Reader Mail: Do any blogs feature daily outfits suitable for a corporate environment?
2012 Update: Check out our newer roundup of style blogs for officewear!
Corporate style blogs can be tough to find — which are our favorites? Today's reader mail is an interesting one…
I'd enjoy hearing recommendations on daily fashion blogs featuring women who work in conservative, button-down environments. Something in the vein of http://whatiwore2day.blogspot.com/ but with suits. A lot of the ideas I'm seeing on these blogs is hard to extrapolate to anything that would fly in my workplace.
We agree — most of the bloggers who chronicle their personal style tend to be a) very young, b) very creative, and/or c) not constrained by a conservative workplace. (In fact, the general dearth of information in general on conservative daily fashion was one of the reasons we started Corporette.) So which are the best corporate style blogs to follow for work outfit ideas? We can recommend a few work fashion blogs that we've come across, but readers, please weigh in and let us know if you know of any in this vein (or have started one yourself!)
Cute on the Cheap
This blog is written by a collective of four women who, we gather, live in the Midwest and work at different conservative work places. It's interesting to see the way they mix basics and embellished pieces, and almost all of the stores they cite are readily available and certainly well-priced. Their taste tends to be a bit on the Southern side, but most of their outfits would still fit in for a casual day at a very conservative workplace.
Financial Services is not Fashion
This blog, written by a young auditor working in New York's financial district, features a fashionista with a penchant for beautiful antique belts and other unique flourishes. Some of her outfits are going to be too creative for a conservative workplace, but it's a great resource if you're looking for inspiration.
This blog is actually written by a Seattle photographer — certainly not what normally qualifies as a conservative field — but she does such a great job mixing high and low fashion that we had to mention her. Some of her outfits will provide inspiration for a more conservative outfit (such as the cardigan/blouse/belt combo at left), but it's a worthwhile read if only to drool over her shoes (and her always gorgeous hair).
Readers, which are your favorite corporate style blogs with work-appropriate style? In general, which are your favorite work fashion blogs?
Thanks for the great recommendations – Styleish is my favorite :-)
Wow! Thanks for including my blog :) Had no idea you were aware of it.
i was looking for similar blogs when i started doing summer internships as a law student, the best one i found was londyn’s blog at http://fashionistastyle1.blogspot.com/
she dresses in a lot of business casual separates and sheath dresses and adds her personal flair through a stand out shoe, interesting color combinations, and nice accessories. though i love lots of other style bloggers, i think londyn’s style is the one i would feel most comfortable channeling in the work place! tiffany’s blog is also amazing and completely work appropriate, but if i’m not mistaken, she works in HR at a very conservative office (photography is just her side gig), which is why most of her outfits would be great to channel too. I’d love to see what other style bloggers you all follow, most of my favorites are having too much fun without office dress codes and it makes me pretty envious!
Re: Cute on the Cheap – that is NOT how we dress in the Midwest. Yuck! I like “I am Style-ish” and “Financial Services is not Fashion,” though.
Thanks for including “Cute on the Cheap!”
We live in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH so it’s not really Midwest OR Southern – We’re in a weird in-between spot in the country :)
I have a couple I enjoy (in addition to the fab Cute on the Cheap girls)
Kimberlys Fab Finds http://www.fabfindsunder50.blogspot.com
Academichic
http://www.academichic.com/
And
My Super Sweet Fashion Diary
http://diabolinafashiondiary.blogspot.com/
And not to be forgotten is the lovely Karen
http://karen-ofacertainage.blogspot.com/
Can’t wait to check these out. I do like to marvel at some of the more creative ‘worn today’ outfits but in some cases I just can’t imagine trying to give a numbers presentation to top management, dressed so creatively.
Meantime, please, please explain, what is “Southern taste”, in your opinion? I’m a UK gal now living in California and I’m still having trouble identifying different US voice accents, let alone spotting regional styles!
Outstanding concept for a blog. I agree that us – ahem – aged, overachieving ladies need inspiration too ;)
I work at an online company in Southern California so I don’t have to contend with a restrictive corporate dress code. But I do have a management level position so I don’t really dress down as much as I could. I’m often the only person NOT in jeans – F.
In the end I think you can convey your style and personality through your fashion choices even in the most restrictive environments. It just takes a little more effort.
kiss,
Diabolina
My Super Sweet Fashion Diary
p.s. Style-ish just started her photography business on the side. I think full time she still works in HR.
I’ve started a blog this summer about what I’ve been wearing to work – the link is above. I’m a summer associate at a London law firm, so it’s not only about my own outfits but the strange fashion I’ve encountered – including very interesting interpretations of “casual” Friday.
I also just found batteries to work in my digital camera, so will but putting up pictures shortly – later today if I am not at work late. I’m not going to post pictures of me just yet since I still haven’t got a full time offer to work at the firm – instead, just outfits laid out (which is what I usually do in the morning to save time tossing clothes on and off to find just the right outfit)
Thank you for mentioning I am Style-ish!!
And yes, I am a full time corporate girl, part time photographer :) I work in the software industry so I try to keep my outfits for work conservative but still like to put my twist to it.
Living in style-starved DC, I used to love the blog A Serious Job Is No Excuse. Then the blogger, who was a linguist for a defense contractor, had to go and win a fashion-oriented reality show and de-blog herself. I still miss her “If I had a sugar daddy / since I don’t” feature!
I have also been looking for stylish corporate appropriate inspirations and do not see much out there. Finally I decided to start a new blog myself this week, thanks in part to the message here. Catsandcloset.wordpress.com
I’ll check out the other recommendations here. Have stumbled upon this site recently which seems to offer some thoughtful suggestions.
http://www.omiru.com
kng — thanks so much for the link and the lovely compliments! I’m honored!