Do you ever feel restricted by having to follow a corporate dress code? Sometimes we all do. One way to express yourself with fashion, even though wearing professional attire, is to go wild with the jewelry. In jewelry, the rules are so gray, the rights and wrongs are not very fixed at all. If you feel like a woman’s business suit kills your creativity sometimes, why don’t you take the opportunity to express your individuality with a necklace? Go out of your way to find unique necklaces that no-one else in your work place wears with their office outfits. Keep the suit and the blouse nice and sharp, but choose a jewelry set with thick layers of pearls and a beautiful shell as with this pink suit jacket; or big, chunky black beads as with this crisp white blouse; or a thick, red choker necklace as with Hillary Clinton’s brown pant suit.             Photo: Rubia Morua

A new lady who’s fashion to follow: see Sarah Palin’s style in this red power suit. Who would have thought the Governor of Alaska would be announced as McCain’s running mate? Well, considering this ex-beauty queen won Miss Alaska in 1984, it might be worth while to pay attention to her business outfits. She has the art of wearing women’s business suits down to a fine science. She is often seen in a plain pant suit in a power color with a basic blouse in a contrasting color. But here we have her in a turtleneck under her red business suit. Alaska is a cold state – perhaps that influences her choice of business attire somewhat. Red and black is dramatic, and it always catches attention. We’ll pay close attention to her professional clothes, and report more about it in upcomming blog posts.

This photo from: www.theadventuresofsuperwife.com

There has been a lot of talk about what constitutes a power color, and what doesn’t. Check out Hillary Clinton in this red pant suit. People have been debating whether or not red belongs in the category of power colors for suit. But looking at this, how can one doubt it. Yes, red is definitely a power color. Notice how the top matches the jacket exactly. Many of Hillary’s pant suits have tops that go with them, in the exact shade of the suit. It seems to be her trade mark. Or perhaps she just simply likes the monochromatic look.

In this outfit she accessorized the suit with a silver necklace and earrings. They don’t match perfectly in a set, but that’s ok. A lot of her jewelry is actually in non-matching sets. Some people say that gold jewelry is the better metal for red oufits, but seeing this photo, I would say that silver may work just as well. It also depends on the color of your facial complexion, not just on the color fo the clothes.

Check out Hillary Clinton in this turquoise suit jacket. The jewelry she chose for it is just smashing. This multi-strand necklace goes with the jacket so perfectly. One may wonder if she bought them together, or if she had to scout around mall after mall to find the perfect match. Knowing how busy she is, she probably didn’t have time for that. Maybe she bought it on-line, who knows.

Hillary’s pant suits are so famous – you may have noticed how the shade of her top is often the same as the jacket and the pants. Here she has matched up the necklace in the same tone of turquoise as her brocade suit jacket. This lady has a nack for matching up colors (or her stylist does).  Her earrings are not a set with the necklace, but they are a slightly different shade of turquoise. Jewelry doesn’t always have to be in matching sets, as long as they form a complete image with the rest of the outfit. (Photo by IBHMC)

Michelle Obama looks stylish in her pinstripe pant suit. She wears it with a turtle neck in the same tone as the stripe in the suit. If you look close you can see that it is well matched up. Choosing the right top to wear with pintripes makes a big different on your professional image as a whole. Michelle of course pulls it off, like usual. There is another blog post on the subject of what top to wear with pinstriped business suits for women, that was helpful to a lot of readers.

Click on this link to see more: Pinstripe Busnienss Suits Guide.

What to wear when it is so hot? Dying of heat stroke in a business suit, is not a price a professional woman should have to pay, for looking good. Choosing a summer outfit for the office is hard without crossing the line of casual work attire. We have to face it – it is almost impossible to follow formal business attire if we are going to stay cool. There is no easy way around it. When the temperature goes over 90, the pant suit will have to go. For a few days anyway.

My suggestions is to simply wear a nice skirt, with a crisp white blouse. It’s simple and good. Easy to put together, and looks very proper and chic. If you want to, you can also wear a sleeveless dress with a conservative cut. Some companies don’t allow sleeveless at work, so check first. And don’t wear a low neckline. These work outfits in the photo to the left from Ann Taylor, are some examples of what you can wear in the office in the summer when it’s hot. (And they easily convert to winter work outfits, by wearing them with a black suit jacket or blazer, thicker stockings and boots.) A note of caution though – don’t wear skirts that are too short, or casual spagetti strap dresses to the office.)

Big, medium and short – what do you think you would look best in? The only way to find out is to try a bunch of them on. Play around with the scraves you have at home, or try some in a store. Experiment with different lengths and knots. Add to your professional wardrobe accessory collection – there are so many colors to choose from. Weather you should go with long or short depends also on the suit jacket itself. Long and hanging, implies a more relaxed and approachable look. Short and tied closely to the neck, implies a more formal and conservative image. (These looks from Talbots.)

Is black considered a power color? When choosing a business suit, consider where you are going, whom you are going to meet, and what impression you want to make. Lighter colors, or neutrals like beige, tan, and light gray women’s suits are considered approachable. Darker colors, like navy, burgundy, dark brown, dark gray, and of course black, give a more authorative impression. It has nothing to do with professional image; if it’s a good quality, nicely pressed pant suit or skirt suit that fits you well, then it definitaley fits within the rules of business attire. The color is your choice in how you want to be perceived. Black is definitaley a power color, whether it’s a pant suit or a skirt suit. We shouldn’t wear black every single day, but every woman should have at least a couple of them.

Add some pizzazz to your business suit with edgy shoes. Don’t be shy. Be original. Seek out some shoes with some flash, and wear them with your professional attire. These animal pointy toe shoes will make your work outfit anything but boring. Sure, we must have our basic tan and black business shoes. But we can’t wear them every day. Some days we have to wear some spice.

A pair of gray pants is a standard in your closet, just like the black pants. It’s a basic, a staple, and it can save you when you don’t know what to wear. In some very formal business situations it is considered inappropriate to wear bold or “happy” colors. Professional attire doesn’t always have to stick to basic colors – far from it – but certain situations require a rather conservative look. You can get gray pants as part of a business pant suit, but also get a pair or two of separate gray pants. They match up with almost everything, but do pay attention to the fact there can be a slight blue, green or brown tone to the gray fabric. (It’s imporatant to keep that in mind when selecting the top.) Gray slacks can be worn with a classy white blouse, for example. Or with a stylish black top, as in the above photos. (These outfits seen at Banana Republic.)

We usually don’t see Katie Holmes like this – in a stylin’ business outfit. Here she is striding down the street in a black skirt with a white sweater, complimented with red high healed pointy toe shoes and a large red bag. That bag is as much part of the outfit as the clothes. Some people say black and red are considered power colors for business attire. I think I would have to agree. Who could doubt she is the one calling the shots when she is wearing those red shoes? Black and red together makes for a very dramatic effect. Any black skirt suit or pant suit can be made more dramatic by adding red accessories. This photo is from before when she had a bob cut, she recently changed her style to a pixie cut.

(This photo by fashionbubbles.)

Here Katie Holmes wears a nicely pressed navy suit blouse with gray slacks. This photo is from when she had a bob cut, recently she changed her hair style to a pixie cut. This type of basic blouse is so comfortable and easy to wear. It’s classy and never goes out of style. It goes with so many things – slacks, skirts, jeans. It can be dressed up with business attire, or it can be dressed down with jeans or casual work clothes. It can let you escape and be right in the middle when you can’t decide what you want to be (dressed up or down). This is a mainstay and a staple which every woman should have several of – at least a cuple of white blouses and then two or three in colors. They form, of sorts, a foundation in your wardrobe.

These gray slacks are also a staple that form the basic foundation in your wardrobe. Most women have at least one pair of black slacks to match up with various tops. But you should also have a pair of gray separate pants that come in handy, as they are a neutral that can be worn with almost everything, but not quite so black, if you know what I mean. Black pants is the first basic, gray pants is the second basic. Having these as a part of your wardrobe foundation, you can then get creative and build on with other unique garments. And doesn’t she look great?

(photo from davidouss Series-blog.fr)

This is a navy women’s business suit with a small light blue pinstripe (a power color). It is worn with a light blue blouse that matches the color of the pinstripe. Some stores have blouses that match their suits, they planned it into their collection. But sometimes you have to go to another store to find nice blouses that match the pinstripe. It is worth the trip. Hold the blouse close to the business suit to match it up. (This suit from Georgiou.)

Here we have a black business suit with a wide pinstripe in a purple tone. Here we have chosen a purple blouse in a shade darker than the pinstripe – and also a lavender blouse in a shade lighter than the stripe in the suit. Both work. If you can’t find the exact shade, just play around with blouses in shades that are close enough to the pinstripe color. Some business women just wear white blouses with everything, and while that doesn’t look bad, it will enhance your professional attire if you can find a blouse in a color that matches the pinstripe. (This suit from BCBG.)

Break off the neutral colors with a strong color. Many women’s business suits are in neutral tones, like black, gray and brown. You can brighten them up with a strong, happy color for the top. See these examples of orange tops with the brown and gray pant suits.

Belts are often an underestimated accessory. Adding a belt to your outfit changes the look. Those extra little details create a more polished impression. Accessories like belts, scarves, purses and jewelry may not be the thing that strikes you first when you look at a business woman walking down the street. But if she didn’t wear them, you would notice that something was different without knowing why. Those extra little details can turn an other wise plain business suit into a highly individualized outfit, expressing who you feel you are.

In the left photo the mannequin wears a wide belt that markedly separates the classic white blouse from the posh pencil skirt. I slightly dramatic style. In the right photo the mannequin wears a thin blet, casually resting on top of the white suit jacket. This accent is adds just a very subtle touch to the pant suit. Both of these belts sit rather high, pretty much right on the waist. The fashion rule of always placing the belt resting low on the hip is no longer a fast rule. (The hip belt is not out of style, but the waist belt is comming back.) These ensembles from Banana Republic.

Create your own business suit look with separates that mix and match. Not all your business attire must be uniform jackets and pants. Some can be separates with jackets that can be worn with several pairs of pants. Maximize the amount of professional outfits you can make out of the garments in your closet, by getting blazers and slacks in harmonizing colors that can be recombined over and over. This is a less expensive and creative way to build on you professional wardrobe. These sharp, short sleeve suit jackets can be worn with several different colors of pants.

Feeling bored? Put on a pair of animal print pointy toe shoes with your business attire. Or a pair of square toe shoe leopard print (though they are harder to find). Does it work? Absolutely. We don’t all have to look the same even though we wear professional black business suits. Find a pair of animal print shoes that suits your style and incorporate them into your professional wardrobe. A pair of edgy shoes can add a little pizzazz to your business attire. What’s your style? Snake skin pointy toe, giraff pointy toe, leopard pointy toe? (Most of these shoes from Nine West.)