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What Is the Best “Professional” Haircut?

02/11/2013 By 179 Comments

professional-hairHere’s a question we haven’t talked about in a while: what is the best professional haircut for women? I can remember, years ago, that Angela Merkel’s short, almost mannish cut was THE cut to have. Not just for women of a certain age, but for a lot of women who were coming up the ranks. But I wonder: what do you think of as the most “professional” haircut? If it were right for your hair, which CEO, anchor person, or world leader would you be taking pictures of to your salon, saying “if you want to be taken seriously, you have to have serious hair.”  (Bonus points for any reader who can find me a video link to Working Girl where she says that — in the meantime, here’s the trailer.)

So who do you look to today for the best professional hair?  Sheryl Sandberg?  Marissa Mayer?  What changes to your own hair have you made to make it more “professional”?  Or do you think we’ve reached an age where “whatever works for you” IS the best professional haircut?

Filed Under: Hair, Professionalism

The Red Dress at the Black Tie Event

02/05/2013 By 103 Comments

1Can you wear a red dress to a professional black tie event?  Reader “Confused in VA” writes in, wondering:

Is it ok to wear a red gown to a professional black tie event? The event will be in the evening with dinner.

Hmmn.  We’ve talked about what not to wear to a black tie event, how to do black tie on a budget, and whether cocktail dresses are appropriate for black tie events — but never what colors are appropriate.  To be honest, my gut reaction here was “If you are the honoree or the hostess of the event, knock yourself out.  Otherwise, step away from the red dress.”  But after some Googling, it seems like a red dress is becoming more and more popular — even Tim Gunn says “absolutely” to bright colors at evening affairs.

Still, for my $.02, I would stick to dresses in muted colors for professional events — a dark plum or an emerald, or a navy — and leave brighter colors to details like your clutch, or your bag.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Black-Tie/Fancy, Fashion Gaffes, Networking, Professionalism, Style

Business Casual — Without Being Overdressed

01/31/2013 By 102 Comments

someecards.com - Are sleeping bags business casual? How do younger women do “business casual” in a male-dominated environment — without ending up looking like the mom (or younger sister) of the group?  Reader S asks:

I have a question about work attire: is it possible to be “over-dressed” for work? Without getting in to too much detail, I work for a medium sized engineering firm as an engineer. I am the only female engineer in my group so it’s really hard for me to gauge what would be deemed appropriate work attire for my office. Most of the men dress business casual (as in jeans, or khakis at best, and a polo shirt- even on client meeting days) during the weekdays, with casual Fridays being jeans and a t-shirt. I usually wear dress pants, and an appropriate top; Fridays I wear jeans and an appropriate top. Am I overdressed? The only other person who wears dress pants is the group manager. I should mention I’m only 3 years in to my career.

I can totally see this being a problem. The guys are wearing jeans and polos and look like regular workers — meanwhile, if you wear jeans and a t-shirt you end up looking like their scrappy younger sister, and if you wear trousers and a nice top you look like the mom of the group.  We’ve covered whether you can dress “too nice” for work, and also how to transition to business casual from a more conservative environment, but I don’t think we’ve really talked about this exact question.

For my two cents, here are a few tips — I’m really curious to hear what the readers have to say on this one, though. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Casual, Fashion Gaffes, Professionalism, Style, Wear to Work

How Often Can You Repeat Your Outfits at Work?

01/24/2013 By 134 Comments

1Can you wear the same outfit over and over again to work? How often can you rewear an outfit? Reader N wonders…

Do you have any tips about how often you can wear the same outfit to work? Or posts on outfit frequency? I tried to search in the archives but couldn’t find anything.

This is a great question, and one we haven’t talked about before. A friend of mine was just describing a former coworker who wore the exact same outfit (dress, tights, shoes, jewelry) multiple days in a row — and how no one could figure out what her deal was (but everyone was wondering!). So: don’t be that coworker!

Personally I think you can repeat the exact same outfit, but the more memorable it is, the less often you can repeat it. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics, Fashion, Fashion Gaffes, Layering Pieces, Professionalism, Shopping, Style, Wear to Work

Can A Water Bottle Be Unprofessional?

01/17/2013 By 79 Comments

Can something as simple as a water bottle be unprofessional? Are there business etiquette rules for drinking water in the office?  Reader M wonders.

Are there any tips for choosing professional-looking water bottles? This is perhaps a mundane question, but with an extremely youthful face, long hair, and a newly-minted JD, I’m trying very hard to avoid any hint of ‘intern.’ I occasionally worry that my current metal bottle — complete with the name of my law school — really serves as a visual reminder that I just got out of school (it often ends up on my desk). On the other hand, I’m proud of my alma mater. Is the answer to trade it in for something completely nondescript? Are certain types more common among professionals? Are designs/logos that reflect some aspect of one’s personality completely out? Thanks for any thoughts you may be able to share!

Hmmn. First, congratulations to M for trying to get her daily water. Fancy water bottles have a lot in their favor — you avoid some suspect chemicals from plastic water bottles (such as BPAs), and they’re easier to clean and reuse. And I’ll admit, in my law firm days I used a simple stainless steel water bottle to carry water to and fro my office (similar to this one from REI). (I always drank out of a plastic cup — easier to throw away, less to clean — so the water bottle was really just my pitcher.  One pitcher filled about three plastic cups of water, so it did help me cut down on trips to the office kitchen for water.)

Now: was I unprofessional to use a water bottle?  Is M being unprofessional by using a water bottle with her law school logo? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Etiquette, Looking Young, Organization, Productivity, Professionalism, Weight Control

On the Road: What to Wear for Many Months Away From Home

01/10/2013 By 137 Comments

Cruise Luggage, originally uploaded to Flickr by flamingbear.How do you pack for a business trip where you’ll be gone for MONTHS? Reader B has a great question on long business trips:

Can you give tips or do a post on how to prepare for short-term assignments? I’ll be based in Hong Kong for 2-3 months for a project and I’m clueless on what to bring or how to pack. I tempted to take my entire closet! Help!

Excellent question.  We kind of got at this in our discussion of what to wear for a month-long trial, but that’s a bit different because a) you have to be on your best behavior, sartorially speaking — conservative, vanilla, “don’t notice me for my clothes” kind of clothes — and b) well, that was a trial.  We also kind of addressed this in our advice to the person who was going to school abroad for a summer, but I suspect your need for backpacking-friendly clothes is slightly less. (Pictured.) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics, Layering Pieces, Organization, Professionalism, Style, Suits, Travel, Wear to Work