Careerism

The recession is truly upon us — businesses are shuttering left and right, the outlook is bleak for bonuses, and the Dow keeps going down.  Yet if you read this blog, and are employed, odds are you’ve got a hefty paycheck still coming your way twice a month.  Is it gauche to be exuberant about the holidays in times such as these?  Is it gross to celebrate the way you would in a bull market?  (Multiple choices are allowed in this week’s poll.)

Photo Credit:  Presents Presents Presents!, originally uploaded to Flickr by danagraves

Last week, we asked about the messy office — when is messy TOO messy, and whether the female propensity to have more personal stuff in your office (spare shoes, cardigans, jackets) made the answer different for women. As always, the poll is still open, but the initial results were pretty clear:

• 51% said it was too messy when it looked like you couldn’t get work done in there
• 26% said it was too messy if it looked like someone could live in there
• 11% said that so long as you were getting your work done and weren’t bringing clients to your office to meet, who cared?
• 10% said that any mess was too much mess

Commenters weighed in, also.  Janet noted that in some circles, a messy office was a “badge of honor: ‘I’m so busy working on so many cases, that I have piles of paper EVERYWHERE!’” She also commented that if you’re capable and can reliably find what’s necessary — and perhaps reliability and capability are the keys here — then you can get away with an office that looks like the scene of a tornado. This falls in line with what the other commenters said, as well; Dash noted that the messiest office she’d ever seen belonged to “the most brilliant and renowned lawyer in the office”, and Res Ipsa noted that as long as you could walk from one side of the office to the other without tripping, and so long as you weren’t causing a fire hazard, then all was well.

Additionally, we’ve found that the messy office plays into a persona we call “the eccentric genius.” This is a person who has managed to culminate and aura of extreme intelligence by being weird and quirky. Sometimes this person is, actually, extremely intelligent; sometimes it’s just average intelligence with extreme quirkiness (in this case the aura is perhaps more crafted than earned).  Cage and Fish, the partners at Ally McBeal’s office come to mind as the best example in pop culture, but we all know at least one person like this.  If your office is so messy that no one can find anything in there — yet you do — and you’re incredibly capable and reliable — then it adds to the persona, we think.

Photo credit:  World’s Messiest Office Cubicle Discovered in Colorado, originally uploaded to Flickr by Jeffrey Beall

We seem to be getting a ton of negative feedback on the reader mail question yesterday, wherein we recommended that our reader wear dark trouser jeans to Sunday brunch at the partner’s house.  Although she wrote in to clarify her situation, we were still intrigued by the feedback.  As we noted in our original post, the partner could be inviting you to brunch to show you his new boat, or her new horse.  He or she may be extraordinarily religious and the minister will attend the brunch.  Clients could be in attendance, or possibly future employers; on the flip side, the partner’s granddaughter and her best friends could also be in attendance.  In some of these situations we still think nice denim (like the picture at left) would be entirely appropriate — for others, it would obviously be completely inappropriate.  So we thought we’d take a poll, asking whether jeans would ever be appropriate to wear to a casual, semi-work function.  Photo at left:  Anlo Odyssey Trouser Jean, available at ShopBop for $205.

These are obviously just a few situations that we could think of… let’s hash this out more in the comments.

Just for kicks:

Best Denim for the Office [Forbes]

Last week we asked whether or not patterned tights were appropriate for professional women. As always, the poll is still open, but the initial results are interesting — the voters were pretty split in terms of what could or couldn’t work.
- 36% of you said that men’s patterns (pinstriped, windowpane) in dark, neutral colors would work
- 33% of you said ANY pattern would work, but only in dark, neutral colors
- 23% said solidly colored tights in neutral colors would work, but to avoid patterns
- 5% of you said any pattern, any color, any day.

Commenters noted that they considered dark gray to be a neutral, as well as a charcoal blue; we completely agree.  We’d also suggest wearing navy tights with a black dress, if you’re more of a funky soul — it feels rebellious but still looks conservative.  (Our $.02 on black and navy: as long as it looks like you’re doing it on purpose, it’s a-ok.  It’s bad if you look like you got dressed in the dark.)

Some great selections in both luxury and lower-priced tights, after the jump…

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(Sorry for the earlier technical problems!)  This week’s poll is about an office space — if it’s your own, and you have a door that shuts and blocks it from view entirely, how clean do you keep it?  (We’ll also assume, for the purpose of this poll, that you don’t have frequent clients or superiors coming to your office.)  We have friends who keep their desks bare of all paper except the immediate project they’re working on — and we have friends who have files and boxes and loose papers and half-read magazines from the commute and pens and other things lying about on the desk and the floor, as well as spare shoes, spare clothes they keep at the office (suit jackets, more comfortable pants), and various food stuffs.  Then there are the people who have the truly messy offices — the “wall of paper” offices, where you wonder how they were able to stack the files so high without the pile falling over.  All this brings us to our question today: When does messy cross the line into unprofessional?  Is it worse for women, who are more prone to keeping personal items (shoes, jackets, low-fat food items, etc) in their office?

What’s the messiest your office has been — and what did you do about it?  Has anyone brought in professional organizers or bought office furniture to hide the mess?  What’s the messiest office you’ve ever seen (and whose was it — a superior’s? junior? college professor?)

Photo Credit:  Messy desk, originally uploaded to Flickr by elliottcable

A lot of times for our TPS reports, people will note that they couldn’t get away with that, as they’re too well-endowed to wear a certain dress.  It’s one of the sad facts of clothes that most “professional” outfits seem to be intended for women shaped more like Jackie rather than Marilyn (or Betty rather than Joan, in today’s parlance).  But well-endowed women have to dress professionally also!  Below, some tips… Please chime in and let us know if you have any others.

1. Know your bra size. If the girls are multiplying throughout the day (and your bra is giving you the dreaded quadra-boob effect) then your cup size is too small.  Alternatively, if your straps are digging into your shoulders, your band size is probably too big.  Take our advice — go and get fitted at a reputable place like Nordstrom’s.  (The absolute best place to get fitted, in our experience?  Department stores in London –  they have the best range of sizes and the most knowledgeable fitters.)  You may find that you’re a 30F instead of a 34D.

2. Wear appropriate bras for work. You may think that a lacy balconette is fine to wear beneath your suits — after all, your boss doesn’t see it.  (Or so we hope.)  But your goal with underpinnings should be to minimize distractions — a balconette bra might let things bounce around while you’re rushing down the hall to your next meeting (not a terribly pretty — or professional — sight), or the lace pattern might show through your otherwise tasteful shirt.  Aim for seamless bras wherever possible, with full coverage.  Again, make sure that your bra fits and isn’t creating quadra- or sexta-boobage.  Some favorites include Fantasie ‘4510′ Smoothing Underwire T-Shirt Bra (pictured) and Le Mystere ‘Dream Tisha 9955′ Underwire T-Shirt Bra.

3. Minimize if you still feel uncomfortable. If you’re wearing the right size and an appropriately modest bra for work, and you’re still feeling too busty, you may want to look into a minimizer.  Our $.02: in our experience these are uncomfortable for the day where it’s going to be a long haul, and your breasts tend to look less natural.  But it may make you feel better, sartorially speaking.

4. Know your neckline.  The Jackies and Betties of the world can wear the crew necks and the mock turtlenecks — those styles really are not flattering on the Marilyns and the Jackies of the world.  If you fall into the latter camp, you still have a wide selection — v-necks, scoopnecks, boat necks, cowl necks, and — if accesorized correctly — turtlenecks.  (A button-down shirt, open at the collar,  creates the effect of a v-neck.)  Most of these look great beneath suits (the exception being the boatneck, which looks better on its own).

5.  Raise the eyeline in artificial ways. If you’re well-endowed and trying to be professional, the last thing you want is to draw anyone’s eye to your cleavage.  If you’re wearing a v-neck that dips a bit low for work, first add a camisole. Go for something plain — not lacy — that will raise the neckline and cling to your chest (and not gape open).  Ann Taylor Loft makes some good ones; we’re also fans of Old Navy’s simple cotton camisoles (pictured and linked).  (Another tip:  never wear a nude camisole — you don’t want people wondering if that’s your skin or a camisole they’re seeing.  Go for white or black if you don’t have one that matches or compliments your top.)  You can also use accessories to draw the eye upwards — a pair of pearls that stops below your clavicle tends to draw the eyes there; a brooch placed on your shoulder also tends to draw the eye there.  Avoid pendants or long necklaces that hit you at your bust’s widest point.

6. If you’re busty, you may find that you prefer tops that have no buttons – t-shirts and sweaters don’t gape open, after all.  If you find that sweaters hug your curves a bit too much, try for a silky camisole beneath them — it makes everything lay better.  (A cotton camisole will just stick to the sweater.)

7.  When buying things, buy them to fit your bust. If a button-down blouse is gaping in your chest, it’s never going to look right — just buy the next size (or two) bigger and then get it tailored.  Similarly, with dresses — if the girls are smooshed then the dress will never fit properly.  (You can try it with a minimizer, but trust us — just get the next size bigger.)  Some brands that are forgiving in the bust include Rebecca & Drew (which has button-down shirts sized by bra sizes); Shoshanna dresses, David Meister dresses, Tahari, and Ann Taylor.

8.  Know your proportions. If your figure is an hourglass, do your best to work within that shape — even if you long to wear A-line skirts, a pencil skirt may be more flattering.  Similarly, if you’re more of an inverted triangle — large on top with slender hips (or not much of a waist) you may want to try to wear an A-line skirt, to balance the top.  You may find that wearing outfits of entirely one color are more flattering.  Many, many articles have been written about this — you may want to check out What Not to Wear’s Fashion Tips for the Hard to Fit, or Happygrrls’ quiz, What Body Type Are You? We’re also partial to Jezebel’s Sadie’s tips on finding your personal style by finding an era in which your body type was in vogue.

9. Buy suits with multiple buttons. When suit shopping, look for suits with at least two or three buttons on them — a higher closure will mean your bust is more covered.  Avoid suits with a single button in the middle.  (If you’re considering a double-breasted suit, please put it down, and stop shopping until the urge passes.) Pictured: Lafayette 148 New York ‘Everson’ Jacket, available at Nordstrom’s for $398.

10. Try to find a professionally-dressed woman with your body type and watch her, both to get inspiration for outfits for yourself, as well as to learn which things don’t look good.  Examples: Oprah.  Karen on Will & Grace (sometimes too sexy, sometimes just right). Maria Bartiromo.  We’ll try to keep thinking of suggestions…

Wow — in what was one of our most unpopular polls ever, we asked last week whether people nap at the office and whether they have a system to it.  The poll is still open, but the initial results were split pretty much in thirds:

- 32% said that yes, you had napped at the office more than once

- 30% denied ever napping

- 38% said they’d only napped once and weren’t proud of it.

As various articles report, napping for just 20 minutes can increase your productivity by clearing your mind’s clutter, as well as improving memory, stamina, and motor skills.  One article even weighs the different benefits of naps lasting anywhere from 2 seconds to 90 minutes.  Some companies are even installing “sleep pods” to help their workers recharge:

Some articles to consider, if you’re not currently napping:

• How to Get the Perfect Nap [Stepcase Lifehack]
• How and Why to Power Nap [Lifehacker]
• How to Nap like a Pro [Boston Globe, via HuffPo]
• Top 10 Ways to Sleep Smarter and Better [Lifehacker]

Photo credit:  Cat nap, originally uploaded to Flickr by Mr. Miyagi. Note that there’s actually a difference between a cat nap (which one does on a lazy Sunday) and a power nap (which one might do at your office).

Liking these posts? Follow Corporette on Twitter — this is the edited version of what we’re reading! (We also Tweet if we hear about a good sale.)

- Diane von Furstenberg is having an online sale — great selection and decent prices.  [DvF.com]

- Yes, yes:  The McCain campaign somehow managed to spend $150K on Palin’s wardrobe and she looks, largely, the same. [NYT]  Although, apparently, she is keenly aware of her “new” image and gave the SNL wardrobe people guff.  [The Huffington Post]

- The WSJ braces the workforce for the Millenials.  [WSJ]

- Tracie over at Jezebel ruminates on all the ways Judge Judy has helped to turn her into a responsible adult.  [Jezebel]

- The editors over at The Daily Obsession are obsessed with Medieval, a red gloss.  We’re going to have to check it out! [The Daily Obsession]

- Finally:  Advice on how to leave the rat race.  [WSJ]