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.
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 Franco Sarto – Cicero |
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 Stuart Weitzman – Blog |
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(L-all)
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Happy Monday, ladies! Let’s talk about those clothing pieces that you buy over and over again — those gems that become your perennial favorites, the ones that are always available for sale (albeit, perhaps, in new colors). Here on the site we’ve discovered a few — “THE skirt” from Nordstrom (and the Frenchi shrunken cardigan blazer from the junior’s department), the Target wedges, the Kate Spade Halle wedges… I might also include the Tory Burch Simone cardigan, and perhaps this ruched faux wrap dress from Suzi Chin… what else? My friend Auntie M wrote about her must-have Amber Sun pants (which are now back in stock, incidentally) — what are your must-haves?
Pictured below, some of the must-haves we’ve talked about here on the blog… (we’ve also talked about your favorite tops under suits as well as your favorite comfortable heels…)
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(P.S. Unintentionally, many of these pieces are available at Nordstrom — do you guys consider that to be the department store you go to for “classics” or is it just coincidence? Perhaps that’s another discussion entirely, where you go when you’re looking for __ type of clothes…)
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If you’ve been ogling designer shoes but aren’t sure where to start (or whether to make the leap!), this post is for you. I’ve been reading Tiffany’s blog at I am Style-ish for a few years now, and I’ve always admired the professional but chic way she incorporates designer shoes into her outfits. She has quite a collection, so I asked her to write a “intro to designer shoes” post for Corporette. Enjoy! — Kat
Hello Corporette readers! It’s Tiffany from I am Style-ish here! I’m so happy to be here while Kat is away enjoying time with her new little one.
I love Kat and Corporette for bringing together so many of us career driven, highly ambitious women. I also love that Kat incorporates a lot of fashion and style in her blog because I know a lot of us still want to look our best while working our way up to the top ;) I’ve never sacrificed style for my career in HR and I don’t believe that you have to. Along those lines, although I’m a very career driven woman, I also love fashion and if there is one thing that you need to know about me is that I love shoes. Not just any shoes, really really tall shoes and preferably with a red sole ;)
a few from Tiffany's collection!
My first pair of designer heels was a pair of Jimmy Choo pumps that I thought were beautiful and when I wore them, I just felt fabulous! I caught the bug for designer heels after that pair and I just haven’t stopped. Even though I worked at a conservative IT Consulting firm, I never felt weird about wearing them, in fact, I got more compliments on my shoes at work than I ever expected! (In my current position as Director of Operations for a consulting firm, I work from home a lot, but my designer heels always come with me when I travel for meetings.)
I get a lot of questions about designer shoes, what to buy, how they fit, how to get them on sale and are they REALLY that much more comfortable so here are some things that I’ve learned.
Different designers fit very differently and you’ll never know which ones you like until you try them on. I very rarely order shoes online unless I’ve tried them on before only because sizing can be so inconsistent. In terms of comfort, my top choices are Miu Miu and Jimmy Choo. For very pretty but not very comfortable shoes, it’s definitely Christian Louboutin. Dior, Prada and YSL all fall into the middle for me. These all have exceptions of course as I’ve found that my Louboutin Simple 85 pumps (pictured below) are one of my most comfortable shoes (although in general, I’ve found that Louboutins are not that comfortable — but that doesn’t stop me from buying them!).
These Jimmy Choos are perfect for the office. I own many Jimmy Choo pumps as I find that they have the most office appropriate styles.
Or these Miu Miu pumps are gorgeous! It’s a 5 inch heel but with a 1 inch platform and perfect for shorties like me that like to feel that we can be a “normal” height sometimes :)
Having a hard time finding shoes in your size or on sale? Befriend the sales associate! This part is very important for a shoe lover like me! When you are trying on shoes, let your sales associate know that you are interested in more shoes that are similar or by the same brand and also if they have a sale on designer shoes, please give you a call. And then every time after that when you walk into their department, ask for them and buy all your shoes from them. It’s a win-win partnership as you get the shoes you want and they get the commission! I’ve had the same sales associate at Nordstrom for the past 4 years and he calls me every time he gets shoes in my size (I wear a size 5 which is a hard size to come by) and he also calls me when they have sales on designer shoes and I get to pick out the shoes before they go on sale to the public. This in itself has saved me hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars! If I had to wait for sales to buy my shoes, I’d be stuck with a lot of styles that I didn’t like or I’d buy a size up and try to put in extra insoles hoping it will fit (it never does, I’ve learned to only buy shoes in my size, no matter how much on sale they are!)
Comfort wise – I think that the comfort levels are different in designer and non designer shoes. I do think that designer shoes are more comfortable because of the craftsmanship. The insoles which are made with leather are much more comfortable and cushion your foot as opposed to non-designer heels which can be made with manmade materials and that are stiff and can feel like you are walking on a piece of wood. When designer shoes are uncomfortable it’s because the arch of the shoe may be a bit too high, which Louboutin is guilty of but that’s also why your foot looks so damn good in his shoes. He does an arch like no other. It’s definitely something that you have to get used to and I usually reserve those types of shoes for evenings when I know I’ll be sitting most of the time. I’m not going to say that all designer shoes are comfortable but with my experience I’ve had very little issues of getting blisters because the shoe is rubbing me the wrong way.
Are you a shoe lover as well? What brands are your favorites?
And if you’re interested in how I store all my shoes, check out my shoe closet video!
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What makes a dress professional enough to be the “it” business dress? How do you find it? I’m so so thrilled to introduce today’s guest poster, my friend Yuli Ziv. Not only is she the founder of Style Coalition (a network of fashion bloggers that includes Corporette) but she negotiated the deal between Elle and SC to create the ad network that Corporette uses. Neither of these is her first entrepreneurial undertaking — she also received angel funding to create the first crowd-sourced fashion blog, My It Things. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, she also recently published a book: Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to The Front Row. She’s a huge source of inspiration to me, and she has some wicked advice on the perfect business dress — so enjoy! – Kat
During the first few years as an entrepreneur I tried so hard to fit in the male dominated environment. Whether it was a meeting with a VC or a tech industry networking event – pant suits were my safe choice, decorated only with some jewelry at the most. I wanted to be taken seriously so badly, I chose to forgo my own personality and style – ouch! Luckily, pretty quickly I realized this strategy lead me nowhere – the problem wasn’t my clothes. I was, in fact very different from these people, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Stylishly shining in a room of gray suits is a huge advantage that at some point I learned to use to my benefits. (You can get a similar dress to Yuli’s at DKNY (Three Quarter Sleeve V-Neck Wrap Dress) for $325.)
This is when I discovered the fashionable business dresses, and since then I collected quite a few. It took some trial and error to find not only what’s appropriate and works for my figure, but also what makes me feel confident. These days I’m often invited to speak in public (last time was in front of 1,000 people at Lincoln Center in NYC), and I find the right dress helps me present myself in a confident way.
So what makes a dress an appropriate business dress? A garment that makes you feel stylish, professional, confident, beautiful and smart is hard to find. I developed my own set of rules that guides me through that process:
Fit. A business dress has to fit you impeccably. There is no room for too tight or too loose, it has to be right. You can’t just slap a belt on it and hope it will fix the fit problem. It has to hug the body in a proper way, and have a room (1-2 inches) to breathe – this will avoid any undergarment from showing. I also find defining waist helps to create a more structured, well put together look.
Color. No matter how progressive your work place is, a light pink business dress doesn’t project much power. It has something to do with the colors and our perception or the meaning we apply to it. Primary colors project confidence and look sharp on anyone, so stick to them when choosing a business dress. Patterns should be used in moderation. While they definitely add a sense of individuality, remember that they might distract your opponent in a business meeting.
Fabric. I think fabric is the most crucial part of the proper business dress. It has to have a certain thickness to it to avoid few potential problems, such as sheerness, showing undergarments or simply your body imperfections. Thick fabric also doesn’t wrinkle easily, and there is nothing that ruins the professional image more than wrinkled clothes. So even if you have been sitting at that boardroom for 5 hours, a thick fabric won’t catch the wrinkles.
(Above: Here’s one great example of a perfect business dress — Calvin Klein Dress, Cap Sleeve Belted Metallic Shirtdress Sheath, available at Macy’s for $83 (was $128).)
Texture. Besides being thick and properly fitted, I find the texture of the dress being very important to project quality and sophistication. Is there a shine to it? Or perhaps it’s made of a soft wool blend? Perhaps there is a subtle pattern which is part of the fabric itself? The material is sometimes all it takes to make a dress stand out.
Underlining. All of the fit and fabric issues could be solved in most cases with the proper underlining. It also prevents the dress from stretching too much, and keeps it in the original shape. I find it disappointing when a nice dress isn’t lined properly. It seems some designers and especially budget retailers tend to skip that step these days, so watch out not only for the outside, but for the inside of the dress.
Coverage. Needless to say a business dress has to cover much more than an evening dress. Depending on the industry, you can show off legs or bare arms. My personal favorite is just above the knee length and cap sleeve. I find it most flattering and providing just the right coverage.
Details. While there are plenty of options for the basic business dresses, I find every dress needs to have something special about it in order to showcase your individuality and style. Whether it’s draping, pockets or other embellishment – look for sophisticated details in every piece.
What are your rules when it comes to business dresses and which one is your favorite?
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How do you function the day after an all-nighter, let alone looking competent and vaguely human? We covered this a looong time ago, back in the dark days of 2008 — but considering that Corporette has so many more readers now, I thought I’d update the Corporette coverage of the subject, and I can’t wait to hear what commenters say.
We’ve all been there — stuff needs to get done, and stuff needs to get done now. In the high-stress job, the all-nighter (sometimes several nights in a row!) is par for the course. One of my former bosses once said she reveled in looking like crap the next day — that she wore it as a badge of honor. Me: not so much. If you look sloppy and tired and incoherent, well, that’s how you tend to get treated (and sometimes the treatment lasts far longer than the sleep deprivation). (Pictured: IMG_9636, originally uploaded to Flickr by mikebitton.) So, that said, here are my tips for how to avoid looking and acting like the walking dead:
1. Get as much quality sleep as you can. Your goal on these nights is to complete as many sleep cycles as possible. There are four stages to sleep; the final stage is REM sleep. It generally takes 90 minutes to finish a full cycle, but it can vary, so play around with it. (A new product, the WakeMate wristband and smartphone App “optimizes your waking hours by automatically analyzing your sleep and illuminating personal habits that affect your sleep.” Lifehacker just rounded up some other helpful sleep tech, also.) My point here is that once you get home from the office, figure out how many 90-minute cycles you can get in. Go for solid numbers of sleep cycles, because it’s a little like doing your laundry: if you’re interrupted halfway through you’re worse than you were before. Note that a sleeping pill will interrupt your sleep cycles (as will other chemical aids). In general, if you remember your dreams, you’re waking up in the middle of a cycle.
2. Force your skin to look young and awake, even if you feel anything but. Almost every skin care line has masks or lotions that use natural acids to exfoliate the skin and promote the skin’s turnover rate. If you’re loyal to one skincare brand, check that line first — look for something like Bliss ‘The Youth As We Know It’ Anti-Aging Cleanser, which is part of a collection that contains “the top ten age-fighting ingredients” and guarantees to “leave skin smoother, brighter, dewier and firmer.” Another good one: Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula No Color One Size
, which has won the reader’s choice awards for Allure magazine in 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007.
3. Ward off colds. No, an on-coming cold doesn’t really affect the way you look, but after a sleepless night your immune system will be vulnerable. If you’re a fan of zinc or echinacea, now’s the time to take a preemptory hit. You may also want to try some Emergen-C packets — you add them to 8 oz of water and the Kool-Aid type concoction gives you more than 1000% of you Vitamin C for the day. (Especially for when the office emergency has passed and you’re now just trying to make it to the end of the day, I prefer an Emergen-C packet to coffee for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up — no caffeine crash.)
4. Depuff your eyes. The adage says the eyes are the window to your soul — so it’s best to avoid that blank, swollen look in your eyes. Before you leave the house, apply something cold to your eye area. Tea bags soaked in cold water will do in a pinch, but a gel mask is far less messy. Second, invest in a good eye cream — let’s face it, this area always needs help. I like Aveeno Eye Brightener but, again, recommend you look first to whichever brand of skincare products you use; I’ve also started using Clinique’s All About Eyes. Also, Visine is handy if your eyes are very red (but avoid using it daily — I’ve heard the ingredient that gets the red out will eventually stop working.) If your eyes are continuously dry and sore, I luuurve TheraTears
— they’re preservative-free and come in both a regular liquid and a super-duper thick and soothing gel.
5. Choose a safe outfit. Trust me, today isn’t the day to experiment with that new trend you just read about in Lucky. Even if it’s going to be a low key day, I suggest going ultra safe here: pull out your interview suit or some other outfit you’ve worn a thousand times, and pull your hair back into a bun or a French twist. The look you’re going for is clean, professional, and most of all, coherent.
Readers, what are your best tips for looking great the day after an all nighter and functioning normally? What products are your favorites?
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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 feel like a good black tote bag is something every professional woman needs — particularly if you’re gearing up for interviews. They’re large enough for a folder with your resume, as well as some reading or work (should you find yourself waiting or with some free time), and they’re also great for stashing all of the items you generally carry in your purse. Readers, have you recently purchased any great black tote bags? Do you have a classic that you’ve been using for years?
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  Tumi is another brand I know and like, particularly for business bags for men and women. I like the leather and nylon combination of this one, as well as the little details like the feet on the bag and the interior pockets. It’s $345 at Amazon. Tumi Voyageur Derby Business Tote |
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