A work fashion blog offering fashion, lifestyle, and career advice for overachieving chicks
Oooh, pretty! This scarf feels like summer to me — the orange! the red! the yellow! the teensy pop of blue! Love it. It’s a linen blend, also perfect for summer. It’s $155 at Nordstrom. Tory Burch Geometric Print Scarf
Here’s a lower-priced scarf in a similar print.
2017 Update: We still stand by our advice for what to wear to a big meeting at a casual office, but you may also want to check out The Ultimate Guide to Business Casual for Women.
When you work at a company with a casual dress code, how should you step it up for a board meeting — or for other important meetings — when you want to look professional but don’t know what others will be wearing? Reader A wonders…
I have a fashion question: How does one dress for the board meeting of a “casual dress” company? We are a start-up — this is our first board meeting — so I really don’t have a precedent to call on. During a normal work day, my boss (the CEO, age 45+) and I typically wear jeans and a sweater or T-shirt, as we only have phone/email contact with clients. However, it seems like the board meeting calls for a more professional look. I asked my boss about it, he said “What you’re wearing is fine.” (Faded jeans, a long-sleeved Tshirt and a scarf.) He is not the type of guy I would normally take fashion advice from, and I’m not sure he fully understands the nuance of female dress! Most of the other officers and board members are lawyers, lobbyists, or CPAs. I don’t want to show up in jeans, but I don’t want to be the only one in a suit either. Is there something inbetween? Dress slacks and a cardi? I am age 35+, and a size 14 (XL), so I don’t want anything too clingy or “young”. Suggestions?
We’ve talked about how to do business casual without looking overdressed, a casual-but-professional uniform for women, what to wear to a casual office on your first day, shoes to wear with jeans at work, and more — but not this.
Interesting question, A, and I’m curious to hear what readers say. For my $.02, I would avoid the “dress slacks and a cardi” look when everyone else is in jeans because you inevitably end up looking like the mom of the group. So I’m going to offer you two suggestions and suggest you go with the one that feels right — but again, I’m curious to hear what the readers say.
Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
This dress also comes in black and white stripes, but I love the freshness of the white and gold — it’s kinda awesome. I’d wear it with a pale pink accent — a necklace, a pair of pumps, a bracelet. The dress is $178 at J.Crew but comes down to $133 when you use promo code SPRINGSTYLE. J.Crew Double-Stripe Cap-Sleeve Dress
A few lower-priced options are here, here, here, and here, while a plus-size alternative is here.
Seen a great piece you’d like to recommend? Please e-mail [email protected]
I am lately obsessed with the color combination of coral and teal. It’s a hard look to pull off in outfits or interior design, but I like this small, happy pop of color here with this desk set from Poppin, which has tons of bright desk supplies. The nesting desk set is $16. Paperboard Coral + Aqua Checka Nesting Desk Set
2017 Update: We’ve updated links — enjoy this post on washable pants for work!
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 haven’t talked about washable pants in far too long, so I thought I’d do a round-up today. (If having machine-washable garments is important to you, check out our Washable Wednesday feature over on CorporetteMoms, or our roundup of the best brands of washable workwear.) As we’ve discussed before, these are my best tips for how to wash your washable pants:
Readers, which are your favorite styles and brands for washable pants for work? What are your best tips for caring for them?
This post is sponsored by M.Gemi, but is written by your local friendly blogger, Kat Griffin.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was super excited for the new luxury shoe brand, M.Gemi — not only do I have a friend on the inside, but their launch last week went swimmingly, with some styles already selling out. The basic premise: they sought out the most respected, family-owned specialty shoe factories all over Italy. There, they conceive, design, source, pattern, last, stitch, and finish all of their limited edition shoes. Then, they sell them directly to you. Because they cut out the middleman, they can price their shoes much less than other luxury brands, even though they’re using the same quality leathers and materials. As an added bit of fun, they’ve pledged to come out with new styles each week. (You can read more about their process in their FAQs.)
