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The Hunt: Very Light Gray Pants

05/13/2013 By 75 Comments

light gray pants 1Sure, 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.

Yeah, yeah: we’ve all heard that summer is the Time of the White Pant. For my money, though, summer is the perfect time for the Very Light Gray Pant. It’s summery without the fuss of the white pant (keeping it clean, finding no-show undergarments, etc), and it’s also not quite as stark/statement-y as white pants. Wear it with neutrals, or wear it with colors — the pastels of spring, the vibrant hues of mid-summer, even the darker hues of late summer. Unfortunately it seems like not all retailers agree with me — it was a bit of a struggle to find any gray pants (let alone light gray ones), even at some of the usual suspects for women’s workwear. Readers, what do you think — do you agree with me that a Very Light Gray Pant is essential for summer? Do you prefer white trousers? In general, which brands and styles are your go-to pants for work?

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Filed Under: Basics, The Hunt

Open Thread: The Best Products for Summer

05/01/2013 By 53 Comments

silver-liningsIt’s May 1, and here in NYC the sun is shining, things are in bloom, and it seems as if Bare Leg/Flip Flop Commuting Weather has finally arrived.  (Of course, we all know that you’re not supposed to walk for miles in flip flops, but everyone here does anyway.)  I was thinking it might be fun to have a conversation of some of the best products you’ve bought that can help working women through the summer and changing seasons.  Some ideas:

  • Silver Linings, which are shoe inserts with antimicrobial silver ions to help de-funk your shoes (or keep them from smelling in the first place)
  • Zakkerz, which help you temporarily hem your pants with magnets
  • Sunscreen in a brush — I haven’t tried this yet, but I just ordered some for my son (Tickle Time) and noticed while researching it that bareMinerals makes some as well.  Given that I hate the greasy feel of sunscreen on my face, I’m looking forward to seeing how this works.
  • A wrap.  I’ve sung the praises of your basic wrap before, but I think they’re particularly great for the office at this time of year.  A) If you’ve layered a blazer on top of a dress or lightweight top and are still freezing, you can add a wrap on top of the blazer.  B) You can use it to cover your legs if you’re freezing in a skirt.  C) Add length/coverage to your skirts while you’re sitting (I explain this more fully here).

Readers, which are some of the products you count among your best summer finds? 

Filed Under: Tool of the Trade, Under $150, Weather

The Hunt: Simple Sheath Dresses

04/29/2013 By 85 Comments

sheath-dresses-2 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.

I’m the kind of person who wears sheath dresses year round — with tights and sweaters in colder seasons, and usually with bare legs and pumps in warmer seasons.  To me, the perfect sheath dress: a) is sleeveless (so I can throw a blazer or cardigan on top without feeling like the sleeves are bunch), b) requires zero consideration of which bra I’m wearing with it because it has wide enough straps and a high (if not entirely covered) back, c) is a bit fitted, but not skin-tight like a “body con” dress (body conscious) or boxyish like a shift, and d) has a high enough neckline that I can wear it by itself.  No beading/sparkles/bows/artistic folds, please, and the plainer the color, the more versatile the dress.  Of course, I should note: although you see “professional” women everywhere on television with bare legs and bare arms, you really must know your office — if you’re still learning the culture, prepare to wear pantyhose, as well as a blazer or cardigan if you’re walking around the office/attending meetings.  Readers, what does your perfect sheath dress look like?  Have you gotten any amazing sheath dresses recently?

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Filed Under: Basics, Layering Pieces, Pantyhose, The Hunt

Tales from the Wallet: Asset Allocation and Rebalancing Your Investments

04/24/2013 By 41 Comments

asset-allocationWhat does it mean to have balanced investments, and how do you do it? What is a proper asset allocation?  I first tried to answer these questions about six months ago (maybe longer) and finally think I’ve got it figured out… kind of.  Still, do note: this is not intended as a tutorial, just a jumping off point for a discussion. (Pictured: Kate Spade New York Carmine Street – Lacey Wallet, available at Nordstrom for $158 in green, pink, and black.)

Why You Should Balance Your Investments

First — why should you balance your investments, or allocate your assets?  I read Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich a while ago — a great introductory book if you’re new to financial stuff, and definitely a quick read.  One of the only things that was new to me was his explanation of how and why to balance your investments, which I’d heard about through the years but never really focused on.  (To be honest, I kind of thought all I needed to know was that bit about subtracting your age from 100 and putting that percentage in stocks, which roughly translated to me as “invest mostly in stock index funds.”)  In Sethi’s book, he talks about how you should have a target asset allocation (also quoted on his website) of something like 15% TIPS, 15% Government bonds, 20% REITs, 5% emerging-market equities, 30% domestic equities, and 15% developed world international equities.  Whoa! That’s a bit different than “mostly stocks.”  But I suppose it’s easy enough to figure out, at least if you’re just setting up your investments for the first time.  So, let’s say you invest accordingly, and in that first year, domestic equities do AMAZING and emerging-market equities have a lousy year — so at the end of the year you may end up with 60% of your holdings in domestic equities and only 2% in emerging-market equities.  So, Sethi says, at the end of each year you should figure out what your target allocation is and then readjust so that you’re putting something like 20% into emerging-market equities and only 10% into domestic market equities.  Uh huh. Ok.  Simple! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Investing, Money, Tales from the Wallet

Everything You Need To Know About Dry Cleaning Your Suits

04/22/2013 By 24 Comments

everything you need to know about drycleaning women's suitsHow often should you dry clean your suits? Is dry cleaning bad for suits, and something to be avoided?

If you had asked me before last Thursday’s post on whether you can create a black suit from different black pieces, I would have said that we had absolutely, totally talked about this before on the blog, at least once or twice.  (At least in our Guide to Interview Suits, right?) But going through the archives, I couldn’t find any post really on point.  Since I do think these are important basics — particularly since it’s the end of the season and many readers are likely considering what to do with their winter suits — let’s talk about it today.

Here are a few simple propositions:

- Dry cleaning is something you should generally avoid as long as possible because you’re exposing your clothes to a lot of chemicals.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Corporette 101, Fashion Gaffes, Laundry, Suits, Wear to Work

The Hunt: Basic Black Bags

04/15/2013 By 35 Comments

black-bagsSure, 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.

I’m a huge fan of colorful, bright bags — but that said, if I didn’t have a few simple black bags in my closet I’d be majorly on the hunt right now. They can be a bit boring, for sure, but they’re classics for a reason — they’re major workhorses. We haven’t rounded up some simple black bags since last April, so I thought I’d do a round up today… Readers, which are your favorite simple black everyday bags? Have you bought any great ones recently? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bags, The Hunt