Do clothes really “make the man” or woman? They certainly affect your status in corporate offices, as I discovered when I worked for Weight Watchers for many years. (Size was the major criterion but that’s another story.)

However, what if you work at home, like many of us these telecommuting days, and there’s no one to be impressed with your sartorial expertise other than the mailperson and the dog?

As a freelancer who works in what used to be my daughter’s bedroom, I normally – or abnormally, depending on your view – head for that space right after breakfast, still in my bathrobe. Why bother getting dressed when I’m in my own home?

So I was intrigued when I read a recent blog by “The Renegade Writer,” Linda Formichelli. She claims that getting nicely dressed, hair brushed, makeup, etc., puts you in a more efficient mood for work. (The only “make up” I take time for is making up plots.) Formichelli even advocates the benefits of showering first. I tried her advice one morning last week, but got too antsy about the precious minutes I was losing from my deadline. Sad to say, my writing wasn’t any livelier

Though styles don’t affect my style when it comes to writing, I have to admit that interviewing people by phone while not fully dressed makes me insecure. You don’t have to be a writer to feel that way. Many executives who work from home – both men and women – confess that their sense of power is affected by how they’re attired. I’ve given radio interviews and felt disoriented, as if the authoritative voice I try to summon up can’t come from a woman still in her PJ’s! ( I’ve yet to be interviewed via Skype, but that would certainly make me rush for my wardrobe and makeup.)

Formichelli might have a well-earned point. . After all, she’s sold a multitude of articles, presumably written while dressed. So I’m going to experiment with getting dressed before I start my work day, even though it’s a homebound one. At least this might make me more confident when I phone editors, agents, et al. ” Hello there, do I sound like an author who’s well-dressed?”

Frankly, these financially- troubled and socially- sparse days, who else do I have to dress for if not myself?

Website: annehosansky.com

BOOKS:”Widow’s Walk” available through iUniverse.com; “Turning Toward Tomorrow” available through xLibris .com ; “Ten Women of Valor” – available through CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com. Also Amazon Kindle.