"Workin nine to five, what a way to make a livin, barely gettin by, its all takin, and no givin."
In 1982, Dolly Parton sung it best. However, thirty years later women are no longer relying on men for their incomes, or succumbing to lower wages. Many of us have been very successful and have worked hard for high paying, long term jobs.
Now that we have all these great accomplishments, we want to make sure we look professional yet chic for our clients, employees, and bosses.
One of my favorite bloggers and fashion/business icons, Lauren Conrad, recently posted about how to look stylish in the workplace. Read on and take notes to make sure you are not having a office faux pax moment!
1. Hem your pants.
Ladies, you should never expect to wear the same pair of pants with flats and with heels. You need to have two separate pairs for each. When wearing pants with heels make sure the length is about .25" from the ground. And with flats, you do not want any part of your pants hanging on the ground, it looks sloppy!
2. Check your sleeve length.
When holding your arms at your side, the cuff of your sleeves should hit just below the wrist. Bring them to your taylor if you need the cuff adjusted. Sleeves that are too long or too short fall into the same category as ill-fitting pants.
3. Buy button-up shirts that fit.
Button up shirts should fit across your chest without gaping. It is unprofessional to be giving a peep show of your undergarments while the buttons are hanging on for dear life.
4. Invest in a good pair of shoes.
Always have at least two to three pairs each of heels and flats that you can wear for 8 hours. When you're in a meeting or giving a presentation your shoes will be noticed, and so will those scuffs. So be sure to have them shined or repaired if needed. Remember, shoe cobblers are our friends.
5. Belt it.
Never go belt-less when you're wearing a shirt tucked in and the belt loops are showing. It will look like you forgot to finish getting dressed. When you wear belts with shirts and dresses make sure the belt is secured even when there are no belt loops. You can use a safety pin to keep it in place!
6. Don't pile on accessories.
It's ok to pile on whatever accessories you want when you go out with your friends. In the office, make sure to keep it simple. To keep the focus on one item, consider a statement piece like a big necklace.
7. Maintain your manicure.
So many of us are guilty of picking away at our chipping manicure. But not only does it look unprofessional to sit in a meeting and peel away, it also looks like we don't care about our appearance. When the polish starts to split, take it off. You don't have to get manicures every week but make sure your fingers are nice and neat by using clear polish and cutting away the dead skin!
8. Dry your hair.
Bottom line here, get up a little earlier if you don't have time to fully dry your hair. The just rolled out of bed or just took a shower look leaves a messy impression.
9. Don't over do the perfume.
I like to put the perfume on before I get dressed that way it doesn't linger on my clothes all day long and over power everyone around me. Remember, one pump, not three will do the trick.
10. Brighten up your eyes.
This is a good one for those of us that dabble in mid week happy hour every now and again. To get rid of those tired looking, red eyes, squirt some visine in and see how they open up. Brighter eyes will make a better impression than dark, unhappy ones.
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