We then decided to poll everyone to see when, exactly, jeans were appropriate.  As always, the poll is still open, but from the initial results, readers think jeans are appropriate if…:

• You’re invited to a barbecue at the boss’s house - 79%
• You’re in the office on the weekend, working directly with the boss - 72%  (We actually gave specific suggestions for this situation a while ago — that post is here)
• You’re invited to an outing where activities might take place (boating, golfing) - 66%
• You’re traveling for an extended period of time with the boss, and meeting at a non-office space (hotel, restaurant) - 52%

Only 5% said that jeans were never appropriate if you’d be near the boss, and only 1% said that jeans were never appropriate, period.  (Funnily enough, we’ve been to barbecues at the boss’s place where tents were set up and there was a lobster bake on — if it’s that kind of barbecue we’d actually recommend wearing trousers or a dress (assuming it’s all work people).

* We have been procrastinating writing this post all day because we do not like admitting this, but:  Fine.  You were right, and we were wrong.  Hmmn, that’s not quite as gracious-sounding as we’d planned.  In all seriousness, this is one of the reasons we started the blog — to flesh out the confines of what is and is not appropriate for young, intelligent women in traditionalist professions — and we’re so glad to see Corporette turn into a forum for that.

Above:  Pierce Jeans Cairo Alexis Trouser in Indigo Sapphire, available at CoutureCandy for $194

Banana Republic has a ton of new stuff marked 40% off, including this slightly metallic houndstooth dress.  We love the silk/cotton blend, the hidden pockets, and the ladylike silhouette.  We’d wear it with a black blazer or boyfriend cardigan (or a purple one, if we were feeling slightly saucy) and dark tights.  Was $150, now $95.  Women: Houndstooth sheath dress - Dark charcoal

Today’s TPS Report is for the petite ladies out there — this beautiful tweed Charles Gray jacket. This is exactly the kind of thing you can pull out on a day where you’ve had two hours of sleep but still need to look very polished in the day ahead: almost no thought is required because accessorizing can really be kept to a minimum. Throw on some black trousers, some black pumps, classic earrings, and the jacket, and run out the door. (We might suggest a t-shirt beneath it, both to safeguard against possible gaping as well as to save on dry cleaning costs, but the t-shirt isn’t going to be seen by anyone.)  Was $328, now $195. Charles Gray ‘Sweetheart’ Jacket (Petite)

Photo Credit:  Presents Presents Presents!, originally uploaded to Flickr by danagraves

This strikes us as the perfect thing to wear to a staff holiday party, if your company is having one this year. Dressed in black stretch silk, with metallic beaded banding at the waist, you’re festive, yet still conservative and maintaining your authority. The dress is by Abaete (”ah-BYE-ah-tay), and available at ShopBop for $298 (was $405 — ShopBop has yet another crazy sale going on.) Abaete Kat Dress

Does the fact that a suit is vintage make it too costume-y?  Does it depend on the styling and the pattern (read: no fur collars, no plaid or speckles)?  Does it have to be very plain in color and details (read: black, navy, or grey only)?

This is a very interesting question to us, because we see her concerns — vintage suits are frequently more body conscious than today’s suits, and a lot of the details that went along with the vintage suits — the blood red nails and lips, the wild hats, the pin curls, the elbow-length gloves, and the seamed stockings — are more the province of a a Halloween costume than of a professional reputation.  But a lot of these suits, such as the brown one pictured (link courtesy of our reader!) don’t look, by themselves, that costume-y.

That said, we see no problem with wearing vintage, so long as you don’t adopt the entire vibe of the era. For example:  if you wear a vintage suit with vintage-inspired shoes, wear more neutral makeup, with a modern bag and simple hair.  On the converse, to maintain a sense of continuity in your styles, you could wear a more modern suit with vintage shoes, or go for a pin curl look with Benetton.  We would try to stick closer to neutral, basic colors and avoid more garish ones, but keep in mind that we’ve seen quite a few fur collars, speckles, and plaids in stores recently, so use your judgment.  Your goal should be for people to think of you as a stylish but competent lawyer, not as Dita von Teese’s legal eagle cousin.

Things we would avoid — particularly in front of a court, or a boss — would be any suit featuring serious shoulder pads, stripes going in different directions, or anything requiring a corset to fit into. (For example, see the suit worn by Rossalind Russell in the opening scenes of His Girl Friday — absolutely stunning, but not something we’d wear in front of a fact finder.)  These pieces can be bought and broken up — for example, Russell’s striped suit jacket would look almost tame with black wide-legged trousers and a simple white blouse or t-shirt — but we wouldn’t chance wearing it in front of someone who thinks you’re a little girl playing dress up.

As far as shoes, we think the only goal with shoes is to avoid anything too revealing (open-toed shoes are generally not acceptable in some parts of the country; some people think even toe cleavage is too much) or too dominatrix-inspired.  We think vintage-inspired shoes with a modest heel height (like the RSVP pair the reader suggests) are acceptable.  Again, we would stick closer to conservative styles — spectator pumps, thicker heels like those of the 60s — but again, if worn with a modern suit this shoe would add a nice touch of personality.

Readers, what do you think?  Are vintage fashions appropriate for the office?

The original reader’s full letter (slightly edited), after the jump:

Hi there–

I had a question about vintage and vintage-inspired apparel in the corporate workplace.  I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the appropriateness of vintage for the corporate or semi-corporate environment. I’ll be doing public interest, but I’ll be in the courtroom a lot, so it’s looking like it’ll be a lot of suits and closed-toe shoes, even though it’ll be summer.

Example 1: Shoes.

So in my travels on Zappos, I came across these rsvp - Lani (Black Leather) - Footwear.  Clearly vintage-inspired, with the curvy sides and heel.  Does that take away so much from the formality of them that you couldn’t wear them, say, to court?

Example 2: Clothes.
Likewise, there are some badass vintage suits on eBay. I know I’ll have to wear suits, and it would be awesome to be able to spice up the Benetton and Ann Taylor with something a little more my speed. Here’s one for the sake of example (pictured).  So, something like that, that’s in great condition and is very conservative, and, in my opinion, very chic — what’s the verdict?  Does the fact that it’s vintage make it too costume-y?  Does it depend on the styling and the pattern (read: no fur collars, no plaid or speckles)?  Does it have to be very plain in color and details (read: black, navy, or grey only)? Or is a vintage suit just too Mad Men overall to be worn as work attire? (I’m aware, alas, of how Mad Men has irrevocably taken the vintage work dress and made it the exclusive province of women who don’t want to be taken seriously. Sigh. There goes my plan.) I know that it’s not good to look too sexy-secretary, and the body-consciousness of vintage (plus the vintage vibe of the contemporary sexy-secretary look) would seem to lead it to trend that way. So, what do you think? Appropriate? Sometimes appropriate? Not appropriate?

I know you could probably break up the pieces, pair them with something more modern, and be good to go, but then you’re not wearing a suit, and you can’t go to court. Sigh.

Anyway, your thoughts on these issues, and issues about vintage generally (e.g. vintage but not costume-y clothes to work social events–yea or nay?), are greatly appreciated.

Love the site–although going into public interest means I only get to look at the Thursday and Friday TPS reports as even remotely relevant to my lifestyle. Ah, well.

Yours,

A reader

Holiday parties are approaching, which means it’s time to start looking for sparkly, festive shoes. We love these satin and leather T-strap pumps, available at eLuxury. We think the designer’s use of the vintage chain is inspired, and hey, it’ll give you something to talk about with the women bosses (and the bosses’ wives). Even better is the fact that the shoes are on sale: they were $995, now marked to $399. Dolce & Gabbana - Vintage Chain Satin Peep Toe