December 30, 2008
The new year is upon us, and I have made 11 New Year’s resolutions for 2009. I’m going to spend New Year’s Day organizing my wardrobe, getting my business outfits all planned out and organized for a kick start. Now is the time to re-vamp our professional wardrobes, inventory our business suits, and plan what new garments we need.
1. I shall take advantage of every sale in 2009.
2. I shall keep all receipts organized and return the clothes that truly don’t fit me well.
3. I shall give my friends my honest opinion when they shop (when they ask for it).
4. I shall not toss any nice fashion item, without checking if any of my friends want it first.
5. I shall start going to a non-toxic dry-cleaner.
6. I shall get more shoe racks, when the ones I have fill up.
7. I shall finally hem all those pants and skirts I haven’t been able to wear, because they need hemming.
8. I shall not wear clothes I don’t really like, just because it’s the latest fashion.
9. I shall buy at least one garment that is completely different from what I usually wear – something unique that isn’t my regular style.
10. I shall put together the best, prettiest, most gorgeously posh, smashingly accessorized outfits of any previous year!
Well… this is going to be a stylish year. Watch out 2009 – here we come!
All you busy business women should take advantage of the extra leap second we get this year. And we thought 2008 was almost over – but our year is being extended to stay in sync with the universe. To us, that leap second means one more second to get our business wardrobe ready for 2009.
Some of you may have some gifts to trade in at the mall. Then why not continue to build your winter wardrobe with some warm accessories – scarves. We should make sure we are nicely accessorized inside and outside of the office. Having a sharp coat is good, but it needs to be accessoriezed with the right scarf.
December 23, 2008
What is an appropriate gift for a co-worker or a client? People receive so many material things they never use. The best gift for people you don’t know super well is something edible. People love to get a special treat. With edible gifts you don’t have the problem of the receiver feeling guilty if they don’t like it, and it won’t end up at Goodwill after New Years. And this edible gift doesn’t have to be big either – in this case it is really the thought that counts. Buy them in bulk if you have many people on your gift list; try to get a wholesale deal if you can. If you don’t know what to bring to the holiday office party, then just bring cookies.
December 18, 2008
Are you cold in the office? Wear a turtle neck sweater under your suit jacket. Next time you’re at the mall, pick up a turtle neck or two. Pick out some basic colors that go with more than one of your suits. During the winter, getting the right sweaters become part of professional wardrobe planning. Choose one that is warm but this, so that it doesn’t look bulky under your business suit. Accessorize your turtle neck sweater with a long necklace. Your regular necklaces may be too short for this, so try on a long one to go specifically with this office outfit.
December 15, 2008
Some of us love our suits, but some women feel restricted by having to wear a business suit every day. To some, business attire feels confining. And if so, a great way to express your own individual style is with jewelry. There are very few fashion rules that apply to jewelry – your neck, earlobes and wrist is pretty much an open and free canvas where you can say what’s on your mind. Stick with your professional wardrobe if you must, but accessorize your business suit with a unique piece of jewelry that reflects YOUR personality. I had the pleasure to meet a few San Francisco jewelry designers at recent eWomen and NAWBO events, and here is some of there work you might want to ask Santa for:
Express yourself with a bold crocheted cuff bracelet, by Keren. http://www.kerenjewelry.com/store.php?crn=66
Make you suit jacket pop with an elaborate floral silver necklace, by Liza Sonia. http://lizasonia.com/womens_finesilver.htm
Add some spunk to you office outfit with swirly earrings, by Kris Nations. http://krisnations.com/earrings/earrings1.html
Keep nature close to your heart with a real oak leaf plated with real gold, Anna Yee. http://www.ginkgo-designs.com/naturalleafnecklaces.html
What to wear for a holiday office party? Wear your business suit with a fancy party top underneath to the office, then change for the party simply by taking your suit jacket off, and adding some more jewelry. This way you stay within the business attire look during the day, without having to bring an extra set of clothes to work, to change into for an office holiday party. Instead wear a dressy, fancy top under your business suit. Just remember to keep the jacket on the whole time during the day – especially if it’s a sleeveless top, otherwise it would be too casual for the office. When it’s time for the party, go to the restroom and take the jacket off, put on some dressy jewelry, and redo your make-up for an evening out. And if you have room in your bag, you can also bring a pair of dressy shoes or sandals to change into.
Holiday Office Party Wardrobe Plan:
Bring in your purse 1) dressy jewelry, 2) evening make-up, 3) dressy shoes or sandals. Buy a couple of dressy party tops for your professional wardrobe, that you can wear under a business suit.
December 8, 2008
As the snow descends on us we ought to bundle up in the office. The malls are full of sweaters, but don’t select one for comfort alone – pick out a sweater that is warm, but also gives your body a nice fit. You may as well get a sweater that looks good with your office outfits, as well as keeps you warm. If it’s too bulky, it doesn’t fit in with your professional wardrobe. And why not accessorize it with a necklace. Wear the skirts you wear the rest of the year, just with thicker stockings, and choose a sweater that looks chic with it, not bulky.
To avoid bulk, get sweaters with as much wool content as possible (at least 70% wool). Or cashmere. If the sweater is made of wool or cashmere, it will keep you warm, even if it isn’t super thick. If it is thin, you can also wear it under a business suit, without it looking bulky. Don’t buy sweaters made of 100% cotton or 100% acrylic. The cotton sweaters look bad after just a few washes, and they aren’t that warm anyway. And acrylic will inevitably accumulate fuzz balls in short order. Stay way from acrylic sweaters, no matter how pretty they are, because they will get fuzz balls pretty soon (unless it’s a 60/40 acrylic blend with wool or cashmere).
When you wash them, remember that wool shrinks and must be washed in cold water. Don’t ever wring a sweater – gently squeeze out the water without wringing, and lay them flat to dry on a towel on the bathroom floor. If you put sweaters through the washer, use a very gentle cycle. The dryer will usually shrink them. Hand wash or dry-cleaning is best.
December 4, 2008
Pearls come in many colors and sizes. When people hear the term “pearl necklace” they often associate it with a classic, single strand of white pearls. That type of necklace does indeed look very good with business attire, but don’t let that limit you. There are also pearls with multiple strands, pearls in pink shades, Tahitian black pearls – and even amongst the white pearls, there are some that are very white, and some that are kind of off white or cream colored. Experiment and find out what type of pearls go best with your skin tone or clothes.
If you are wearing a casual office outfit, you can make it look more dressy with a pearl necklace. It’s a good idea to have pearl jewelry of at least a cuple of different shades in you professional wardrobe, because changing the jewelry can give a different mood to your business suit. And you should be able to use the same woman’s business suit for different types of moods, depending on where you are going. And they don’t have to be expensive – you can find many inexpensive, man-made pearl necklaces that will give you a very stylish, posh and professional image.
In these photos: 1. Pearls in multiple colors. 2. Black Tahitian pearl necklace with stud earrings. 3. Pink toned 3-strand necklace with stud earrings and a spiral bracelet. 4. A silver necklace that with beads that look like pearls with studs and bracelet. (These pieces by Charter Club.)
December 3, 2008
Compare these two photos of the same black business suit accessorized in two different ways. This same classic black power suit with a basic white blouse, gets a new personality by changing to a new set of accessories. The key to good accessorizing is in sets. When you see a pair of shoes, or an accessory you like, look for other items to go with it to complete the set – that way it is quick to whip together a chic professional business outfit when your off to a meeting.
Some accessories are meant to go together, like the gray snake skin pointy toe pumps with the matching bag. We put them with a gray shawl that matches one of the gray tones in the animal print, and then added a silver necklace to the blouse. Black and gray are good basics for business attire.
Put the accessories in the set doesn’t have to be “matchy-match”. On the right we picked roomy purple leather bag, and we put a pair of purple round toe shoes with it. The shoes are in a slightly different shade of purple, but they are close enough that they look good together. And for jewelry, we put a striking purple necklace to contrast with the collar of the white blouse. You ought to have some color in your professional wardrobe.
(These accessories from Nine West, Bakers, and Bloomingdale’s.)
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