White Collar

The more fashion blogs I read, the more convinced I am that fashion does not belong to us white collars. To be fashionable, you have to either dress up as if you were walking down the red carpet or dress down as if you had just stepped out of a homeless shelter. Office is where you find the mediocre: neat hair, light makeup, minimum accessories, and above all, suit, suit, suit! How could this be inspiring? Being professional equates to being lackluster.

All right. I've accepted it long time ago that a proper office outfit is the one that does not outshine your brain. But that doesn't mean that others can't even tell whether you've changed into a new outfit or not. We may not have many options on the silhouette, but still have more or less room playing with colors, patterns and details.

That is why I got this Karl Lagerfeld stretchy blazer. The white stripes on the shoulders and collar add a New England preppy touch to the outfit, and the stretchy material creates a slim polished silhouette. If paired with its matching pants (shown in this outfit), it looks even more sporty and energetic. Here I styled it with a stretchy pencil skirt for a more office appropriate look.

Jacket: Karl Lagerfeld April stretch cotton-blend blazer (review here)

Tee: Abercrombie & Fitch

Skirt: Privee (also seen in this outfit)

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Accessorize Your Outfit

We all know that accessories make the look. Clothing may make up the majority of an outfit, but accessories define your style or occasion. On their own, a handbag, scarf or headband may not make much of an impact. However, when combined with clothing, accessories help create a solid outfit and take your look from basic to brilliant. This is especially true for us office ladies who do not have much flexibility in cloth styles.

My last post attempted to add some cool elements to a totally feminine style by mixing the gold bracelet with the silver bracelet set. -- Yes, you are right: accessories do not have to be expensive, and it's totally OK to mix the expensive with the more affordable ones. -- And today's post is to show how to add some edge to an otherwise boring outfit using proper accessories.

I started with a basic bodycon black dress bought many years ago -- so glad that midi skirt/dress is back! With some pearls and elegant pumps, it could totally make an ultra feminine outfit either for office or for a romantic dinner. However, here my goal is to put together a more updated urban chic look by using some statement accessories. I picked an antique tribal style necklace, and even layered it with a chocker in order to add more visual substance and impact. I also opted for a pair of chunky two-tone heels with golden details and ankle straps, just to add more weight to the outfit. Now the look is more neutral, liberal and confident than a conventional feminine take. Do you like it?

BTW for affordable statement accessories, check out Anthropologie from time to time. Their accessory collection is fun, fun, fun!

Dress: Nicole Miller (current season)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker
Necklace: Wide Link Choker and Mayura Necklace, both from Anthropologie
Heels: Derek Lam

Leopard Print Silk Chiffon Blouse

If a combo of wild leopard print and romantic chiffon is not interesting enough, throw in a splash of color. And the result is this fabulous silk chiffon blouse by Equipment, which convinced me that a purple leopard, if there was any, would be such an incredible beauty in the jungle. I'm so glad that I got it before Saks friends & family event when everything was sold out before I could lay my fingers on them.

Paired with an old Banana Republic black pencil skirt I got when I first started working, and a pair of comfortable Cole Haan Air pumps.

Silk leopard print shirt: Equipment Lynn Silk Chiffon Leopard-Print Blouse in purple
Black wool pencil skirt: Banana Republic
Black peep toe pumps: Cole Haan Air Carma Open Toe Pump in black patent

Metallic Blue Leather Pumps

这个星期忙坏了累坏了。天天穿得人模狗样的，不是在工作，就是在跟人吃饭喝酒喝咖啡。说话说得都抑郁了，现在别提说话了，连打字都觉得累。抽空还是拍了张。

金属色的鞋子这两年很流行，我改天写个长点的慢慢唠叨。这双电蓝色的Max Kibardin是2009年买的，现在怕是不好找这颜色了呢，不得不佩服自己当年超前的眼光，哈哈~~~

裙子是DVF的，也有两三年历史了，当初路过UWS那家Barney's分店的时候在橱窗里看到，顿时不能自拔，赶紧推门进去就买了。虽然我算DVF的大粉，也有不少她家的裙子，这么一见钟情的情况还是不多见的。她家的衣服简直是妇女之友，挂在架子上一般般，穿在身上效果尤其好，说通俗点，就是屁股是屁股，腰是腰，胸是胸，没有半点含糊的。

西装是Gucci家的，用料裁剪做工没有啥好多说的，flawless。。。贵是贵了点儿，但是很值。钱多了发烧的时候，不能老是烧包包，烧件经典的衣服也还是不错的。据我个人的观察，男人真不在意女人的包包，但是会注意女人的衣服和鞋子。

Beautiful blue pumps are hard to find. So when you see a hot pair, snag ‘em! I got these Max Kibardin pointy pumps in Saks Fifth Avenue five years ago. And right now, they are super in!  Featuring metallic blue leather and a unique diagonal ankle strap, it fits in the metallic shoes trend, and stands out with its fabulous color and details. At 3 inches, the heel is the perfect height — high enough but not so high that it’s uncomfortable. I literally run in these pumps to catch buses / trains.

On a side note, Saks has stopped carrying Max Kibardin and many emerging avant garde designers since a couple of years ago, which, IMO, explains why it gradually lost ground to other luxury department stores. To position itself as a luxury flagship, it needs to carry some hard-to-find brands and items with the wow effect. I haven't been to Saks in the past year as fewer and fewer items could catch my eyes in recent years. Now that it is under the new management heading by Marigay McKee who was poached from Harrods (my one and only favorite store in London), I am waiting to see its revamp and return to more risk-taking designers, such as Max Kibardin.

The fuchsia dress is from DVF, bought from Barney's a couple of years ago. Every woman loves DVF dresses. They tend to hug your body in the right way. This dress, in particular, stroke me with its vibrant color and body hugging fit when I was walking by Barney's window with my BFF. It was love at the first sight, and today our relationship still works like magic.

Blazers from Gucci are simply flawless. Top material, clean cut, and impeccable hand work. This one is no exception. We women tend to splurge on designer bags. But don't overlook your cloths and shoes. A wise investment goes a long way. This blazer costs less than many designer handbags... How much is the Chanel 2.55 reissue now?  Would someone please kindly remind me... :)

Grey wool blazer: Gucci
Fuchsia bandage dress: Diane von Furstenberg
Electric blue metallic leather pumps: Max Kibardin

Wardrobe Staples for Business Woman

Ladies, assume that 1) you work in an industry that requires business attire or business casual, 2) every morning you have only two minutes to pull out something from your closet and get dressed, and 3) you want to look professional and neat. How are you going to build an efficient wardrobe from scratch to minimize your daily morning headache? By "efficient", I mean hustle-free, budget-friendly, and space-economic. The last element is especially important for those who live in tiny Manhattan apartments. We need the ability to mix & match and create as many outfits from limited pieces as possible. How can we achieve this and avoid the common always-one-piece-short syndrome?

The lesson I learned from my experience is: stay with basics and play with colors. I find that simple classic streamlined styles usually go a long way and tend to mix easily with each other. The combination has no limit. On the other hand, I'd like to use colors to break the routine and add some personality to the outfit. Neutral hues are classic and nice. I simply cannot live in a colorless world every day.

Today I'm going to use JCrew's website to show how I would start a closet for my business life from scratch. The reason I picked JCrew is that they offer a lot of classic pieces in all colors that may last for many years. Also their sales prices could be incredible for that cut and material. I'm not affiliated with JCrew and I believe there are many other brands that fall into your budget range, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Club Monaco, Zara, Theory, DVF, to name a few. I receive JCrew catalog every month and personally own quite a few pieces (sometimes several colors in the same/similar style). This is the brand I'm familiar with. So I will use it for illustration purpose.

Shirts. Honestly I do not own any JCrew shirts due to the fit. I find 00 too tight in the chest and 0 too loose in the waist. So I cannot give any personal recommendations on their shirts. That said, I'd suggest to stay with simple styles like this one. Get a couple of crisp cotton ones in different colors. The brand doesn't matter; what matters is the fit. You want neither a peek-a-boo in the chest nor hanging extra fabric in the waist. Meanwhile you may want to get a couple in silk and/or in patterns (like stripes, dots, or small floral prints). JCrew silk shirts are a little on the flimsy side, but the patterned ones could be interesting, especially if you plan to layer it under solid color sweaters, cardigans, or jackets. Fancy tops like this one should be introduced only after you have a decent collection of basics. They are nice, but not in urgent need.

Tees. As I said in my previous post, perfect-fit ballet button tee is my favorite. I simply love its material. I also have perfect-fit in tanks and long sleeves. They make nice layering pieces under almost everything: no bulging, no see-through, and curve-friendly. I will stay away from the "vintage cotton" series. The material is flimsy and semi see-through. I don't think it will stand many washes. Honestly even without a single wash, I'm afraid that it may rip any time any where.    

Sweaters and cardigans. I own several Tippi sweaters. It's semi fitted. I can either wear it alone or over a collared shirt. I like its preppy style, wide color selection, and of course, nice sales price. For cardigans, both Jackie cardigan and Tippie cardigan can do the job. They go nicely with both pants and dresses. Get them in multiple colors if you tend to wear a lot of cardigans at work. If you prefer longer styles, this long cardigan is also very versatile. In summer, long cardigan + hot shorts makes a nice effortless yet sexy weekend look.

Skirts. A well-fitted pencil skirt is the killer in office, IMHO. Polished, feminine and sharp. For me, No. 2 pencil skirt is a must-have. I have multiple in double serge wool and all colors. -- I will avoid any pencil skirts in cotton or linen. They wrinkle easily and look miserable by lunch time. -- After that, get it in prints. I can't tell you how much I'm in love with this one. When is the next JCrew sales? Anyone?

Dresses. Emmaleigh dress, Gwen dress or Bridget dress is the first dress I would add to my closet. In fact, I already have three Emmaleigh, one Gwen and one Bridget. Those styles are so simple that people won't notice that you are wearing the same style in different colors! That makes mix-match effortless. This short sleeved number is not bad either. I have it in grey. You may gradually add scallops, laces, pipes, color blocks, or fancy sleeves into your collection after you've done with the basics, but don't go overboard. These fancy styles go in and out of fashion pretty quickly. And the even sadder truth is, you may change your heart even faster.

Blazers. Start with solid conservative color and quality materials, like this Schoolboy jacket. Build a decent collection with different colors, length and material. I have four (in wool & velvet, short & long, and different colors). Don't splurge on fancy ones like this until you're done with your basics. They may be stylish, but could appear too loud in some occasions. You may have one or two fancy pieces for fun, but they are not wardrobe staples we are discussing here.

Pants. Oh, I don't have any pants from JCrew either. Black, grey, beige. Wide leg, straight leg, slim leg. There is really not much to write about. A pair of nice fitted pant goes a long way, and it may come from any brand.

OK. That's all I have. "That's really boring!" You may scream. No one says no. But that's just a starting point. Over time you will add more interesting items to it. Meanwhile, use accessories to spice up!

The picture was taken in 2012 when I got this new pencil skirt. Both the top and the pencil skirt are from JCrew. And, yes! This is the same pencil skirt I used in my previous post. See how much relief you may get from a nice pencil skirt? Just in case you are interested, the top is called Painter Boatneck Tee. Nice fit and material. But I won't buy more since the buttons on the shoulder won't stay closed.

Finally, it may be a good idea to find a professional tailor in your neighborhood. I always go to the tailor to have waist taken in and sleeve shortened if needed. See how I pulled the pencil skirt from behind in the picture? I took it to the tailor and fixed the waist the next day. I think at least 50% of my professional look comes from the tailor, not the manufacturer. :)

Business Monday

概要

星期一是“忙day”，所以我一般会打扮得比较严肃。中性色＋保守式样，不玩新鲜颜色新鲜款式。但是严肃不等于枯燥，我尽量往严肃而有型的方向努力吧！比如这件Fendi的长袖连衣裙，虽然走的是严肃保守的路子，但是裁剪合体，插色设计恰如其分的凸显体型，搭配他家常见的泡泡袖设计。配上点点丝袜和尖头皮鞋，再增加点女性情趣。Louis Vuitton家的豹纹围巾够大够蓬，松松的围在脖子上可以平衡一下整套打扮的女人味，以免流于老套的娘味。当然，灰裙子和豹纹围巾都很容易找到更便宜的替代品，不要跟我这个时不时抽个风的败家女学。咱只讲搭配，是吧？不过，我还是要真心赞一下这条裙子的，超厚超软超暖和，经典职业装扮，今冬最佳投资就是它了，我要多穿几年，把本儿挣回来。。。

When I was little and just started learning English, my teacher taught us how to memorize Monday through Sunday: Monday is 忙-day (忙, pronounced “mon”, means “busy” in Chinese). I didn't quite get it until I finished school and started my own career. Monday is indeed the day you can't mess up in business, even in your business attire.

So I tend to look more serious on Mondays. Gray and black are the colors I usually turn to. Conservative simple styles help me to focus on business. But that doesn't mean I have to look like a boring dead fish. Here I built my business attire around a long-sleeved wool dress (Fendi) that features figure-flattering color blocks and cute curved sleeves. It nailed down the classy professional look I was aiming for. Polka dot stockings added a touch of feminine fun to the outfit, balanced out by the boldness of the animal print scarf (Louis Vuitton)… No, you don’t need brand names to get a professional look. It just so happens that I fall in love with designer pieces from time to time. What can I say? This Fendi dress felt so warm and soft that I just couldn't let it go the minute I had it on. It was definitely my best buy this winter and I see it last for many seasons... *_^

Have a productive week ahead, everyone!