Accessorizing with gold accent makes a white or beige women’s business suit pop. A lot of women are pulling out their spring business outfits which usually consists of women’s business suits in lighter colors. Accessorizing with a gold necklace is not what I’m talking about necessarily. I mean that you should search out accessories like, belts and purses that have gold details on them. Maybe a suit jacket with gold buttons. A gold buckle when wearing a belt as an accessory; or gold hardware on your purse. It’s not immediately obvious at first glance, but these subtle details give your business look a warm glow. (If that is your fashion mood for the day. If you feel like creating a dramatic business look, then don’t go for the gold accents.)

Some suit jackets can look quite nice with a belt tied over it. I’m talking about the type of belt that doesn’t have a buckle, the kind that often is made of the same fabric as the suit jacket itself. This is a good look to vary your professional attire. But there is a right way, and a wrong way to do it.

The suit jacket is the first photo looks best. The first jacket has a belt that is long; the belt knot looks kind of relaxed, and the belt ends hangs down in a way that looks loose and natural. But the suit jacket in the second photo doesn’t look as good. And the reason is that the belt is too short, and the belt knot is too tight. The way the belt is done makes the whole work outfit look tight and unnatural – not relaxed at all.

If the belt that comes with your jacket is too short to create a good “belted suit jacket look”, then you are better off using another belt that is longer, in a color that work with the jacket.  If you want to look good in your professional attire, the look can be ruined if the belt is done wrong – even if the business suit itself is good.

Here are some alternatives to the standard suit blouse. Cool fashion tops like these, make a nice break-off for a suit, giving it a different look and personality. While the business suit may be a standard thing in the corporate world, you could take some license with your top, and create a different personality for the suit by spicing it up with a designer top with an interesting cut. Wear one of these tops with a pair of suit pants, or nice slacks. (But not with jeans – that would be too casual for a work outfit.) And remember to keep the suit jacket on when you wear a sleeveless top at the office. Your work clothes don’t have to be super conservative all through the outfit – keep the suit conservative but do something creative with your tops.

I found these tops at a site I have been checking out recently called meinto.com. If you get tired of malls and need a break from department stores, you can go to this site and find things that are carried in smaller boutiques. This on-line store is actually a collection of smaller boutiques, and when supporting smaller stores you may find more unique items.

I would wear the blue top with a pair of classic black slacks, and a necklace in black onyx. The champagne silk top I would wear with pair of white slacks, or another neutral color like bone or cream. Pearls would be the best accessory, and though a full suit with matching suit jacket and pants would be more like formal business attire, one could try mixing it up with a black suit jacket to look a little more relaxed. And last, the gray 3/4 sleeve silk top – one might easily rely on black slacks just because it’s easy, but instead of going the easy route, I would try to find a pair of charcoal gray slacks in a shade of gray that is darker than the blouse. And the jewelry – silver, of course.

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One way to make a woman’s business suit more summery or spring like, is to wear a blouse that is of a rather thin and delicate material. For a spring look, wear a business suit in a lighter shade or gray (not black, navy or dark gray). Then choose a top or a blouse in a thin material that would normally pass for a summer garment, almost a bit on the casual side. But the fact that you are wearing it with a proper suit, makes it look less casual. This is one way to great a work outfit for spring. Buy a new business suit in a light gray shade, and look through your summer wardrobe to see how many blouses you have that could work with that suit.

Wraps with suit pants or skirts make a great work outfit for casual friday. Wearing a wrap on a day when you’re supposed to be in your snazy proffessional attire won’t do though. A wrap would definately be considered business casual, and not formal business attire. But if the work situation allows, a wrap is a great item that you can be really comfortable in, and it looks a little bit dressed up if you wear it with pearls or semi-precious stone necklace. We ought to have at least one good wrap in our work wardobe. If you wear your wrap with jeans it really makes the whole work outfit much more casual, and you ought to think through which degree of casualness you want to go to. Usually, the best way to create a casual friday outfit is by choosing one item from your formal business attire wardobe, and then mixing it with one casual item. For example, a casual top (e.g. a wrap) with a pair of slacks from one of your business suits. Or a formal top (e.g. a suit jacket) with a pair of jeans. If you wear casual garments both top and bottom, then it is really no longer a work outfit. Mix one formal item with one casual item, and then you have a good casual friday outfit.

This post was contributed by Cafe La Moda, the social space for fashion tips and beauty advice.

So Career Fashion Blog has posted a few times about bags that help accessorize your work outfit, and bring a touch of colour to your working day, but what about when your bag needs to mean business? Whether it’s client meetings, an interview, or business travel, sometimes the bag you carry with you is taken as part of your business attire, and it needs to be absolutely as well-thought-out as the rest of your outfit. You might just need a discrete clutch bag to stash your keys and cellphone, or you might also have to take a laptop, notebook or iPad with you, and dumping those things into any old laptop bag could ruin your carefully tailored look.

However, there’s no reason to worry, since bag makers are more than aware of the need for bags for business, and there is a huge range of sophisticated, businesslike bags available to you.

Covers and sleeves for iPads

If you’re lucky enough to have a work tablet that you take to meetings, don’t run the risk of it getting battered and don’t risk looking unprofessional with a shabby cover. Invest in a good black leather cover,  perhaps picked out in an accent colour that matches your outfit: like this beautiful black leather sleeve with red leaf detail. Go to product

Laptop Tote Bags

If it’s a laptop you’re taking to your meeting, invest in a good quality laptop tote. Gone are the days when all laptop bags looked like school bags or briefcases, now it’s possible to choose a high quality laptop tote that’s beautifully designed to not only look elegant but also to make carrying a laptop a bit less of a chore: like this stylish Kerri Mack Albina Design bag. Go to product

Shoulder Bags

If you’ve only got to stash your cellphone and your keys somewhere that doesn’t ruin the line of your suit jacket, choose a small shoulder bag which doesn’t draw attention to itself. Go for a classic style if your bag needs to mean business, leave the tassles, zebra-print and flowers for another day, and pick something like this Guess Lina Top Handle Half-Flap bag, which is the perfect balance of elegant and businesslike. Go to product

Carry-on Bags

If you’re going further afield on business, the chances are you’ll need a travel or carry-on bag, and if you’re being met at the airport or at the hotel when you arrive, you might need to invest in a travel-size bag that’s all business. You don’t want to rumple your suit with a hefty shoulder bag, so go for a stylish rolling bag like this Glen Ellyn two-in-one. The rolling frame disconnects from the bag once you’ve arrived at your destination, leaving a stylish tote. Go to product

Wearing a beige woman’s business suit is a good choice for spring. I think it is a very good option to the white or off-white business suit, because it gives a similar impression of lightness, but it’s easier to keep clean. You don’t have to be quite as careful where you sit, and you can wear it a couple of more times before you have to dry clean it. Having several dark suits in your business attire is good,  is good, but it’s good to also have at least one light one. But what top to wear with it?

The most obvious choice is a white blouse, which I have omitted because I am trying to look at it from a less classic viewpoint. The least obvious choice is beige-on-beige as in the first photo, creating a mono chromatic look (one color) with a beige top in a very similar shade of beige. Wearing a top in the same color as the business suit is not common, but it works with certain colors. The more common choices would be something with a contrasting color like the two tops in pinks and reds. The pink top against the beige business suit gives pop, and ideally could be followed up with accessories and jewelry with a pink hue (adding a pink scarf I think would be overdoing it). The last photo has a black top with the beige business suit and this bold contrast creates a dramatic look. This would be well  accessorized with large gold pieces, perhaps large gold bangles. What statement are you in the mood to make with your business look today? Do you feel like subtly blending in and not drawing attention to yourself (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing), or do you feel like being bold and dramatic, getting people’s attention at a meeting?

What to accessorize a white blouse with – create contrast and drama with a black necklace. If you are going for a subtle, classic look, wear pearls. But if you want to give the outfit a little more pop, then a black necklace will add that extra contrast. You can also wear a thick garnet choker,  those dark red large stones against the white collar gives a similar effect.

And notice the thin red belt. It’s all in the accessories. Never look at a blouse just as a blosue. Look at it as a canvas. The same blouse can be given many different moods by just changing the accessories. When you try on clothes at a store, bring a few different sets of belts, necklaces and other accessories with you to the fitting room, to test different moods for the same blouse.

Although autumn has only truly arrived with fallen leaves recently, in fashion-time, it happened a while back. Catwalks had Christmas on their mind and the party dress sashayed, swept and shook down the runway in cute, cheeky and glamorous splendour.

One of the more notable developments is the future of Christmas glamour.

Dries Van Noten illustrated brand new ways of playing with the Christmas party dress, teaming knitwear and long draping skirts for a textured silhouette, exhibiting a look for the fearlessly fashionable and on-trend. Elsewhere, colour blocking continues to be a predominant factor. High street shops show off dramatic gowns in royal blues, chimney pot reds and blacks painting their thick stripes on soft billowing skirts of the maxi dress.

Thanks to the success of shows like The Only Way is Essex, high, polished glam is a look to nurture and be proud of. Off the shoulder frou-frou gowns with layers and frills on the derriere and shoulders for maximum feminine impact are popular power frocks for the party season and false eyelashes flutter and complement perfectly.

While there is no doubt that the sparkling, glittering party dress is a die-hard must-have for this season, there are challengers, like Dries Van Noten, who play on simplicity. The Mary Portas collection at House of Fraser plays down the glitz and keeps gowns tunic-shaped and simple, allowing for individual decoration. One of the more in-vogue ways to spruce a dress up is to make use of chunky accessories. Big necklaces, gentleman’s gold watches and thick, gold chains in their layers are all current trends and can make a simple silky off the shoulder dress a thing of maximum fashion beauty.

Heels to elongate the legs and a clutch are the ideal frame work for showing off your party dress to its full potential. As autumn falls, it’s worth taking stock of the various looks that can be tweaked and tried out for those Christmas parties.

Should you always strive to be in the middle ground? Are there fine lines of what is too casual, and what is too fancy for women’s business attire? Having to stay within such a margin can be really limiting and frustrating. If you are going to err, then always “err” on the side of being too fancy, than too casual. Rarealy will you get complaints regarding your work clothes for “looking too nice”.

Here are two examples. The flanel blouse is too casual of a work outfit even for casual friday. The silk blouse is ok, but could be too fancy in some situations. If you  are dealing with a client who dresses very casual you can make her uncomfortable if you dress to formal.

But the rule of thumb for women’s business attire is that overedressed is usually better than under dressed.

1. The formal look – Get an accessory set with a fancy black stole (shawl) and sparkly little black clutch, and wear the dress to parties.

2. The warm winter look – Don’t let the weather discourage you from wearing a sexy dress. Make a warm winter outfit by wearing the dress with a pair of tall killer stiletto boots and a somewhat fancy black cashmere cardigan over it. The boots help keep your legs warm, but keep the cardigan open so you can see the dress.

3. The edgy leather jacket look – Create a completely different look by getting a pair of black stockings with a pattern (as opposed to solid) and wear it with a short leather jacket. Edgy make-up and a high pony tail. Don’t try to match it too much for this particular look, the purpose is edgy.

4. The black tuxedo jacket look – Wear a fancy blazer (not a suit blazer) made of black satin or black velvet, over the dress. Maybe a double breasted one. Keep it buttoned so that the jacket itself is the main feature of the outfit, but the dress becomes a skirt that makes the jacket more special. A choker necklace would go well with that.

(Never, ever regard a braidsmaids dress as a one night stand. It deserves a loving relationship like the rest of your dresses.)

Black pants is a standard ingredient in most womens work wardrobe. Of course, we have to have at least two pairs of well fitting black pants for work clothes. But let’s not get stuck in a pattern though. Take a work outfit that you normally wear with blank pants and try it with another pair of pants – like white pants for example. A turqoise suit jacket can be worn with both black and white pants. It creates a different mood. Try switching some of your different suit pants and suit jackets around to create different moods for your work outfits. But check yourself out in the mirror well before you decide to go with it, to make sure you are comfortable. You cold be the first one at your office srtart a trend.

If you are bored with your black business suit, then put some shock into it – wear it with a big, bright red or hot pint bag!  If your suit is too dark for you today, accessorize with a sreamingly pink purse. Nothing says “hello” more than that.

Separates with suit jackets in bright colors. Be bold – break out of the mold. Dare to wear. Your favorite black suit pants get a face lift.

Alright, you’ve got the basic shoe colors covered (black shoes, gray shoes, tan shoes) – now get pink round toe shoes for you suit! Most women have too many black shoes in their closet. It’s true that we need them. But we can’t keep on buying ONLY black shoes. Add some color to your shoe collection. Especially if you wear business suits for work – then it is more important than ever to add some color to your professional attire. Match the color of the shoes up with the blouse, or purse, or other accessories like the necklace if you like (but don’t go TOO matchy-matchy).

Here are two suit jackets with the lapels flipped over. The gray pants suit is open, while the coral suit separates jacket is buttoned. Personally, I think that having the lapels flipped over on a suit jacket like that looks untidy and sloppy somehow. This does not make a good work outfit. What do you think?

These two women’s business outfits both use orange and brown. These outfits use the same ensemble concept of open suit jacket with a top, rahter than a blouse, underneath. Both make good suit separates. But one is very overstated and the other one is kind of understated. Which one you should wear, depends on your complexion and coloring – how much orange can you stand? The work outfit on the right has a very deep orange, and a very deep, rich brown. The left suit ensemble has an orange that would be more appropriately labeled coral, with a very soft brown suit jacket. It’s very light and sort of summery. All these items might also mix and match well to create more than one outfit.

When wearing a bold or bright colored dress with a work outfit, it is important to select a suit jacket that doesn’t detract from the colors of the dress. This white suit jacket makes the bright colors of the dress pop. It shows the colors. If you were to put a black suit jacket over this dress it would bring the colors down and make this work outfit slightly dull, and less visible. Although, on some days perhaps you feel like being less visible. This style of bright dress with jacket would be a good work outfit for someone who works in advertising or a creative field. Or perhaps for casual Friday.

Here are some examples of different looks you can create with cardigans. These cardigans are not twin sets but they are in harmony with the blouses they are worn over. They make a complete outfit and don’t contrast so much that they take away from the blouse. When you shop for a cardigan, try to find 2 or 3 blouses that will go with the same cardigan without breaking off too much. In the summer when it is too hot to wear a jacket with your business suit, a cardigan could be an option to throw over your shoulders in the evening if it gets chilly when you go out with friends after work.

Cute and simple work outfit. Easy to throw on in the morning when you are tired and can’t think about what to wear. Put on a crisp basic white blouse, a cardigan in a color you like, and accessorize with a cute necklace in a color that matches the cardigan. An easy and pretty work outfit. Wear it with your favorit basic black or char coal gray slacks, and dart off in a flash.

What are they for – is the belt there just to hold your pants up, or to accessorize your business suit? Sometimes wearing a belt even when it’s not needed gives a more put together look for your business attire. Accessorizing with belts can be bold and make a statement of it’s own, or it can be a very subtle enhancement to your work outfit – sort of, as if you don’t really notice that it’s there but it does something to create a complete and polished look. Belts can be worn both with pant suits and skirt suits, and also over a suit jacket if it fits you well. If the suit jacket is a little bit big on you, it will be more obvious when you belt it, so be careful about that. The skirt or pants don’t necessarily have to have belt loops – some look good when the belt just lays flat over the waist band (you have to experiment with that).

Basic belts – You need to have a couple of belts that are very simple in basic colors. Some people look good in black accessories, some better in brown. Some people can wear both black and brown. However, don’t wear brown shoes with a black belt and vice versa. When it comes to brown vs black the shoes and belt do have to match. This is not true of other belt colors though, like red or white.

The buckle – When you accessorize your business suit with a belt, pay attention to the shape of size and shape of the buckle itself. Do you prefer round or square buckles?

Bold belts – A belt can also be used to make a statement of it’s own. Experiment with giving a new look to an old woman’s business suit by wearing a bold belt that gives it a different edge. Find at least one bold belt. (In this case the shoes don’t have to match – that rule is only about not mixing black and brown.)

Here are some examples of simple but classic plus size dresses that would work really well with the “suit dress” look. These dresses have clean lines and simple cuts, and would make a great work outfit. Put a classic black suit jacket over this dress and you’ll have a really nice casual business look. Your business attire wardrobe should consist of casual work clothes as well as formal women’s business suits. And having a couple of simple but classic dresses like these to wear under a suit jacket, gives more options to what you can do with your business suit.

I found these pretty dresses at OverStock.com

Some days you just don’t feel like wearing a conventional woman’s business suit. One alternative would be to wear a “suit dress”. Put on a straight, “pencil skirt type” dress, with a pair of smart pumps. If it comes with a matching suit jacket, then buy it too. If it doesn’t, then throw on a jacket from one of your standard woman’s business suits, and wear the jacket with the dress as suit separates. Black or charcoal gray suit jackets could be your reliable staple for this “suit dress look”. Accessorize with a pretty necklace and you are ready to go make things happen. This is a great way to vary your professional image.

Another version of this business look is the skirt with a long jacket (above).

You should get more skirt suits for your summer wardrobe. Don’t forget, a classic woman’s business suit can have either pants or a skirt. And for this season, why don’t you get a couple of gray skirt suits. If you work in a place where you have to maintain a very professional image, and stick to traditional women’s business attire, you can wear a charcoal gray skirt suit as an alternative to the classic black business suit. Personalize it with a bright, pretty necklace that expresses your personality, so you don’t loose your identity in the corporate business attire dress code. Add your own signature with an accessory.