Dress Code: Work Attire
Is anyone else still feeling the effects of daylight savings, the weekend, and especially St. Patrick's Day? For the past two weeks I have felt like a slug at 8 a.m., making it nearly impossible to pick out an outfit and appear put together at work. While often I look to
or my favorite style blogs (
,
, and
), sometimes I get so into the site I end up online shopping and not really focusing on what I'm trying to do - dress to impress.
When I do get around to focusing on dressing to impress, I am always reminded of the book
Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire by
, author and
former senior executive for
.
In her book Guiliano offers practical career advice for women, as well as stories from her own experience.
In one of my favorite chapters (the one that discusses fashion and appropriate work attire), Guiliano addresses the important and ever awkward topic of office wardrobe.
Key Points:
Do's: Establish a style for yourself, like your own personal brand; invest in the following staples: a little black dress, a neutral cardigan, trench coat, crewneck sweater, any and all black sweaters, a classic navy blazer and ballet flats or comfortable pumps; spice up outfits with accessories like scarves, belts, statement jewelry, and a must have statement bag.
Don'ts : Wear any sheer clothing, strapless tops or anything "beachy", super miniskirts, anything ragged or wrinkled, and especially don't sport anything overly branded.
While Guiliano's work attire advice may not always fit your needs (for example I work in a very relaxed creative design studio and would rather die than wear a pant suit), elements of her advice do transfer to all work realms, and really all aspects of your daily fashion. I strongly believe that staples like dark denim, black skinny jeans, and a blazer can be rotated over and over and be reinvented with a fun accessory. In all honesty she might be a little afraid of how willing I am to step outside my "usual brand" and try any latest trend, but who cares!
Now, with all this in mind, above are some ways I plan to get myself together and implement pieces of Guiliano's pointers, along with my own personal "do's and don'ts" over the upcoming weeks, if the snow ever freakin' goes away. Did you notice that by Friday I anticipate looking a little dishelved?
True Confession: I don't wear heels to work. Ever.
- Suzanne