Do you have to wear pantyhose in the summer? The pantyhose-at-the-office question comes up so often, but I don’t think we’ve addressed it in a while — and Reader N wonders…
I had a question about wearing pantyhose. I’m about to start my first internship in finance (a mid-sized hedge fund) this summer and I’m really confused as to what to wear. It’ll be in London, so I don’t know if that changes business formal guidelines. Anyway, I’m 20 years old and a southern girl, and I’ve never worn pantyhose in my life. Is it really necessary to wear pantyhose with a skirt suit, even in the middle of July? I’m tempted to just wear a pant suit the first day and see what everyone else is wearing, but then I’ve heard people say that pantsuits aren’t conservative enough and I should wear a skirtsuit the first day just in case.
Obviously, I have no idea what I’m doing. Oh dear.
Congratulations on your summer internship — it sounds excellent. There is a really big range in what’s acceptable at conservative offices, and so — for my $.02 — it’s always best to get started on the right foot, which is to say the safest foot. You don’t want people’s first impression of you to be of your clothes — you want it to be of your work, your accomplishments. So for the first day — probably even the first week — I would suggest wearing: [click to continue…]
What is the best bag to carry if you walk to work? Reader A wonders…
I’ve had a bag dilemma for years and though this venue might provide a solution. I thought perhaps someone out there might have found the holy grail of bags to address the following issues, and I’m sure others are looking for the same. I would certainly love a post on this. I’m a lawyer and I walk almost two miles to work everyday. Here’s what I’m looking for:
- Big enough to carry folders, papers, occasional laptop and occasional change of clothes
-Color-neutral enough to be worn with anything for everyday use
-Professional looking
- Comfortable to carry long distances, such as a cross-body style with comfortable strap. Maybe a backpack style?
Does such a bag exist? I sure hope so.
I’ve always loved walking to work, and I’ve regularly schlepped about that distance. While there are so many benefits to walking to work (fresh air! clear head! some exercise!), I do feel like I’ve done some serious damage to my body from walking so much. [click to continue…]
Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.
There are so many fun colors out this season, but sometimes you just want a simple black bag — either so you don’t clash with what you’re wearing, so you tone down what you’re wearing, or just because, well, who doesn’t want a good black bag? These are all in what I’ll call the “mid-expensive” category (in that they’re not light decisions, but you don’t need to skip a rent payment to buy the bag), which is my favorite category to buy from, both for work and otherwise. As always, I’m sure great deals can be had if you stalk an item online, or haunt sales IRL. Readers, what color bag do you think of as your “basic”? Purchased any great bags lately?
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How do you start wearing prints? Reader T wonders…
I’m wondering if you can do a post on incorporating prints into one’s wardrobe. I looked at my closet the other day and realized that about 90% of the clothes I wear are solid colors. I seem to always gravitate toward very saturated bold colors, but never to prints. I guess I sometimes feel that wearing prints looks loud” or will make me stand out too much at work. I know how to use prints with accessories (shoes, scarves) but I’d like to specifically see a post on buying clothes with prints.
We’ve talked about how to mix prints, but we haven’t really talked about how to start buying prints. I think T has a fear that is shared by a lot of women — looking too loud, too out of place. So here are my suggestions for how to dip your toe into the waters of dressing with prints… (Pictured: Fabric, originally uploaded to Flickr by ChristopherTitzer.)
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We were traveling this weekend (home to Ohio to see the fam and celebrate Easter), which meant that yet again I got to deal with my horrible carry-on rolling bag. I got it a few years ago during what I thought was an amazing sale at Macy’s– if memory serves I paid less than $100 for what was originally a $430-ish bag. The logo fell off the first time I traveled with it. Since then, all of the zippers have broken at least once (some irreparably), the fabric hasn’t held up well, and it’s generally become a pain to push around. In other words: time for a new bag.
But I’m feeling a bit gunshy from my last travel experience, so I thought I’d ask — readers, what are your favorite rolling bags? My brother has the Victorinox Werks (pictured above, available at Zappos on sale for $239) and while he likes it, I’m still curious about what you ladies have to say.
In “things that work” news, I still love my LeSportsac Large Weekender bags — you can shove them into that useless front pocket on rolling bags when empty, and then use them if you need to carry back a lot of new purchases, gifts, or souvenirs. They’re particularly nice because you can lock the zippered main compartment (so it won’t burst open while the bag is being handled), but keep the key on the zipper so the TSA can hopefully get into it.
Readers, what are your favorite bags for travel? Have any other great travel tips?
Reader A wonders if and when it’s appropriate to have bare legs in the winter…
With the crazy weather in DC and other east coast cities this winter – windy and 35 degrees one day, 65 degrees and sunny another, and raining yet another, how do you suggest approaching the issue of tights or pantyhose? I work in a fairly conservative office, with a dress or skirt and blouse dresscode for women with no casual days and no jeans, ever. In February, is it ok to go to work sans tights or pantyhose if its particularly warm or very muggy? Is there a temperature guideline that you or others follow?
I’m curious to see what others say here. For my $.02: even though I don’t have a problem with bare legs from spring to fall (know your office, though!), something about bare legs in winter — even if it is 60 degrees — bugs me. Are tights or pantyhose really that “heavy” that you can’t wear them with a lighter-weight jacket? The problem with looking “out of season” is that it is a judgment call — as in, if someone thinks your outfit looks weird, they may think your judgment is out of whack, which may affect how you’re perceived at work. It kind of reminds me of stories I’ve heard about little kids who refuse to dress seasonally, refusing to wear anything but shorts in the wintertime or corduroy pants in the summertime. (Pictured: Up to my ankles in snow, originally uploaded to Flickr by Lollyman.)
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