Millikin students had a unique opportunity this past week. Students were able to browse through a variety of business attire and professional styled clothing. These outfits are a huge benefit to students, as they can be utilized not only for work, but weddings, dining out, birthdays, business fairs, or even daily wear.

One key factor with this event is that if you don’t know what you’re looking for, there are people to help assist with that. In addition, if you see something that you like and it just so happens to be too big or too small, those same people are willing and able to make alterations so the clothes can fit just right! Another key factor for this Dress to Impress event is that it’s right here on campus. You don’t have to travel to the mall, Walmart, Target, and similar places to look for said clothes and they’re FREE! You read that correctly, FREE. Free as in you don’t have to pay anything at all, no taxes, and no extra fees. All you do is sign your name, student ID and get started.

Some may ask, why should I dress to impress? One might say that dressing properly does in fact boost your confidence and it is a known fact that when you look good you feel good. It also enhances your credibility within your interactions with clients, coworkers, managers, etc. The proper attire is a way to show your unique personality, improve productivity or motivation to perform better and show your full potential. It helps to make a good first impression both for yourself as well as if you are representing a company, so reputation plays in there as well. Most of all, respect. When one steps into the room with a nice suit or dress on and the right accessories, it shows those around them that you’re respectful and responsible. Not only does it show that you are respectful, but it commands those around you to show that same respect.

There were many students who came out to this Millikin event. Though I couldn’t talk to them all, I did have the opportunity of talking to one of them. That student’s name is Julian Keith. He is a sophomore here at Millikin University and is a Business Management Major. The first question I asked Keith was, why did you go to this event. He responded by saying that he originally came to get some earrings but also wanted to get back into his suit era. Keith admits he hadn’t been in a suit in a while and wanted to feel what it felt like to be more presidential and put together instead of wearing loose or tacky clothes all the time. A few things Julian liked about the event were those helping the students find outfits, and tailoring things for them. He also noted that he enjoyed seeing everybody in formal clothing.

Knowing that these kinds of clothes and accessories outside of school are very expensive, while also trying to find something that fits you nice at the same time, can cost a lot of money. For that, he admires the fact that the clothes at this Millikin event were fitted for the right people, saying, “it made it very easy.” Furthermore, by him being a Business Major himself, these being free clothes, and free business clothes at that, made it all work out for the good. When asked about the location in which the event was held, Julian did say that it was a bit of a tight space. However, everyone was able to maneuver with no problems and no one was bumping into each other. He did suggest maybe moving the event up to one of the Banquet rooms of the University Commons building. That way there could be more spacing.

Now though he couldn’t find a good fitting blazer for himself, he did find a vest, a unique tie that stuck out to him and earrings. Julian said that there were a good variety of clothes, colors, shoes, and accessories at this event and believes overall the event was well put together. In addition, everyone was kind and polite and there was no chaos. This was Keith’s second time coming to the dress to impress event and said that he would most definitely come back again!

Now for others this wasn’t the case. Talking around campus, the issue of time came up. Some students noted that they weren’t able to come to the event because of classes being at the same time or even having to work. One might recommend possibly cancelling classes at that time, or if not canceling classes allow those who want to attend to do so. Another suggestion may be to have two different times. Maybe stick with the early time and add on a later time so others can come in between classes and their campus jobs. Or even host the event twice out the week. There are also a few that claim they didn’t know about the event. Some students admit that they don’t always keep up with their emails about what’s going on throughout campus and sometimes barely see the flyers around the school. In what ways could Millikin University do better in promoting and making sure that students around the campus can keep up with events? I’ll leave that up to you.

I also went to this event and was satisfied with what I found. I was able to find a nice shirt, pants, shoes, matching earrings, and bracelet to go with. This was my second time going to the event and will for sure come back again next time. I hope others can get the chance to enjoy this event in the future as well and walk out with confidence knowing they were Dressed to Impress.