wear

How to Put Your Best Self Forward During a Skype Interview or Conference Call

by C on 02/25/2010 · 30 comments

in Business Etiquette, Commuting, Fashion, Interviewing, Networking

Our first thought when we got this request was, “garsh, these times we live in!” followed by, “of course, we will all be doing these very soon”…

Help! I am a 1L interviewing for summer associate position and the firm has decided to do a skype interview. I am terrified I will look washed out/ too made up/ etc on camera. Any tips for hair/makeup? Also, my career service office recommended wearing a nice blouse, but I feel a suit would be more appropriate.

Wow. Ok. We’ve only used Skype a few times (on our Mac laptop, primarily) to talk to a bestie who lives in London. From our limited experiences with Skype, we would have to say: it does not seem to be the most flattering. You don’t know where to look, because you want to see the screen and see what they’re doing, but you should be looking at the camera, and nothing is eye level, and it’s all very weird. (Pictured: nick skype, originally uploaded to Flickr by nedrichards.)

Some tips:

1) Download the program NOW, if you haven’t before. Start playing around with it. You may even want to see if there’s a way to record yourself talking on Skype (or talking on the other end of Skype) so you can practice — really practice — where to look and how to do it. Make sure your sound is good, make sure your Internet connection is good. Our guess is that your computer should be nearly eye level in order to do this.

2) Make sure everything about the call is professional. What’s your username? If possible get something resembling your e-mail address (even if it has a random number after it) — there are no points for creativity. Next, look around the room where you’ll be interviewing. If there’s a blank wall behind you, fine. If it’s your giant poster of Robert Patterson, you might want to find another locale. Given our choice, we’d go with a bookcase behind us, but really, just make sure there’s nothing that could be misunderstood as reflecting poorly on your personality or character. We’d also make sure that if you have any roommates (or a significant other, or kids, or even pets) that you barricade yourself inside a room, perhaps with a sign on the door about how you’re in the midst of a telephone interview and appreciate silence. (Turn off the ringer on your landline, if you have one, and the ringer on your cellphone, if you use one.)

2) We’d wear a full suit. It will get you in the “interviewing” mindset, and will help you feel more professional during the interview. In this About.com article on video interviewing, the Tech Expert for Skype recommends avoiding patterns unless you’re sure how they’ll look (dots look worse than stripes) and staying away from bright colors (sky blue looks great, but red/hot pink don’t look so hot). You could just do the top half of the suit (we’re sure we remember some comedic anchor joking about only wearing boxers during the newscast) but this could work against you — you might have to walk across the room to get something. Play it safe; it’s an interview.

3) For makeup, we would advise paying attention to undereye circles, flyaways, acne, and so forth. We’re a bit surprised to see the advice from the Skype expert, suggesting women wear “high-definition foundation (creating soft-focus effect in any kind of lighting), blu ray high-definition matifier (refines lines, minimizes pores for a polished look) and blu ray high-definition lip gloss (for a high shine, plumping effect)” — perhaps this is the world to come? As luck would have it, Sephora has a lot of those things on sale right now from the CARGO line of products — for example, this bronzer is $15 from $30 (CARGO blu_ray™ Bronzer Medium Matte). Not on sale, but also fits the bill: this HD foundation from MakeUp Forever (the primer, MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Microperfecting Primer 0 Neutral, is $32, and the foundation, MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation 115 Ivory, is $40). The concealer from the same line is $28 (MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Concealer 315 Ivory).

4) Finally, focus on your posture. Because you’re in your own house you may feel more at home — don’t; this is still an interview. You might also want to be wary of awkward pauses in the interview, when you might be tempted to fidget, look bored, or allow yourself to be distracted (as you might during a pause in a telephone conversation). You’re still on camera; act as if you’re sitting in that person’s office.

Readers, please weigh in (particularly if you’ve interviewed someone via Skype!)…

(L-4)

{ 30 comments }

Reader Mail: How to Wear Silk Scarves?

by C on 07/23/2009 · 28 comments

in Accessories, Fashion, Fashion Gaffes, Wear to Work

(Welcome! If you’re new here, please consider signing up for our email list, or checking out our Top Posts since 2008.)

Today’s reader mail is all about scarves… (Pictured: Tonal Hydrangea Silk Scarf, on sale at Brooks Brothers for $95.20 (was $238).)

I’ve got two silk scarves I bought because I fell in love with them, and one black tie. I never wear them, because I’ve no idea how one is supposed to wear it! Besides, can a woman in her early 20s even pull off that look without looking like an in-flight attendant? If yes, are they supposed to go on the neck under the shirt (I’ve seen that look a few times), over the shirt and under its collar? Does one knot them or just let them hang down, if one knots them – does it matter how?

We used to work with a woman who always wore the most beautiful Hermes scarves — her wardrobe was primarily black, white, and gray, and the scarves were a rich addition of colors and patterns. She had one that had elements of a beautiful, almost hot pink, and it was incredibly flattering on her, particularly so close to her face — but because it was just a scarf, and amidst other colors, no one ever would have said that the scarf was too pink or girly or feminine. We asked her about her scarves once, and she confided to us that she wore them because she found tags at the nape of her neck to be itchy. Her scarves absolutely worked for her — and although she was at a senior level, we think the fact that they worked had more to do with her body type: tall and slender. (Specifically, she would wear them with a collared jacket and collar-less sweater or tee, worn between her jacket’s collar and her tee’s collar — they were unknotted and, while we think they were generally square scarves, she wore them folded into an oblong shape.)

Our own body type is the opposite — petite and curvy — and we’ve had trouble making scarves work for us, although we’ve fallen in love with (and bought) far too many. (In fact, the last time we can remember wearing one was when we wore a DvF dress and realized too late that it was WAY too low cut for the office — we tried to tuck the scarf into the neckline of the dress — faux blouse! — and wound up annoyed at how much we had to readjust throughout the day.) Readers, we’d love to hear from you — do you wear scarves? If so, how?

Check out some more scarves, below…

scarves

{ 28 comments }

Poll: When Wearing a Collared Shirt and Blazer, Does the Collar Go Out or In?

by C on 06/23/2009 · 72 comments

in Fashion, Polls, Suits

We’ve been curious about this for a while — ever since we advised that a collared shirt should always stay IN if you’re wearing a suit, and numerous readers wrote to say that they had always been advised (by various career counselors) to wear their collars out. So we thought we’d take a poll.

For our $.02 — which purely comes from observation, as we have never heard a “rule” on it — a tucked-in collar looks better with a suit. More fashionable women tend to do it (Angelina, Madonna) when wearing a suit; and it gives them a neat, sharp look. It also puts the emphasis in the desired place, as our eyes are drawn to their face, not their clavicle or shoulders. We suppose it’s possible that there are greater rules here that we’re not aware of, for example dealing with fabric (cotton goes in, silk goes out) or the type of collar or lapel. Perhaps it’s a regional rule — e.g., in DC, collars go out with suits; in Hollywood, collars go in with suits. Either way, we thought we’d start a dialog…

Readers, what say you? Please comment, particularly if you choose #3…

poll by twiigs.com

{ 72 comments }

Open Thread — Ponytails at the Office: Yay or Nay?

by C on 05/19/2009 · 91 comments

in Fashion, Hair, Lifestyle

Recently, we were watching the trailer for the new Sandra Bullock movie, The Proposal, and were struck by the fact that, yet again, Hollywood portrays a savvy business woman wearing a high ponytail. Which brought up a few questions in our minds — are high ponytails appropriate? What about low ponytails? Sweet Hot Justice amusingly called it a “welfare-mother ponytail,” and we’ve heard of some girls who have a limit on the number of days a week they can wear a low ponytail at the office — yet another, curly-haired friend of ours said she felt it made her hair look neater than if she wore it loose and always wears it. Similarly, some of our friends insist a low ponytail makes them look older and more professional, while other friends worry the ponytail makes them look younger.

For our $.02, our dislike of the high ponytail has always been more about comfort — the elastic always starts to make our head and our hair hurt after a while. Also, that’s our general look when we work out, which makes it seem too… depressing, given that working, working out, and sleeping are the main things we do, with a few nights of “going out” thrown into the mix, as well.

As for the low ponytail, we have no problems with it. It’s certainly our look of choice after the secretaries have left for the day and we’re settling in for a long night of work (that or a very messy bun) — but that said, as long as the ponytail is neat we see no reason why women can’t wear it as part of their working wardrobe. Personally, both as a way to deal with layers and as a way to add some volume to the look, we’ve been a fan of what we’ve always thought of as a half-Gibson Girl ponytail, twisting the hair back around itself, as better explained in this YouTube video by xFLYNNIEx (end look pictured at right). But then we worry that we’ve looked a bit like John Adams or something . (We’ve worn it with the ponytail in the back, not to the side, as she does.)

What do you guys think? Are ponytails acceptable? Should there be a limit on days, or on timing that you wear it? Is there an age limit on certain styles, in one direction or the other? Are there any comfortable elastics you use? What about the side ponytail — they’re definitely coming back. Is it inappropriate to be worn at an office where people inevitably have actual memories of the ’80s? (Should we run a poll on this? Let us know in comments.)

{ 91 comments }

Reader Mail: How to Wear Stockings

by C on 04/07/2009 · 37 comments

in Fashion, Lingerie, Pantyhose, Tights

More reader mail to catch up on… we thought this one was particularly relevant given some of yesterday’s questions in comments about when/how to wear nylons. Pictured: Calvin Klein Hosiery Perfectly Sheer Invisible Control Top Pantyhose, available at Amazon.com for $12.

First, while you’ve discussed whether or not to wear stockings, I could really use some advice on HOW to wear them once one decides that they’re appropriate. I rip stockings to shreds whenever I wear them, so I would really appreciate tips on finding a durable brand, as well as how to properly care for them.

We would agree with most of the commenters in yesterday’s post that stockings/nylons aren’t necessary for most day-to-day activities. If you’re interviewing? Nylons for you. If you’re going to court or to a big meeting? Ditto.

As for which brand, we got a ton of great suggestions when we ran a poll on whether black hose or nude hose was better (the readers overwhelmingly contradicted us, saying nude hose was the way to go); check those out in comments.

In terms of other tips for wearing stockings… it sounds crazy, but a pedicure is almost more important when you’re wearing hose than when you’re barefooted because it stops your toenails from shredding the hose. Secondly, you may want to look for various bells and whistles, such as reinforced toes (although this will limit your shoe choices if you have any shoes with a very low vamp). Also, maybe it’s just us, but we feel like control-top hose last longer than hose without; this may be because they stay put better and we’re not constantly yanking them up. If that isn’t enough, there are gloves that you can buy to wear while putting on your pantyhose (although, unless you carry them with you, they won’t help when you have to go to the bathroom.)

Otherwise, in terms of technique, we’ve found it’s best to put them on slowly — take the leg opening and gather the fabric until all you’ve got is 3-4 inches of hose to put over your toes. As you step into the hose and pull them up your leg, un-bunch the fabric as you go, trying to pull the hose tight enough as you go.

As far as caring for pantyhose, the best advice is to hand-wash them, particularly if you shell out for a very nice pair (Wolford, La Perla, etc). We are (generally) far too lazy to hand-wash anything, however, and we’ve had success with the delicate cycle of our shared industrial washer in our apartment building. Our method: get a lingerie bag or hosiery bag to put your hose in. Keep bras (or anything with hooks) out of this load if you can. Add sweaters, workout clothes, etc, and wash it on the delicate cycle, in cold, with Woolite. We would guess it would probably even be okay if you followed those steps but threw it in a regular cycle with regular detergent. Whatever you do (for the love of God!) airdry your pantyhose.

{ 37 comments }

← Previous Entries