Women and fashion go hand in hand. Almost every woman tried to maintain her style and ensures being on point when it comes to fashion and style. Some are daring enough to go bold and experimental while others like playing it safe, simple and sophisticated. That being said, regardless of how they like to carry themselves, they do maintain a certain look, and why not? It is a common myth that working women are not fashionistas or you cannot style yourself at your workplace. This is not true at all.
While it is a generally accepted rule that your workplace attire needs to have a certain character and you cannot walk all blingy into your office, but that certainly does not mean you should not style up or dress up at the workplace. Most fresh entrants in the corporate sector especially find it very confusing about how to carry themselves in formal work environments without coming off as someone too loud or gaudy. This ultimate style guide will help you dress right for work, be it a regular morning at the office or a formal company dinner for a product launch.
The Thumb Rule
Before moving ahead to what wardrobe essentials you need to have and how to carry your makeup and accessories, know the basic rule of thumb. There is no exact way or manual to going to work, but your overall look should be focused on the three Cs – class, comfort, and convenience. You should not look like as if you are going to some hippie concert with your clothes being a splash of colors and loud makeup. Keep your overall look classy and sophisticated. You should look very “corporate.” In most cases, working hours and environment can be long and tiring.
You might have to stand for long hours or might spend hours preparing for an important presentation. The last thing you would want is to be your dress being too itchy or your shoes giving you an excruciating pain in your feet. Keep your attire as comfortable as you can. You will be required to run around the office, carrying files, typing documents and a lot of such work where you would want to be relaxed and easy. Do not wear anything that will make it inconvenient for you to work smoothly and efficiently.
The Dress
Most workplaces in the west today are exceptionally diverse, and people from different cultural backgrounds come together in one place. Some might be comfortable revealing more while some like to dress more modestly. Whatever you choose to wear, make sure it follows the aforementioned rule of thumb. You can choose to wear a knee-length Skirt paired with a Suit or a formal shirt, or full-length suiting with dress pants. Whatever you choose, make sure it is sophisticated, and you can carry it comfortably. Keep the color palette solid and ideally stick to neutral hues such as white, brown, maroon and blue. If you want to go for a more diverse color pallet, then stick to pastels. Do not walk into your office wearing a neon orange or a hot pink dress. If you are going for a formal dinner, pick a decent gown which is not too loud or gaudy and pair it up with the right accessories.
The Shoes
Unless you are someone who has a lot of fieldwork to do, do not walk into your workplace wearing those sneakers and better leave them for your gym. Likewise, wearing comfortable shoes does not mean you can go in wearing your Flip Flops or Hawaiians. Get a nice pair of leather, or faux leather closed toe shoe, ideally a high heel one. Make sure your heels are only high enough to let you walk around the office comfortably.
If you are not confident about wearing higher heels all day long, consider kitten heels, or wedges or platforms of a moderate height. Make sure your shoes are not too blingy and follow a solid hue that matches your dress. A pair of a black, white and nude toned shoe should be good enough for your everyday office needs. If you have to attend a formal dinner or a party, you can add a slight touch of bling with a pair of pale gold heels.
Jewellery
Make sure your jewellery at your workplace and even at dinners is as understated as possible. No matter how beautiful those sapphire studded long earrings look, let them rest in your jewellery box for a friend’s wedding. Stick to pearl or diamond small-sized studs and a pendant or a locket with a thin chain around your neck should suffice. Ideally, stick to Sterling silver in matte finishes and avoid too much blingy precious metals at work. Do not overload your fingers with a ring. A ring or two are more than enough. If you wear bracelets or bangles, consider replacing them with nice ladies watches. You can add slightly more bling with longer earrings if there is a formal workplace dinner.
Bags
Bags are an important fashion accessory and a very important workplace accessory. The kind of bag that you will be carrying to your workplace will entirely depend on how much stuff you need to carry to work every day and back, and your mode of commuting. You would not want to carry a stack of papers in your hand, because your bag is too small while you are standing in the subway to your way to work. If you carry papers, and laptop to work get a tote or ideally a backpack that can easily accommodate all your essential supplies. Backpacks are best for those who commute using public transport as they are easier to carry. If you drive to work, you have a lot more choice, and you can even choose a tote or a cross body bag. Alternatively, you can use a good laptop bag to carry your stuff to work. For formal dinners stick to small clutches or envelop purses that have enough space to carry a lipstick, a beauty blender, your phone, keys and probably a small wallet.
Makeup
Do not overdo your makeup no matter how much you love it. Your favorite hot pink shade from Kat Von D is certainly not meant to be worn at your workplace. That, however, does not mean you walk into your office with a flat face, bare skin, and your dark circles visible. Keep your makeup understated with nude and earth tones. Wear a light coverage foundation or a BB or CC cream topped with a layer of concealer.