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DRESSING
for work can be a lot of, well, work. If clothing and
grooming speak volumes about who you are, the office is
one place where you want those messages to be carefully
calibrated. v Still, there is such a thing as being too
careful. Anyone who buys all of her work clothes at Ann
Taylor is most certainly in a fashion rut. And though
wearing a cotton tank top and rubber flip-flops may not
get you reprimanded in today’s business-casual culture,
you probably won’t be looking at the corner office
anytime soon, either.
With
this guide to office style, we’re here to help. We
reviewed a gaggle of products designed to save the day,
should you discover that you have a fallen hem or
scuffed shoes five minutes before a big meeting. Even
better, we have tips from a personal shopper whose stock
in trade is helping working moms look their best. As we
discovered, that means a lot more than “Lose the sippy
cup.” (By Suzanne D’Amato, The
Washington
Post)
Advice
for the Working Woman
Joyce
Neave is That Mom. She’s the mother of three who always
shows up perfectly coiffed, stylishly dressed. She’s
flawlessly put together when other moms are clad in
baggy jeans and T-shirts streaked with PB&J (or worse).
But
she’s also That Mom: The Brand. (Find her at
www.bethatmom.com.) The 41-year-old Bethesda, Maryland,
resident parlayed a lifelong passion for fashion (she
cites her impeccably dressed grandfather as one of her
greatest style influences) into a career as a wardrobe
consultant. She specializes in helping women,
particularly mothers, rework their closets and their
style identities. Momhood isn’t her only expertise,
though; she’s also full of tips for the workaday woman.
Style tip Nos. 1 and 2? “Wear clothes that fit well, and
dress age-appropriately,” she says.
Also
among her suggestions: Avoid some of the most common
office fashion faux pas. Neave puts walking shoes, dark
hosiery and bulky sweaters at the top of her Don’ts
List. Instead, she says, try a shoe made for comfort;
swap dated pantyhose for a glowy self-tanner; and try a
trim lightweight sweater with a waist-defining tie belt.
Stellar
advice, all, but Neave adds one crucial caveat:
“Fashion
is not everything,” she says. “It’s about being yourself
and feeling confident.”
Here are
a few of Neave’s suggestions:
Laura
Mercier Clementine Body Butter: Neave suggests using a
scented-body lotion instead of a perfume at the office.
She loves the light, refreshing fragrance of this fruity
option.
Taryn
Rose “Carmela” pump: “You HAVE to have comfort and you
WANT to have style,” Neave says. These color blocked
peep-toe pumps from orthopedic
surgeon-turned-shoe-designer Taryn Rose give you both: a
3.5-inch heel, bolstered with Nasa-created memory-foam
padding for loads of comfort. $525 at www.piperlime.com.
Banana
Republic “Flatiron” satchel: Neave loves this store’s
utilitarian yet fun carryalls because they’re big enough
for stashing your day essentials. $248 at Banana
Republic stores and www.bananarepublic.com.
“The
Lucky Shopping Manual” by Kim France and Andrea Linett:
The hands-on approach of this style advice book (Gotham
Books, 2003) by the editors of shopping mag Lucky is
particularly useful for its tips on mixing and matching,
Neave says. (By Michelle Thomas, The
Washington
Post)
Workplace appearance solutions
FOUR
problems, eight quick fixes: From fancy to basic, which
product is best to stash in your desk drawer?
Breakouts.
Sometimes my polished, professional at-work makeup gets
an unwelcome addition: a midday blemish, complete with
inflammation and redness.
Fancy
fix: Benefit’s Galactic Shield blemish concealer ($15 at
www.benefitcosmetics.com). Its sleek packaging could
pass for a pen if you stashed it alongside your Bics.
The concealer goes on much like a twist-up eyeliner, and
the secret ingredient is salicylic acid, a common
ingredient in acne-fighting products.
Emergency fix: Visine is rumored to have zit-zapping
powers, mostly because the ingredients that shrink blood
vessels in your eyes supposedly reduce redness around a
blemish. “Supposedly” is the key word here.
Which is
better? Benefit’s fix, hands down. The concealer goes on
smoothly and covers blemishes, plus it seems to speed
healing. The downside is it comes in only two mid-tone
shades, so if you have very fair or dark skin, it’s a
bit limited. The Visine, on the other hand, was a big
disappointment. It didn’t make my breakout any less
noticeable; it just left my face feeling...wet.—Holly E.
Thomas
Fallen
hem.
Even if
your fabulously put-together ensemble says “promote me,”
a fallen hem sends a different message: “I’m a slob with
no time to go to the tailor.” Or perhaps, “These pants
cost $5.99!”
Fancy
fix: Her Look Matchsticks ($10 at
www.doublesticktricks.com). The double-sided tape
strips, which resemble skinny Band-Aids, offer relief
for wardrobe malfunctions from a sagging hemline to a
gaping-wrap dress. Medical-grade adhesive promises
long-lasting hold, while the slim package makes it easy
to stash in even the skinniest clutch.
Emergency fix: In a pinch, plain old-packing tape is a
fast, MacGyver-esque solution for a drooping hem. It’s
also cheap—or free if you’ve got a well-stocked
office-supply closet.
Which is
better? In highly scientific road tests, the new-fangled
Matchsticks didn’t perform much better than my old
friend, packing tape. The Matchsticks were a bit tricky
to use—peeling off the backing took a few tries—but once
on, they provided a nonbulky hold that lasted all day.
As did the packing tape.
While
Matchsticks might be the superior solution for more
elaborate fixes, such as a too-deep neckline or a
wayward slingback-shoe strap (you can’t use packing tape
on skin—ouch!), the tape works just as well for a
standard hemline hold.—Emily Heil
Pantyhose run.
Pantyhose are hot. They itch. And most of all, they run.
So when yours hit a snag (as they inevitably will), how
do you deal?
Fancy
fix: Sally Hansen’s Airbrush Legs. The leg makeup comes
in four shades that you can match to your skin tone or,
if you prefer, use to get a tan tint. Application
promises to be easy: Spray the product into your palm,
then blend evenly on your legs to hide imperfections.
Emergency fix: My mom’s time-tested standby: Brush a bit
of clear nail polish at the tip of the rip to keep the
run from extending.
Which is
better? Not to knock nail polish (which is so
multipurpose it would make Heloise’s head spin), but I
hate having a smelly, tacky dab on my leg. I don’t feel
as if I’m fooling anyone: Though the polish prevents the
run from getting worse, I still have a noticeable nick
in my hose.
This
spray, on the other hand? Love it. It can be applied at
home before dressing or at work (if you’re flexible
enough to reach every spot while standing in a bathroom
stall, that is). It dries quickly, hides imperfections
and doesn’t rub off on clothes.
The nail
in the pantyhose coffin: After a shower, soap and a
little scrubbing, the leg makeup comes off easily.—Amy
Orndorff
Scuffed
shoes.
If shoes
make an outfit, then nothing undoes an otherwise
professional look faster than dirty or scuffed shoes.
But even if you start your day in pristine pumps, one
trip on a crowded subway train can leave them with
glaring scratches. And who has time to polish at work?
FOR
shoes, wardrobe consultant Joyce Neave favors comfort as
well as style; these These peep-toe pumps ($525) are
from orthopedic surgeon-turned-shoe-designer Taryn Rose.
Fancy
fix: Foot Petals shoe polish pen ($13 at www.target.com).
This small, convenient tube of carnauba wax-polish
brushes on easily without the mess of a
standard-polishing kit.
Emergency fix: Crayola markers. The black marker covers
scuffs beautifully. But when I try to hide a scuff on a
brown sandal, it looks, not surprisingly, as if I’ve
written on my shoe.
Which is
better? The Foot Petals pen works much better than the
Crayola; it leaves both black and brown shoes—even in
tough-to-cover patent leather—scuff-free. And it’s small
enough to fit into a tiny purse. But should you make
room in yours? Unless you are a tap-dancer or chronic
foot-dragger, chances are you don’t suffer enough scuffs
to keep it on hand.—Hannah Schardt |
