Tag Archives: work clothes

Work

Work Attire: Go with the Flow (with Style!)

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Work

If you are trying to decide what items of clothing to include in your work wardrobe, this is a time when it’s OK to go with the crowd. While business attire is less about the person and more about business, just because you’re headed to the office doesn’t mean you have to leave your personal style behind, however. Here are a few tips to help you project a confident, professional image regardless of your career path.

•    In an office environment, you want to appear professional, not cute, sexy or trendy. The goal of work attire is not to capture attention, so any ensemble or accessory that does this is probably not appropriate. Choose well-made clothing, but steer away from heavily logoed designer items. While the flash may work at a nightclub, loud logos and gaudy bling will appear tasteless in an office environment.

•    Pay special attention to the colors you incorporate into your work wardrobe. Traditional colors such as black, navy blue, gray and red all function well for suits and shoes, and can be paired with shirts and accessories of softer pastel colors. Flashy colors and bold prints are probably less acceptable, depending on your corporate environment.

•    When it comes to work clothing, tailored is always the desired look. Pants and skirts should be fitted but not tight, with no visible panty lines. Jackets should button comfortably. Avoid open-toed shoes and heels that are too high, unless you work in a very casual environment.

•    Grooming should include neat hair, manicured nails and subtle makeup. Always strive for a polished appearance.

•    Avoid jangling jewelry that will be a distraction every time you move. One set of modest earrings, one bracelet or a simple necklace will do the trick.

If there are no hard-and-fast rules in your workplace about what to wear (many companies don’t have specific dress requirements), pay attention to what the higher-ups in the organization are sporting. Suits and ties or casual polos? Pantyhose or bare legs? Pumps or sneakers? Take cues for your own wardrobe from these looks. If you are meeting one-on-one with clients, it’s wise to dress as good or better than your client. If meeting dress tends to be more formal than your office environment, it’s a smart idea to keep a change of clothing on hand.

If your corporate culture is formal, there are still ways you can subtly exude personality in your dress. Try a few of these ideas to freshen up your work look.

•    Add a small splash of color with a bright tie or scarf.

•    Get regular haircuts at a trendy salon to ensure your hairstyle is up-to-date and polished.

•    Buy shoes and accessories with interesting patterns or finishes, such as patent leather pumps or a crocodile-print clutch.

•    Experiment with subtle ways to change your makeup to complement your look. A bit of gloss will add pizzazz to your lips, and coordinating eyeshadow will make your eyes pop. Save the sparkly cosmetics for a night on the town though.

Work 1

Work Attire: Go with the Flow (with Style!)

Leave a reply

Work 1

If you are trying to decide what items of clothing to include in your work wardrobe, this is a time when it’s OK to go with the crowd. While business attire is less about the person and more about business, just because you’re headed to the office doesn’t mean you have to leave your personal style behind, however. Here are a few tips to help you project a confident, professional image regardless of your career path.

•    In an office environment, you want to appear professional, not cute, sexy or trendy. The goal of work attire is not to capture attention, so any ensemble or accessory that does this is probably not appropriate. Choose well-made clothing, but steer away from heavily logoed designer items. While the flash may work at a nightclub, loud logos and gaudy bling will appear tasteless in an office environment.

•    Pay special attention to the colors you incorporate into your work wardrobe. Traditional colors such as black, navy blue, gray and red all function well for suits and shoes, and can be paired with shirts and accessories of softer pastel colors. Flashy colors and bold prints are probably less acceptable, depending on your corporate environment.

•    When it comes to work clothing, tailored is always the desired look. Pants and skirts should be fitted but not tight, with no visible panty lines. Jackets should button comfortably. Avoid open-toed shoes and heels that are too high, unless you work in a very casual environment.

•    Grooming should include neat hair, manicured nails and subtle makeup. Always strive for a polished appearance.

•    Avoid jangling jewelry that will be a distraction every time you move. One set of modest earrings, one bracelet or a simple necklace will do the trick.

If there are no hard-and-fast rules in your workplace about what to wear (many companies don’t have specific dress requirements), pay attention to what the higher-ups in the organization are sporting. Suits and ties or casual polos? Pantyhose or bare legs? Pumps or sneakers? Take cues for your own wardrobe from these looks. If you are meeting one-on-one with clients, it’s wise to dress as good or better than your client. If meeting dress tends to be more formal than your office environment, it’s a smart idea to keep a change of clothing on hand.

If your corporate culture is formal, there are still ways you can subtly exude personality in your dress. Try a few of these ideas to freshen up your work look.

•    Add a small splash of color with a bright tie or scarf.

•    Get regular haircuts at a trendy salon to ensure your hairstyle is up-to-date and polished.

•    Buy shoes and accessories with interesting patterns or finishes, such as patent leather pumps or a crocodile-print clutch.

•    Experiment with subtle ways to change your makeup to complement your look. A bit of gloss will add pizzazz to your lips, and coordinating eyeshadow will make your eyes pop. Save the sparkly cosmetics for a night on the town though.

Success

How to Dress for Success

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Success

There’s an old saying that says if you want to be successful, you need to dress for the job you’re seeking instead of the job that you already have. This has worked well for people for decades, and it can work for you as well. If you are interested in a management position, you need to dress and act like a manager instead of like a person who needs a manager.

Casual Work Environments

The trend today is toward work environments that are more and more casual. This has lent itself to too many employees who look sloppy and who may not be considered for management positions because of it. Even if you are allowed to dress sloppily, resist the temptation to do so. After a long time, management will start to see you in that light and may not consider that you have bigger job possibilities within you.

Always arrive for work looking well put together and dressed in business casual at the very least. While you don’t have to wear a suit everyday, you should always wear dressy pants and a shirt that is suitable for a business casual environment. You might pair a casual blazer with your outfit. Never wear jeans to work, even if that’s what everyone else is wearing. If you want to be successful, you have to set yourself apart from what everyone else does.

Looking Professional

To achieve a professional look requires looking like you have come to work to do nothing but work. That means getting rid of the novelty ties, the pounds of jewelry and anything else that can only serve as a distraction to your business attire. For women, forget wearing a low-cut shirt. Wearing one might get you some attention around the office, but it will not lead to success.

For both men and women, cover up the tattoos and take out the piercings. You may feel that there’s no reason to cover them, but not everyone feels this way. If you take a stand in not covering them, you may jeopardize your future because if it. There are those who will judge you harshly if you have them showing, and that could cost you a promotion. You want to show your bosses that you are committed to the work you do there, and that means looking less like an individual while you are there. Feel free to uncover the tattoos, fill in the piercings and wear loud t-shirts on the weekends. While at work, you have to measure up to corporate standards.

For the best results, take a hint from the owner or highest boss of the company. Take a look at what they wear and try to emulate that style. They are the ones who best understand the environment of the business and they are the ones who you most need to impress. Of course, if the bigwig dresses very casually, that may not be the best course to take. The highest person at the company is not seeking the approval of the others and is not in line for a promotion and may have simply given up on corporate attire.