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’ve gotten a few requests for suggestions for “lightweight blazers” for hot summer months, so I thought I’d round up a few for today’s Hunt. For my $.02: if you’re really going to be wearing a blazer outside or in another hot environment, linen is the way to go — it just breathes so well. Silk is another good choice, but the tradeoff for all that, um, breathing (for both linen and silk) is the mad wrinkling that occurs. Cotton holds up much better (and I always think a cotton pique fabric looks pretty but professional, while a cotton seersucker can be classic) — if you can find a linen and cotton blend, or silk and cotton blend, that may be the holy grail. Right now I’m seeing a lot of blazers with eyelet details — I honestly don’t think they’re appropriate for most conservative offices, but they can be another option if you’re attending an outdoor event. Readers, what is your favorite type of blazer to wear on hot days? Do you have any tricks to keep linen or silk from wrinkling?
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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 always feel like purple pumps are a Corporette classic — they’re not what you’d normally think of for conservative business attire, but they’re usually dark enough to be conservative, and they’re incredibly versatile. They add a great punch of color to a number of neutrals (black, navy, gray, beige, white), as well as a bit of a fun accent with outfits based around greens, reds, or yellows (as a contrasting color) or blues (as a complimenting one). I’d avoid wearing them with pink, but maybe that’s just me. Readers, do you like purple pumps as much as I do? What other colors of shoes have you found to be surprising basics?
Not included below, but: if you’re really confident in your purple shoes, try these very bright purple pumps (The Limited and Jessica Simpson); if you’re more of a wedge-wearer try these pairs (Fitzwell and Gucci). [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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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.
We’re heading into prime sheath dress weather right now — not only is it great for layering in spring (beneath blazers or cardigans, or occasionally on top of blouses), but it’s a workhorse in sticky hot summers. I actually meant to write about black sheath dresses (especially since I’m in the market for one myself) but was so unexcited about all of the black sheath dresses, and instead found so many great colorful sheath dresses, that I thought I’d feature those instead. Readers, have you gotten any great sheath dresses recently? Have you bought any colorful sheath dresses in the past that became favorites?
(Psst: if you like the picture at left, please consider Pinning it on Pinterest! You can follow me here.)
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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.
With the first day of spring almost here (I believe it’s tomorrow, March 20!) everybody needs a lightweight jacket. Here in NYC it rains so much that I’m always looking for a great rain coat to serve as my lightweight jacket, but I hate double-breasted jackets. Here’s my case against them: not only do they usually look stupid when worn open, they often have to be fitted so close to your body to look good that it’s hard to fit a blazer under there — which for me is always an essential. So I thought I’d round up some jackets out there that, in addition to being lightweight, possibly weatherproof (or at least weather-friendly), can also possibly fit a blazer beneath them. Readers, have you recently bought a rain coat? What do you look for in a great one?
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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.
Pumps are all well and good, but if you’re like me — particularly while it’s still tights weather — they can be a little hard to walk in. This is why my closet has always contained a lot of Mary Jane heels, as well as other heels with straps. It can be a bit tricky to find some that don’t a) visually cut your leg at the worst possible point, and b) make you look like a little girl — so I thought I’d round up a few. Readers, how often do you wear heels with straps? Any favorite brands, or great steals recently?
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