The Year In Quotes — Practical Advice, Inspiration, and Humour Part 1

As yet another year comes to an end, we’re looking back at all the different people that we’ve had the pleasure to meet. What we like best is that all these come from people we’ve met on the streets — every day people, not always high-ranking CEOs or industry veterans, but always with a unique perspective and their own points of view. No matter where you came from, we’d like to thank each of you for being so incredibly open in sharing about yourselves, and in turn, inspiring us and our readers. Here’s our round up of the year in words, the first in a seven-part series — quotes, stories, and quips from our Shentonistas this year that might not have made the final cut, but have definitely stuck with us throughout 2015.

“Sometimes knowing when to wear what is more important than knowing what to wear.”
— Michael

“Early in my career I arrived on my first day at work wearing heels and a skirt suit. Later that day I ended up visiting a waste recycling plant and had to walk four floors up an external steel mesh staircase with my heels dropping through the gaps and my skirt blowing up in the wind. Learning from that experience, I now keep extra clothes and shoes in my office so that I’m always prepared.”
— Helena

“I think it’s always important to take care in how you dress as first impressions are really important. They say dress for the job you want, and I think that’s so true.”
— Christine

“Say no to contrast trimmings and colourful buttons for your shirt. Embrace the fabric in all its glory, not milk it for all its worth. Less is always more.”
— Gordon

“The best advice I can give for dressing up for work is very simple: you could go crazy loud or muted down, but the fit is everything.”
— Wilber

“How you dress in the workplace is very important because it says a lot about your personality, and sometimes it affects how people perceive your capability at the job you do. It’s important to figure out your personal style first, instead of copying someone else’s style. What you wear has to say something about you, and it has to make you feel confident and comfortable.”
— Shengnan

“I try to keep it simple and pick only solid white shirts for work. The only variations with my shirts are the collar types and I pair them with pants of various shades of blue and grey (but they all look the same really). It’s not so much about reducing decision fatigue (like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg), but rather, having the choice of wearing my favourite work outfit every single day.”
— Russel