Few would argue it is easier for men
to carry off The Suit for formal occasions; it doesn’t seem to matter what
shape they are a suit will always look pretty decent on a male without them
having to try too hard.
For women it’s not so straight
forward; they can’t just choose any old thing off the rail with a tie and shirt
to go with it and Bob’s your uncle. At least, it probably won’t do you any
favours if you are looking to dress for success, especially in the business
environment where these things are noticed.
The trouble is the standard shirt, blazer and slacks combo isn’t going to
cut you the kind of dash you might be looking for. What might be called the
Annie Hall look works in other social contexts, but lacks that essential
femininity most women would like to hang onto in the office or executive
lounge.
There is really only one way to
combine a business dress sense with a feminine slant and that is to go with the
skirt suit. It really never fails – the well-fitted knee-length skirt in tandem
with floral or nice-toned blouse with a suit-jacket to match will always get
you noticed in the right way.
And the “right way” is important as
this is about modesty. You want to look feminine and smart and that means
making sure you’re not showing too much of certain parts of the anatomy. That
doesn’t mean revealing no flesh at all, simply not over-doing it!
Where women do have the upper hand in
the business wardrobe department is when it comes to colour and pattern. From
head to toe, you can accentuate your skirt suit very easily with colours,
fabrics and designs because you really can’t go wrong. You obviously don’t want
to go completely mad in a Dame Edna Everage style, but tastefully done you can
carry almost anything off and still retain that business dress etiquette.
Another useful tip is to not mix
business with pleasure, so to speak. In other words keep your social wardrobe
separate from your working outfits. Clouding the two can have an oddly
debilitating psychological effect on you and can give out the wrong message,
especially if you start wearing your casual, every day wear into the workplace.
It’s pretty much a sign that you are not happy in your job or are having
problems outside of work.
About the author:
Mitch Wicking, a journalist and reporter for many
years Mitch enjoys investigating Life's little wonders for bensherman.com and
many other domains and topics.
Tags
Fashion