Trump: How to Get Rich

Dress for Your Culture

I used to pride myself on buying very inexpensive suits and other clothing. It just didn’t make sense to pay thousands of dollars for great clothes when you could buy something for a hundred dollars. Who would know the difference?

Over the years, I’ve learned that this is wrongheaded. I now buy very high-quality shoes, and they seem to last forever, whereas the cheapos used to wear out quickly and always looked as cheap as the price I’d paid for them. The same is true for suits. These days, I go for Brioni, whose service and attention to detail is second to none. They supplied most of the clothing for The Apprentice, so I have tremendous loyalty to them (and I got a good deal). They also make great overcoats.

The way we dress says a lot about us before we ever say a word.To me, dressing successfully means understanding your environment: knowing the culture and making an effort to reflect—and respect—it.

The look in Beverly Hills may be attractive, but that same look may be met with scorn on Wall Street. Success is hard enough to achieve without showing up on casual Friday in a three-piece suit. Don’t put up unnecessary hurdles for yourself.

Make it easy for people to take you seriously. I would wonder about someone who arrived for a meeting or an interview and was dressed inappropriately for the culture of that particular workplace—for example, a guy showing up at Trump Tower in a cowboy hat, boots, and a fringed cowhide jacket. It’s more about culture than style. Be aware of your surroundings and dress accordingly.

Some people can get away with anything. Most people can’t. Micha Koeppel, who works at The Trump Organization, usually looks like a Canadian Mountie in full regalia. To look at him, you’d think he was about to lead an expedition through the Rockies. Then again, my buildings are tall, and he scouts the right locations for them, so maybe there’s a reason for his getups. It works for him, and he does a good job, so I don’t mind.

It’s certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on The Apprentice were, to a very large extent, dependent on their sex appeal. The fact that sex sells is nothing new. However, women are judged harshly when they go too far, so be careful in how you present yourself. If you want to be acknowledged for your intelligence as well as your beauty, don’t stand in your own way. Not everyone can tune out a knock-em-dead appearance. Think of how you would like to be perceived, and proceed from there.

I tend to notice what people are wearing only if they look exceptionally well put together—or exceptionally badly put together. It has more to do with style than which designer they may or may not be wearing. As I said, expensive clothing usually looks like it was worth the price.

Have you ever noticed how we tend to pigeonhole people in certain professions by their appearance? It’s a form of shorthand to just be able to say your basic accountant type or a typical advertising type when describing someone. Every profession has a certain look or standard. Just say banker and you’ve saved yourself a hundred words. It’s not always fair, but that’s how it works.

However, you don’t have to be a typical anything.

For example, Frank McKinney looks like a cross between a rock star and a surfer dude. You would never guess by looking at him that he’s a real estate entrepreneur who sells ultra-high-end residential real estate in Florida. When he speeds by you on his motorcycle in his Versace vest with his two feet of blond hair blowing in the wind, you can bet he’s on his way to a business meeting. But that’s Frank’s style, and he’s very successful.

I’m a conservative dresser due to business considerations and to save time. I enjoy flamboyance in other people—I’m more interested in what a beautiful woman might wear than in anything I might ever put on.

Be aware that your attire can literally become a costume. I’ve known a lot of terrific-looking scoundrels and a lot of well-dressed bums.

Being tasteful is being tasteful, no matter what line of work you’re in. Sure, it helps to have the money to buy great clothes, but a little style can go a long way.

Here I am on top of Trump World Tower at the United Nations Plaza. I like to check up on things, even without my helicopter.