It’s fruitful to pay attention to details as you stroll by the clothing racks in the stores. While hastily browsing through what I thought was a row of conventional business suits the other day, I noticed some amazing details on these skirts, pants and suit jackets. These images are of business suits made be English designer Karen Millen. She never sticks to traditional when she creates suits.

Notice the stitching on the pocket detail.

 

This gray skirt has a lot of design detail on the pocket flaps below the waist band, and also on the flaired part at the bottom. It came with a matching gray suit jacket, but can also be mix and matched with black jackets.

How about a green suit jacket to alternate with your black suit pants? What color are you in the mood for today? Here are some examples of various ways to wear a green suit jacket, to mix-match career clothes and woman’s business suits. The first one has a long coat-like cut, and when worn indoors looks best if kept unbuttoned so that you see the blouse. The second is a short conservative jacket cut with standard lapels, which looks very cute with a basic white blouse under it. The third is also short, but has a more unique cut in that it is rounded at the bottom, has hidden buttons, and collar style lapels. (With this type of collar you would not wear a blouse showing over the jacket.) When building a professional wardrobe, take into account what type of suit jacket cut best fits your own personality. Which jacket cut do you think is more like your style?

Here a 4 ideas on how you can use blouses and tops to create several looks for the same business suit. I have taken a classic black suit from Ann Tayor and put it with a few different blouses and a lace top to give you some ideas. For your professional wardrobe for 2009, why don’t you keep the same suits, and revamp your image by simply getting a few new blouses and tops.

Black suit with a basic red blouse. Red and black make a dramatic impression.

Black suit with a blouse with a fun print. Spunk things up with a lively design.

Black suit with a classic white blouse. This classic look is very professional.

Black suit with a lace top. Add pizazz by having a lace camisole show between the jacket lapels. (But keep the suit jacket on the whole day when you wear sleeveless.)

Here are some ideas on how to create work outfits with white pants (without using the obvious white suit jacket). First we have a casual, cute outfit, with a tomato red jacket over a black and white print top. That outfit could work very well with a black jacket, but the red adds some spunk. This outfit would be good for casual work clothes. Second we have a very formal business outfit, with a pair of flowy white dress slacks and a light gray plaid blazer. The gray blazer has a very slight shine to it, which makes it look even more formal. This is a good business attire combination to have in addition to the other matching formal suits in your professional wardrobe. The third pair of white slacks are worn with a simple gray blouse, that has a light luster to the fabric which makes it look more dressy. This work outfit could pass for either business casual, or professional business attire depending on what type of black suit jacket is put with it.

Check out the these two examples of a woman’s business suit in black: one is formal and the other is casual. Which do you think would be a better work outfit for where you work? The first one is a very traditional and formal black skirt suit, worn with a purple top (from Bloomingdales). This is definitely a power suit, and is a great piece of business attire.

The second photo is a black skirt suit, worn with an Argyle sweater over a basic white blouse (from Benetton). This suit, although also a black skirt suit, is pretty casual and would not be a power suit. There are subtleties in these two work outfits that make a difference.  Both of them would be good for a professional wardrobe. The second one is a very cute, youthful and energetic look, which would work very well for business casual attire.

These classic gray women’s business suits are brightened up with tops in bold colors, like pink and purple. Contrasting a gray suit jacket with a top in a bright color, like purple, is a great way to lift your mood if you are in a funk. You might cheer people up in the office with this type of work outfit. Pink and purple tops work well if the gray suit has an undertone of blue in the gray, but if the gray has an undertone of green, it might not. Match up the top with your business suit in the day light, if possible.

Leopard print shawl, necklace and purse.

Here are 4 rules for accessorizing a woman’s business suit with leopard print accessories:

1. The various leopard accessories have to match each other. Just because it’s all leopard print it doesn’t necessarily mean they will look good togehter. They don’t have to be a “set”, but compare the brown tones in between the spots of the leopard print and choose the accessories that harmonize.

2. Limit the amount of leopard accessories you wear at one time with your business suit to 3-4. If you wear too many, it may look like you escaped form the zoo. This type of “over accessorizing” is what makes people wonder if it’s a good idea or not, but it’s just fine as long as you stay away from over-kill.

3. You ought to have a few items in brown tones that match the browns in the leopard accessories. It’s not necessary to wear anything brown when you wear leopard (as in the example of the black power suit above), but it’s good to have handy in your professional wardrobe, as it gives you more flexibility in creating work outfits. For example, get a brown blouse, a brown belt, a brown scarf, etc. Note: It is much easier to select leopard accessories first, and then look for clothes that has a similar shade of brown, than first buying brown clothes and then trying to find a leopard print in that tone.

4. Experiment with gold. Try on a gold belt. If you wear leopard jewelry, try layering it with gold jewelry.

Here you can find some leopard jewelry at Macys: http://www1.macys.com/search/index.ognc?SearchTarget=*&Keyword=leopard+jewelry&KEYWORD_GO_BUTTON.x=15&KEYWORD_GO_BUTTON.y=15

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Here are four completely different examples of how to wear a cardigan with a work outfit. They are four different colors, four different styles, for four different women with different personalities. Which one is your personality?

1. The first is a long gray cardigan with a fun print top, over white pants. This will do well for a casual work wardrobe. It’s comfortable, but more dressy than jeans.

2. The second example is a little more formal, with a light purple cardigan over a nice blouse and brown pencil skirt.

3. And more formal still, the third example is very conservative, and you migth even say a bit of a strict look. A red cardigan and a crisp white blouse with the collar sticking up over it, over nice black slacks. This look will work well if you work in a very formal place.

4. And last, a very bold, unique look, that takes some personality to pull off – a very bright striking yellow cardigan, belted over a white top and black suit skirt. This look does fit within what one might call a professional wardrobe, it just takes some boldness to make a statement like that. But making statements is what fashion is all about – even business attire.

If you wear a cardigan with a business suit, make sure that it is not longer than the suit jacket – unlike blouses, it doesn’t look good if you see the cardigan sticking out under the jacket.

These outfits from: Banana Republic, Macy’s and Bloomingdales.

While it’s cold, wear a turtle neck sweater under your woman’s business suit. Transform your regular business outfits to winter outfits, by finding turtle neck sweaters that have high wool content – this way they’ll be thin enough to be worn under a suit jacket without looking bulky. Sweaters made of cotton or acrlylic yarn are not as warm, and therefore it takes more bulk to generate the same heat as a wool or cashmere sweater would. Bulky sweater are not suitable for a professional wardrobe. If you are cold at work, create winter office outfits by layering yourself with a comfortable cotton t-shirt, then a wool turtle neck sweater, then the suit jacket. If that doesn’t do it, you could accessorize with a shawl. If you wear turtle neck sweaters without the suit jacket, accessorize it with a long necklace. (Short necklaces don’t look as good with turtle necks.)

Photos: This is an example of how you can create two different looks with the same gray suit jacket, by changing red and white sweaters with it – can be found at Macy’s. The first phot is an example of how to accessorize a red turtle neck sweater with long necklaces – can be found at Ann Taylor.

Next time you shop for business suits, really look at the lapels. There are other interesting cuts out there, besides the classic and traditional lapels. Pay attention to what is around in terms of lapels and collars on the suits. You can build a professional wardrobe having a few business suits that have traditional cuts, but then add a couple of suits that are unique. There are many ways to design the neckline of a suit. Here are a few examples of a brown suit jacket, and two gray suit jackets with necklines that are very unique. Stand out in the crowd.

Excuse me, but am I the only one who has been told not to wear white pants after labor day? I saw several pairs of white pants on display at the mall. I gues that rule is of the past now. Well, in that case, maybe I’ll just go through the summer clothes I packed away for the cold season, and see if there is anything I can wear with my winter suits. I always did think that a pair of white slacks looks really good with a gray or black suit jacket.

To belt or not to belt? Here are a few examples of skirt suits worn with belts over the suit jacket. Accessorizing these skirt suits with a belt, gives the suit a new look. It adds style, and can make you look a bit thinner. Not every business suit looks good with a belt; you have to experiment and try a few different ones to compare. A belt can re-new and old office outfit. Why don’t you go down to the mall wearing your best professional suit, and bring your camera. Then try on ten different belts with your suit and take pictures of each look. Later go over the photos with your friends and get their input.

One thing to keep in mind about accessorizing suit jackets with belts, is that you have to make sure the end flap of the belt doesn’t stick out. With pants that have belt loops, that isn’t a problem. If you find a belt you like, but that is too long, ask if it comes in a shorter size – often they do.

Howie Mandel was taken to the hospital for a heart problem while working on his new show “Howie Do It”, and we wish him speady recovery. Here is a photo of a model named Aubrie from the Howie Mandel show “Deal or No Deal”, showing another great look for a casual work clothes outfit. Abrie is wearing a crisp white blouse with a 3/4 sleeve. She wears her white blouse untucked over the jeans, with a quite wide contrasting brown belt. This is another way to make jeans work for an office outfit – it looks casual but professional at the same time. She doesn’t wear a necklace, her only accessories for this outfit are the belt and earrings. You can see more of Aubrie’s personal style here: http://www.nbc.com/Deal_or_No_Deal/photos/models/#cat=401&sec=1688

Can jeans be worn at work? If you don’t work in a very formal place where business suits are mandatory, then there is a way. It all depends on what you wear WITH those jeans, rather than the jeans themselves. Here is a look that makes jeans work very well – wear the jeans with a crisp white blouse, a black suit jacket and a classic pearl necklace. For business casual, turn jeans into an office outfit by pretending it is a business suit only that you exchanged the suit pants for the jeans. And if you put a pair of nice pumps and perfect nails with that, no-one can criticize you.

If your work place requires traditional business attire, then don’t do it unless they have specifally said you can wear jeans on “casual Friday”. A professional wardrobe normally wouldn’t include jeans, but if you can wear casual work clothes, then the way to go is to dress them up with a suit jacket and a professional blouse.

The fur coat is a fashion of the past.

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today’s woman wears faux fur coats.

How do we know where the fur comes from? The globalization of fur trade makes it very hard to know were the actual fur itself was taken. A fur garment (or other fur product) may have a label that says “Made In France” or some other European country, but the fashion houses who manufactured that garment may not know themselves exactly where the fur they bought came from. Furs are sold through international auction houses and distributed to manufacturers around the world, who make them into pretty coats and jackets to be bought by unknowing fashionistas. An undercover reporter recently discovered fur farms in China where animals like mink, rabbit, fox, raccoon, – even cats and dogs, are bludgeoned in the head with steal rods almost killing them. I thought this was an exaggeration until I saw this video myself. If you have the stomach to see animals being skinned alive while their legs are still kicking, then click here. The animal still breaths, blinks and moves it’s head for a few minutes, while laying skinless and bloody on a pile. More than half of the furs sold as finished fur coats and jackets in the US come from Chinese fur farms were there are no regulations.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you see a woman walking down the street in a fur coat, don’t attack her coat with spray paint like they do in San Francisco. Chances are that neither she, nor the sales clerk who sold her the coat are aware of what goes on in those fur farms. Instead, appraoch her and say: “Excuse me miss, how can you be sure where that fur comes from?” But do approach her, and do say something. Emphasize that it’s not about where the coat was made, but where the fur itself comes from. If you have a fur coat in your wardrobe that you are a sure wasn’t made with animal cruelty – still don’t wear it. If you wear it, other women may see it and get inspired to go buy their own fur coat. By wearing any fur garment, even if you are certain it doesn’t come from an unregulated fur farm, you contribute to setting a fashion trend – and that can cause others to purchase fur garments whose origin it is impossible to track. The consumers have power! Dress yourself up in stylish faux fur coats instead.

The above faux fur coats from:

1 http://www.express.com/catalog/search.cmd?form_state=searchForm&keyword=fur&x=24&y=7

2 http://www.charlycalder.cc/osc/catalog/product_info.php?&products_id=29

Feeling bored with your conventional business suit? Then the thing to do is to put on a bright, colorful top. If you are in the mood, then put on a top that is almost oboxiously bright, like this orange one. If a women’s business suit is pretty conservative, you can balance that out by wearing a top that almost screams hello. Corporate dress codes tell you what business suits to wear, but not really what tops to wear. That is one area where you can choose your own style and express your mood. It does have to match the suit though, but staying within that limit, why don’t you push it a little and see what you can get away with (put not if you are brand new on the job).  Creating business attire outfits can be more creative than you think – it does have some rules, but you should still express YOU. A professional wardrobe should of course have a few basic blouses in it, but don’t stop there – go out and find at least one really bright top for each of your business suits. Who knows, you might cheer people up in the office.

Theses outfits from Bloomingdale’s.

Purposely buying business suits and work clothes where several pieces are interchangeable, and can be re-combined into new office outfits, is a clever way to plan a professional wardrobe. Here is an example of 8 garments found at Macy’s, which are all interchangeable, and can be mix and matched in many ways. These 3 suit jackets and 3 bottoms can all be worn together. And the 2 tops can be worn with all of the suit combinations. The trick is to not buy one piece of clothing at a time when you shop – instead you can save the money you would have spent on those single items, and go buy 8 coordinated items at the same time. Some stores purposely plan their collections to make it easy to mix and match items. By shopping for several pieces of work clothes at the same time, you are more likely to end up with a professional wardrobe where many of the garments re-combine into new business suits easily.

Here’s math riddle for you – how many work outfits can you create by mix and matching the pieces in the above photo?

The black power suit is a main stay of every professional woman’s business wardrobe. It is the basic foundation for business attire. But we can’t wear black all the time, and we need some variation to this staple. Mixing and matching black and white jackets, skirts and tops is a great way to add some pizazz to a wardrobe that has too much black in it. Use you black suit pants to wear with a top or suit jacket in black and white. Or wear your black suit jacket with a skirt in black and white. The mix and match combinations are endless.

Usually we see Anne Hathaway in stunning gowns, like when she received her Palm Springs International Film Festival Award recently. But on some days she wears more casual clothes like the rest of us. These two white coats which Anne Hathaway wore in the film “Get Smart” can give us some inspiration for outer wear. I found this white coat at Macy’s. It has a flattering cut, it’s warm, and can be worn with professional attire. It looks good over a business suit, or with gray or black slacks.

Here is a good example of a gray pinstripe pant suit. Laura Bush is wearing a basic blouse in a very light shade of pink with her suit as she is picking out gold-rimmed china for the white house. Say what you will about politics, this is a good example of what type of blouse to pick for a pinstriped business suit. The pant suit is a light shade of gray, and the pinstripe is white. The easiest choice with this suit would be a basic white blouse, but you can also wear a very light blue blouse, or in Laura Bush’s case,  a basic pink blouse in a very subtle shade of pink.

Photos by: AP/ Manuel Balce Ceneta and AP/ Ron Edmands.

This stylish coat keeps Rebecca Romijn warm, but she might not be going out a lot now that she just delivered baby twins. Rebecca chose a coat that is warm, but that still has a flattering cut. I think she needs to accessorize that coat with a scarf though, for the kind of weather we’ve been having this month. Staying warm and stylish at the same time can be a trick. If you select the right coat and scarf that fits your body type well and still keeps you warm, you could keep it for more than one seasons (if you find a good one, make sure you dry-clean it and take good care of it for extra mileage). And when you try in coats, try it on with your business suit under neath, if that’s what you usually wear for work clothes.

When you shop for a winter  coat, look at the general out line – the silhouette – of the coat, before looking at details. The gray wool coat in the middle has an out line that is the same general style as Rebecca Romijn’s coat, though it has less details. The brown plaid coat on the right would give a good silhouette to a woman with a shorter frame.