And then there was WHITE: Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend I am going out to Pittsburgh to visit my friends from college. Memorial Day Weekend is one of the best times of the year because it marks the return of those trusty tan-enhancers: white shoes and shorts! Hooray!

Here is my packing list:

Let's start with three potential "going out" outfits. First we have a pink silk tank top from Ann Taylor LOFT, which I would pair with my tried and true white J Crew chino shorts. This will be the fourth summer I've had these shorts and I absolutely love them because you can dress them up or dress them down and they are super lightweight. Then I have my white Kelly & Katie espadrilles. I would top this outfit off with pearl and shell earrings and my trusty silver banana republic bangles as well as a cheap, white clutch from Banana Republic. I could also take my Kate Spade cross-body clutch but a lot of Pittsburgh bars are VERY smoky so I might want a more expendable option.

Next up! I recently splurged on this silk, caftan-style dress at South Moon Under. I might choose this if we end up going to a nicer club on a really hot night. I would pair it with my hot pink Franco Sarto pumps, my Kate Spade cross-body bag (once again: assuming that we're in a smoke-free environment). I think this outfit would look great with a gold bangle and my vermeil lotus earrings.
What could be so exciting and fantastic as the long overdue return of the romper - all of my three-year-old dreams have finally been realized! I think this turquoise romper would look great with a lot of brown and gold. I could replace the tie with this tan leather belt from Ann Taylor LOFT and wear my Jessica Simpson high-heeled sandals. For jewelry: I think these three bangles (H&M) would work perfectly. And my lotus earrings would also look nice. I have a new cross-body clutch from J. Renee that would work really well with this but I forgot to put it in the picture.

OR! I could pair this same romper with a sheer white sweater from Ann Taylor LOFT, white espadrilles, silver bangles, and shell earrings and it would work very nicely should we decide to go to a nice-ish dinner. Obviously this outfit would work with either my Kate Spade bag or the cheap Forever 21 bag.

Here is the outfit that I think I will wear to Bethany's roof top party on Sunday night. Right, White, and Blue is so summery but I like to avoid it on the 4th of July because it's too literal and obvious. It works better on Memorial Day. This top (the back is seen here) is from the Nordstrom's Junior Department. Same J Crew chino shorts. Same silver and shell jewelry. The shoes are from N.Y.L.A.Last (and kind of least) this is the outfit I am bringing to wear out and about on Sunday during the day because I am meeting someone for coffee and you never know when you might be going shopping. What you see here is a plain white pocket t-shirt from The Gap, my dark denim shorts from New York & Company, Hot pink sandals by Zigi Soho, a wood bangle, turquoise peace sign shell earrings, and my new B. Makowsky satchel.

LBK's 5 Must-Have Looks

So, last week I finished my first year of law school.  Yay!  Although I went straight to law school from undergrad, it was still a challenge making the adjustment for a multitude of reasons, including adapting my wardrobe to my new lifestyle.  I find that I now need to put more effort into my appearance than I may have bothered to do in college for several reasons:

1) My schedule is usually jam-packed, so on any given day I have several back-to-back appointments and events that each call for distinctly different looks, and so I need my wardrobe to be able to make that transition with me throughout the day.

2) Even a day of classes is also a networking event of sorts in grad school; my classmates and professors are all going to be my future colleagues when I graduate, so I want to make sure even my day-to-day classroom look is polished.

3) I am one of the youngest people in my class, but I don't want to be thought of that way.  Most of my classmates have had careers before coming back to school; many of them also have spouses and families.  No matter how old you are, looking sloppy is always going to give off an air of being immature and even a little irresponsible, so by taking my appearance seriously, I think it helps others take me seriously as well.

Basically, I've put together 5 basic looks that together cover pretty much the whole range of situations I might be thrown into on any given day.

Look #1: Day-to-Day

This is the look that I would wear to class or to the library.  I also need this look to be able to go out for a casual after-class drink or a coffee or lunch date. 

So this is something I might typically wear to class.  The dark skinny jeans are from J.Crew, the silk shirt is by Merona, and the cropped cardigan is also from J.Crew.  This outfit is comfortable and casual, which makes it ideal for long days in the library, but still interesting and stylish enough to be a step up from what I might wear to the gym.  At this point in my life, there's something that just rubs me the wrong way about people rolling into class in whatever they slept in the night before.  I feel like you should be able to carve out the 15 minutes it takes to put together something half decent-looking each morning; otherwise, do I really want to hire you as my lawyer?  Here's a close-up of the print on the shirt:

I like how the cardigan pulls out the small amount of red in the shirt.  I also have this outfit paired with black flats, by Rocket Dog.  Flats are necessary because I do a lot of walking around campus.  In a colder month, I'd probably wear this outfit with the jeans tucked into flat knee-high boots.  Another important aspect of this outfit is its ability to transition (I'll talk some more about this later).  If I swap out the flats for heels, lose the big bag in favor of a black clutch, and take my hair out of the ponytail, I'm ready to go out for a drink!

The heels are red patent leather slingbacks by Guess and the clutch is by Jessica McClintock.  I could either keep the cardigan on or take it off, depending on what the weather is doing.

Look #2: Business Formal

This is the look I would wear to a job interview or a school event requiring "courtroom attire," like our oral argument competition recently held at City Hall.  I purchased my first ever suit this year for summer internship interviewing, and have since added two more suits to my wardrobe that I'll be wearing to the kick-ass summer internship that I eventually landed :).

So, the legal profession has some weird rules about what is "appropriate."  Generally speaking, for an interview situation, you're supposed to dress as conservatively as possible.  That means either a black, navy, or grey suit and a button-down shirt.  In the above picture, I'm wearing a navy suit from Ann Taylor (I also have the matching skirt), a Ralph Lauren button-down (blue and white striped, it's hard to tell from the picture), and black Nine West pumps.  Interestingly, what's considered most conservative for female attorneys is a skirt suit.  Go figure.  

This would be another example of something that I might wear to work (although not necessarily on an interview, depending on what type of place I was interviewing for).  This brown suit is by Jones New York (also three pieces), the houndstooth shell is by Liz Claiborne, and the brown crocodile shoes are by Nine West.

Look #3: Business Casual

This look is somewhere between Looks #1 and #2.  Personally, I hate the term "business casual" because I think it's uselessly ambiguous; if you asked 10 different people what they considered to be "business casual" attire, you would get 10 completely different answers.  I might wear this look to meet with a faculty mentor or to attend a networking fair/event, or out to dinner with my parents.  Also, depending on the atmosphere, I might wear something like this to work on a day I knew I wouldn't need to be in court (you always need a suit for court).

I am slightly in love with this outfit, especially the Chanel-esque sweater (I'm a sucker for anything reminiscent of Chanel).  This super cute navy and white piece with gold buttons is actually from H&M, and was a total steal.  The navy skirt is from NY & Company, the red slingbacks are the same as earlier, from Guess, and I have this look paired with a simple white camisole. 

This is another take on the same look.  The dress is from Target, the shoes are a brand called XOXO, and I've just accessorized with a vintage gold bangle.  I would definitely pair a cardigan with this look too.  Even though the colors of the dress are very bright and un-law-ish (we lawyers are apparently expected to be super boring), the fact that the plaid print is such a traditional one I think makes it do-able, especially with a solid cardigan. 

Look #4: Out on the Town

This is the look that was easiest to transition from undergrad to grad.  Going to school in NYC, there was a lot of emphasis placed on your "going out" look because half the student body was under the impression that they were perpetually headed to a Marc Jacobs runway show.  Anyway, the nighttime look is crucial in law school because everything, and I do mean everything, revolves around happy hours.  Every student organization, the local Bar Association, and the school itself all host happy hours; generally, there will be at least one per week.  I often try to make this look transition from Looks #1 or #3 [like in the second picture in the post] if the happy hour is on a weeknight, and just hop from the library to the bar (my life is wildly exciting).  If I have the chance to actually go home and change, I might wear something like this:

You can't go wrong with black!  The sequin-banded skirt and the big black chandelier earrings are from H&M, the plain black tank is from Old Navy, the black patent leather pumps are by Jessica Simpson, the black clutch is by Jessica McClintock, and the silver chain bracelet is actually a necklace wrapped around a few extra times.

Another look...This navy jersey dress is from H&M, the pink pumps are from Nine West and the clutch is from NY & Company.  My favorite part of this outfit is the peacock feather clip from Urban Outfitters.  It's a really pretty touch that makes the whole outfit just look a little dressier.  I could wear this simple comfy dress to class with flats or sandals and a little jacket or cardigan and then switch out to these accessories for a dinner date or a happy hour.

Look #5: Sophisticated Evening

This look is the least frequently used in my arsenal but extremely important in its own right.  I have now been to 3 different semi-formal/formal functions surrounding my law school career, and just like every other function connected to law school, it's really just a networking event disguised in cocktail party clothing.  The events I've been to thus far have had judges and prominent local attorneys in attendance, and so a look for that evening needs to be slightly different than what I might normally pick out for my sorority formal in undergrad.  I think one of the most important forms of dressing for every woman to master, regardless of her career path or lifestyle, is how to dress for a formal occasion in a way that makes her look elegant, powerful, feminine, and classic all at once.  I am an adamant believer that true feminism is not necessarily being able to claw your way to the top of a male-dominated profession by being "one of the boys," but to do so while still retaining her femininity.  However, it is a huge challenge to find that center line between an outfit that is too showy and sexy (and has everyone wondering whose date you are, instead of which firm you're from) and one that is too dowdy, matronly, or worse, manly (i.e. 90% of the suits you've ever seen Hillary Clinton wear), which makes me feel like I've had to sacrifice being a woman in order to be taken seriously. 

This dress, by Kenar, has some beautiful, feminine details, like the ruffles at the neckline and the tiered hemline.  I also love the deep purple color, and the back of the dress:

However, I think the dress has a professional presence to it because the color is not too flashy, the hem is long enough, and the neckline is high.  Here, I have it paired with pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet, and nude patent leather pumps by Steve Madden (seriously, these shoes might be the most comfortable pair I've ever owned).  

Other essentials:

Pearls:
I think every woman should have at least one strand of pearls in her jewelry box, real or faux (as long as they're well-made).  Putting on a strand of pearls instantly polishes any outfit, and can be a simple way to transition a look for different occasions.  In terms of the transitional look, I've spent the last 9 months commuting to school about an hour in each direction, so once I came into the city for the day, I was staying there until everything I had to do was accomplished.  That frequently meant making sure I was appropriately attired for a day's worth of events, meetings, and social events.  The experience has made me a huge fan of tiny touches that can have transform an outfit, like a piece of jewelry or a cardigan, but can be safely tucked away in a bag or locker until it's time to dress up or down.  A pearl necklace is often just the ticket.  A set of pearl studs, or very short dangle earrings, is also a must-have for the same reasons.

(http://www.advicesisters.net/uploaded_images/pearls-703061.jpg)

A Trenchcoat:
There comes a time in every girls life where she needs to ditch the vinyl windbreaker and upgrade to something a little more chic.  I can think of very few things I feel to be as timeless and effortlessly fashionable as a really great trench.  The key to doing it right is in the tailoring; the length of the sleeves, the length of the coat itself, tie-waist v. belted, the placement of the vents in the back, the style of the collar- all of these things will differ based on your build and height.  My trench, pictured below, is by Coach.  Tan is obviously the "traditional" color for a trench (although I am definitely in the market for a black one now!), but the lining is a really beautiful peachy coral which gives it a little something special. Along the same lines, a pair of neutral rainboots, in black or dark brown, are also a good idea for anyone who commutes in the city, like me.  I am a huge fan of bright colors and normally would jump at the chance to pick a pair of wacky, crazy boots (case in point: my old pair which were hot pink), but the legal profession is a bit too staid for that apparently, so I'll be updating those soon.

THE Bag:
I have been known to blow an entire summer's income on a really lust-inspiring bag.  More than once.  I know, it's terrible.  But a bag is another easy way of changing the whole look of an outfit without changing anything else.  However, now that I'm a burgeoning professional, I needed a "work bag."  Before beginning my search, I made a list of functions I needed this miracle bag to be able to handle: large enough to fit my laptop but slim enough that I wouldn't be taking people out with it as I walked down the sidewalk, lots of organizational elements but not too heavy and weighted down to make for comfortable carrying, and neutral enough to appear professional and match with any outfit but cute enough that it wouldn't make me want to hurl just looking at it.  Clearly, I need this bag to work as hard as I'll be doing.  I highly recommend making a list like this to anyone on the hunt for a work-friendly bag  because I struck pay dirt in the very first store I visited- I was able to tell the saleswoman exactly what I was looking for so she was able to show me bags that would serve all my needs.  My bag is pictured below.  It has a nice zippered center section for my laptop, as well as two side compartments with different pockets for my cell phone, writing implements, wallet, etc.  Also important: there is a zippered back panel for anything I might want/need to have with me but don't want to run the risk of having it accidentally fly out of my bag as I take out paperwork or something.

Friday Night Outfit

Here is what I wore out in the Northern Liberties on Friday Night. It was a full week before Memorial Day weekend but I decided to go with a lot of white. Sue me!

















Top: Ann Taylor LOFT
Pants: The Gap
Shoes: White House, Black Market
Bag: Kate Spade
Bangles: Ross-Simons
Earrings: Ross-Simons




I'm so in love with these shoes.

Minimalism: My Thoughts

Of the definable style choices that Amanda Brooks covers, I find minimalism both most intriguing and most unattainable. What I mean when I say "unattainable" is that I cannot imagine myself ever possessing enough self discipline to be a truly minimalistic dresser.

According to Amanda Brooks, minimalism is "about having less and enjoying the things you have more - it's about cutting through the excess to discover what is essential. Minimalist style requires discipline, consistency, and attention to quality. Most minimalists...are methodical about getting dresses and have a heightened sense of self-awareness. They are often devoted to certain brands for their guarantee of good cut, fabric quality, and reliability of design." (p. 113).

After years of being an eclectic, somewhat compulsive shopper, there's nothing I don't love about the idea of having less and enjoying the things you have more. Brooks goes so far as to say that the limited choices she had when attempting to dress like a minimalist made her feel relieved - I can definitely see how this might be the case. However, minimalism is clearly a style for those who don't get bored easily and who aren't swayed by trends. To put it simply: it ain't me, Babe.

However, most of the staples of the minimalist looks are things that you unarguably cannot live without.

SUCH AS!

A Little Black Dress

You can never go wrong with a little black dress. The general concept will never go out of style.


A White Button Down

(Image: eoline.com)

For a lot of women, the perfect white button down is something of a quest. I've never had a really nice, really perfect white button down because button down shirts are generally not made to fit my body type: if it fits in the bodice, it's too big in the waist but if it fits in the waist, it gapes in the bodice. However, I recently discovered a site that makes button downs specifically for women with this problem - it's nice because they'll still have a size to fit you regardless of how otherwise thin you are.

Long story short: there's no way any man or woman over the age of 13 can live without a white button down.

Perfect Black Pants

Same thing. I defy you to tell me how any grown up can live in this world without at least one pair of black pants. Typically, "black pants" call to mind black dress pants but don't count out the recent ubiquity of black leggings. And what about the Freddy Krueger quality of black leather pants? They will never completely die.

(Photo: theinsider.com)

Plain Black Bag

You really should have one. Even if it's not by Hermes.

I guess this is growing up...

Yesterday, I bought a brief case. The bad news is that I think this means I am officially a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad grown-up. What can I say, though? I honestly needed one!



The good news is that I am in love with this particular brief case. It is made by Hobo International. I've always loved their bags because they are obviously well made and the designs are really "outside the box" in a lot of cases.

05-16-2010

Decided to wear my silk Anthropologie top today. Wasn't totally sure when to wear it; since I don't normally silk, I wasn't 100% certain what the recommended "silk weather" is. Because the weather was in the low 70's today, I decided I really couldn't go wrong.

Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren, Top: Anthropologie (the brand is called "Tabitha"), Jeans: American Eagles, Shoes: Guess, Bag: Arcadia, Bracelets: various.

EJB's Boho Aesthetic.

Emma exhibiting one of my favorite boho looks: shorts and boots.

Marita's 5 Essential Rules for Dressing for Work

1. Absolutely no cleavage.

Maybe you think this goes without saying and I wouldn’t disagree except, for me, it definitely does not go without saying. In fact, I have to say to my cleavage every morning “No, you are not coming to work today. See you later.” For me, life is a constant battle again cleavage and avoiding it is not always as simple as a lot of people probably assume it is. In spite of this, I maintain a 0 tolerance policy towards cleavage in the workplace.

Obviously, one way to avoid cleavage is to not wear low cut tops. This does go without saying but, for me, looking appropriate is often more complicated than simply not buying my work clothes at Frederick of Hollywood. I can have cleavage in a top that you would look at on the hanger (or even the mannequin) and never, ever in a million years think of as a “boob shirt”. On me, everything’s a boob shirt. Crew necks are boob shirts. Turtlenecks are boob shirts. A burqa would probably be a boob shirt too.

So, when it comes to a top that isn’t really low-cut (i.e. it is work appropriate) but I could still have cleavage in it if I sat the wrong way or inadvertently yanked it down slightly, my trick is to wear unlined bras so that I don't have to worry about it. I have exactly 2 unlined bras. One is by Calvin Klein but I got I got it at TJ Maxx for $15 four years ago and the other is from Target and I got it for $10 three years ago. I’m not interested in spending any more time money than this on the necessary evil that is unlined bras. I definitely do not like them but I have found them to be a wardrobe necessity.

The downside of unlined bras is that “the girls” sit much lower on your chest than they do when you’re wearing a lined bra. Unlined bras also lack the shaping ability of lined bras. The upside (at least in the workplace) is that there is pretty much no way to have cleavage in an unlined bra. If I wear an unlined bra, I do not have to worry that my cleavage is going to suddenly show up at work like a mentally deranged relative and ruin people’s opinion of my professionalism.

While it isn’t always simple for me to avoid it, I do feel like it’s necessary to make a point not to have cleavage in the workplace and I will go to great ugly-bra lengths to do so.

2. Heels = Yes.

I was very alarmed when I recently learned that in the legal profession heels are often considered a no-no for basically the same reason that I consider cleavage a workplace no-no: they’re apparently considered inappropriately provocative. Frankly, I think that’s absolutely ridiculous and somewhat offensive (if the men in your office are so repressed that they get hot and bothered by a high heel, I think that’s their problem, not yours.) But, more importantly, I just do not think that flats have the same potential for professionalism that heels do.

Heels are obviously not always automatically more professional than flats: a 4” pink leopard print pump probably does not look professional but, in general, a basic pump is my go-to where work shoes are concerned.

I wear flats every now and again (I have some pants that are cut too short to be worn with heels) but, if I wear flats, I do so knowing that I am going to look at little more slouchy that day. I would not, could not wear flats on a day that I had a meeting and I would never wear flats to an interview (by the same token, I wouldn’t wear heels higher than 3” to an interview either).

This outfit is representative of something I would wear on a normal weekday. Everything I am wearing in this picture is from Ann Taylor LOFT, with the exception of my glasses (Vogue) and my shoes (Ralph Lauren).

3. Nothing too tight or too baggy.

Work clothes need to fit properly. On the weekend, it’s your prerogative to wear jeans as tastelessly tight as you like. The same cannot be said of dress pants. And dress pants that are noticeably too big are equally problematic as dress pants that are noticeably small. The only thing worse than dress pants that are too tight or big is dress pants that are too long or too short. Basically: dress pants need to fit you correctly. If they don’t fit you correctly, get them altered. It’s a must.

In addition to fit, shape is important. Hanging cardigans were big this past fall. In a nice material and color, I like them as something to wear to dinner. In a more casual material or color, I like them as something to run errands in. I have a couple hanging cardigans but I would never wear either of them to work. The same goes for tunic tops, kimono-style tops, caftan dresses, and gaucho pants. Regardless of how currently trendy these items are or aren’t, I don’t think they should ever be worn in a work setting. Work clothes should be structured. Regardless of how thin you are, a skintight top is not something you should be wearing to work. Baggy or billowy clothes also look sloppy in a work setting - and I say this as someone who is very partial to billowy tops in my non-work life. When it comes to work tops, I generally want to be able to characterize it as "form-fitting" but not as "tight".

4. (Most) shirts should be tucked in.

This was a hard one for me to wrap my head around. When I first had an internship in a professional environment, I did not tuck my shirts in. I felt like tucking my shirts in was uncomfortable and made me look heavier than I was. I quickly realized that this was something I had to get over. Tucking a shirt in does shorten your torso, which is never as flattering as elongating your torso. However, I eventually realized that it does not actually make you look heavier. Even if it did make you look slightly heavier, this would definitely be counter-balanced by how much more professional you look with a tucked-in shirt. As for the comfort aspect: yoga clothes are meant to be comfortable, work clothes generally aren't. If you really need to be comfortable, you should take Kate's advice and wear a knit dress that day.

Tucking shirts in is now one of my cardinal rule of dressing for work. I think it looks a lot more professional and pulled-together. The exception would be if I were to wear a sweater, a wrap top, a top with a fitted bottom or anything else that is obviously not meant to be tucked.

This is an example of something I would wear on a day that I have a meeting. My dress is by Calvin Klein, my blazer is from The Gap, and my heels are by Jessica Simpson.

5. Always accessorize.

I don’t literally always accessorize because sometimes (read: a lot of times) I’m rushing in the morning. But I do believe that accessories have the ability to make or even save an outfit.

For me, looking professional often goes hand in hand with looking pulled-together and that's where the accessories come in. If your outfit is well accessorized, I think you automatically look like you knew what you were doing when you got dressed even if a 4-year-old could have put together the rest of your outfit.

Accessories need to be appropriate but, when done correctly, they are a nice way to add a touch of femininity and personal style to your work look without letting those elements overwhelm your look.

In both of the above pictures, I am wearing a set of three slim silver bangles from Banana Republic, and silver French Knot earrings that my parents gave me for Valentine's Day.

Figuring It Out: Workplace Dressing

Perhaps one of the toughest things about graduating from college and moving on to the dreaded "real world" is transitioning from sloppy and/or inappropriate dresser to pulled-together and professional dresser.

Since my friends and I are all newly minted college grads, I thought that we might put together a project of sorts about figuring all of this out. Even though I've been dressing for the workplace for under a year, I've quickly developed very strong feelings about what I personally think is and isn't appropriate for the office and about what does and doesn't work for me in terms of a work look. I knew that my friends would have really interesting and insightful things to add to the conversation so I recruited two friends who work in different cities and different industries to come up with their personal 5 Essential Rules for Dressing for Work. I think it will be interesting to see how our collective 15 rules compare and contrast with one another.

First up is Kate who lives and works in Providence, RI and does research in a hospital setting (Click here for her post or scroll down). Tomorrow I will give my five, I live and work outside of Philadelphia and do fund-raising for a 501c3. On Friday, BLW will give her rules, she lives in Pittsburgh and works in a corporate setting in the finance field (Update: BLW's 5 Rules are forthcoming - she promises).

I think it will be really interesting to see what everyone has to say on this issue!

(Photo: Vogue, 1926)

Kate's 5 Essential Rules for Dressing for Work

1) You can never go wrong with classic.

This is perhaps the most important rule of dressing for work. There's a reason that classic has the same root as classy: clean lines, quality fabrics, and timeless styles makes classic not only the most chic style in general but also the perfect style for most workplaces. You can also mix and match classic pieces, and they won't go out of style as quickly as trendier clothes, which makes them more cost-effective.

Classic need not mean boring or matronly (although I've tried on many a department store dress pant that was so unflattering it made me want to bang my head against the dressing room wall). Thankfully, the clothing industry has become attuned to the fact that women want reasonably priced, work-appropriate clothes that don't look like they came from their grandmother's closet - or their father's.

Without Ann Taylor LOFT, my work wardrobe would be nonexistent, and I would likely go to work every day either naked or looking very, very frumpy. If any woman between the ages of 18 and 30 finds herself needing to start a business casual wardrobe, I would advise her to do this: go to LOFT, grab 3 basic pants, a black skirt, some tanks/tees and cardigans (or button-downs if that's your thing), and maybe a sweater and a black dress. If you play the coupons right, you won't spend more than $400 and you'll have two weeks' worth of distinct outfits.

I've also found some work staples at H&M and Express (such as the Editor Wide Waistband pant, a steal at $50), although you have to be more careful about quality and professionalism in those stores. I've even had some luck with certain designers' department store lines; Worthington at JC Penney and Daisy Fuentes and Dana Buchman at Kohl's are some favorites.

2) Don't suppress your femininity entirely, but express it subtly.

Curvaceousness is a vital part of my identity as a strong, sexy, real woman. Also, like many women, I have an ongoing love affair with fabulous high heels. To deny these things 40 hours a week would be to deny part of who I am, so the key is to limit sexiness to one item in an outfit or (especially for shoes) one aspect of one item. As our lovely host blogger has oft written, this is a rule that should probably be applied to most outfits, and while I occasionally break it when going out on the weekends, it has to be applied with extra care at work.

If I wear a shirt that's a little on the low-cut side (too low-cut is always out of the question), I pair it with looser pants. A short dress or skirt? Add opaque tights and it's instantly acceptable for the office. You can get away with sexy shoes as long as you pair them with classic, professional basics. I have leopard print heels that wear to work fairly frequently, and they work because they're only about 3 1/4 inches and because I wear them with black pants and a green shirt. Ditto for my red snakeskin pumps, which I'll pair with a tailored black wrap dress.

While dressing like a hooker is not going to get you anywhere in your career aside from a reality show on VH1, a little classy sexiness can actually be an asset in the traditional workplace. People will notice you, but your body won't be the only thing they notice. A sexy pump can get your stilettoed foot in the door, and then you can wow them with your brain power and mad professional skills.

(PS: I'm going to laugh so hard at this when I'm 50!)

3) The right makeup can make or break your work outfit.

Workplace makeup follows the same rules as clothing: classy and basic; attractive but not too sexy. The right makeup can instantly make you look more put-together, but too much or the wrong kind can make you look like you finished clubbing at 6am and didn't bother to wash your face before coming to work.

A clean, natural makeup look is best for the workplace. I'm usually an eyeliner junkie, but if I could only wear three types of makeup to work, it would be concealer, eyebrow pencil, and foundation. The most important part of work makeup is hiding under-eye circles with a concealer that's a shade lighter than your skin color/foundation; it makes you look refreshed and focused. An eyebrow pencil (used correctly) is absolutely indispensable to a put-together makeup look because of the way well-shaped brows can frame the face. Good liquid foundation that covers blemishes without being obvious is a key part of my clean makeup look, but if wearing foundation every day isn't your thing, then a tinted moisturizer/primer or mineral powder makeup are good alternatives. As for the rest, limit dark eye makeup and non-natural colors, and instead use eye shadows in the cream to tan range, blush that complements your skin tone, and natural lip color (or a muted red if it works with your outfit).

4) Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

Cliché but true. Dress as well as or slightly better than your coworkers. Everyone should look professional at work, but it's particularly important for those who face other barriers in the workplace and want to be taken seriously. Dressing well can at least partly make up for being a young, inexperienced woman in a workplace dominated by older, more experienced men.

Turning up the professionalism of an outfit can be done in two ways:
1) The types of pieces. Blazers and pumps instantly take an outfit up a notch.
2) The quality of the clothing, which I think is infinitely more important than the first point. Clothes that are well-tailored, flattering, durable and made using quality materials are considerably more professional than their lower-quality counterparts, which is why I buy dress pants from LOFT instead of Old Navy.

5) Don't underestimate the importance of comfort.

While work clothes are inherently less comfortable than flannel pajamas, they don't need to be uncomfortable. As important as your appearance is, what you accomplish will ultimately have much more bearing on your career success. Feeling comfortable at work can improve your comportment, productivity, and confidence. You don't want to distract everyone at your business presentation by tugging at your shirt, and you don't want pantyhose so tight that you get a stomach ache and can't concentrate on your workload.

On days that I need to get a lot done, I'll allow myself to sacrifice some level of formality in favor of comfort (which I can afford to do since I follow #4). Soft, mostly natural fabrics, with some stretch to them are the most comfortable. Those well-made, flattering, qualities of nice clothes that I discussed in #4 also serve to increase the comfort factor.

This is a perfect example of what I wear most days: an outfit comprised of mix-and-match LOFT pieces. This is as dressy as I get, because I don't need to wear business attire to my current job (I do own a black suit just in case). I could wear button-downs, but it's nearly impossible for me to find one that works for my short torso, so I stick to knit tops.

This is the Marisa pant, which I love because it features a modern fit and a lower rise than most dress pants (though Marita tells me it's too low-rise for those with long torsos such as herself). I also have the Marisa in black x2, brown, and khaki, the tank in purple and brown, and cardigan in white.

Pants, cardigan, tank: LOFT
Pumps: Guess
Pearls: a flea market in China

Here's an example of a "comfort" work outfit. I work in clinical research at a hospital, and my coworkers often wear jeans and polos, so I can really get away with outfits like this any day, but I tend to save them for busy/rainy/sleepy days when I feel like wearing a comfortable, easy outfit. I always wear this with tights due to how short the skirt is. In this photo I'm sporting my go-to work hairdo for no-time-to-shower/bad hair days: hair in a parted ponytail, twisted up, and secured with a claw clip.

Dress: Daisy Fuentes for Kohl's

Tights: Simply Vera (Vera Wang for Kohl's)

Boots: Steve Madden

Bohemian Style: A Very Important Addendum

I was too tired to get into this when I wrote my original overview of Amanda Brooks’ chapter on bohemian style but I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the best/most important feature of bohemian dressing: the proportions. This is beyond a doubt the most important thing that you have to understand about bohemian style in order to do it correctly.

Proportions are not more important to bohemian style than they are to other style choices, they are just much easier to get wrong. If you are pairing a classic blouse with a classic pair of pants, your biggest concern will typically be that the prints/colors match well. Classic lengths, cuts, and fits usually go together without much additional thought: the proportions pretty much go without saying. Not true when it comes to the bohemian because, in fact, pants that you might consider bohemian (think something wide-legged, like gauchos) typically do not look right with billowy bohemian tops: it’s too much fabric.

That being said, bohemian proportions are arguably one of the best things about the style. Anyone can put on a peasant top but to be able to appropriately pair it with the right bottoms in the right fit is what makes or breaks the success of the look.

The importance of getting proportions right cannot be overemphasized. To be sure, the proportions piece is what I was missing when I first tried to go boho in high school (e.g. I would have worn gauchos with a billowy top). Nowadays, bohemian proportions are my favorite part of the look and I feel extremely exasperated at my younger self for failing to understand their importance.

Let’s look at some examples!

Long billowy dress, plunging neckline:

Short dress, high boots:

Long top, tight pants, high boots:

Billowy pants, structured jacket/top:

(Note: Most people could not pull off these pants even with something structured. However, Siena Miller can.)

Full skirt/dress, vest:

(My all time favorite) Shorts, Boots: