sticking with darker colors work. We know the science behind the "black and blue" phenomenon, where either-or is proven to be trustworthy, as well as powerful.

But nothing can quite bypass the color of a suit except your personality.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, this has been a rather hap-hazardous article to dive into without research, but I tried. I thought there would be some magical culmination of color psychology online, but there is not. However, I can make an observation, and it is simple:

John Taffer's presence, attitude, and tone-of-voice matter so much more than the color suit, and I guarantee you that if you were to ask him to explain his dazzling choices in blazer colors, he would explain without question that it is not a choice he makes. Rather, the choice to enter a bar in a bright blue suit and black jeans indicate his personality that day.

And not the outcome of his color suit.

P.S. I urge you to watch the show at least once. It streams on Paramount Plus.

Like, Share, Subscribe, Comment, Repeat!

www.Circle5Books.com for writing help

www.ValianceCoaching.org for personal help