I see this all the time- female business professionals who are wearing skirts or dresses that are just too short and/or too tight for a workplace environment. This is particularly common amongst young, female professionals. Think about this: Pairing a blazer and blouse to the skirt pictured above kind of looks like a mullet. It’s all business on top and a party down below. A skirt that is too stretchy and feels like a piece of elastic is not work-appropriate. This is a party skirt. If you would wear your itty bitty skirt to a pub/club, it’s likely not right for the office… and that would apply to most, if not all, office environments ladies. You may feel attractive in this type of skirt but this is doing NOTHING to help you progress in your career. Rather, this detracts from how smart, competent and capable you are and is a knock to your credibility. You aren’t going to be taken seriously. The men in your office may like your choice in skirts/dresses, which may make you feel like you’re being taken seriously, but you’re not. Plain and simple. What’s appropriate? For skirt/dress lengths for work, stick to ones that are no more than 2-3 inches above the knee. For more conservative work environments, go with 1-2 inches at most. Opt for more structured materials. This will lay flat against you without hugging your curves too much. Skirts with less structure can be fine too, just make sure they aren’t pasted to your body. Here are a few examples of skirt/dress lengths that make the cut (did you see how I did that??). Remember, it’s perfectly fine to be stylish at work; I encourage and highly recommend this. What becomes a problem is when you start crossing the line into “provocative” or “sexy”, particularly when it comes to the length of your skirt/dress. You’re better than that.
Friday Find: Cashmere at a reasonable price
Gents, this Friday Find is for you. Club Monaco: Cashmere V-Neck Why you should get this: This is a great layering piece for fall. Here’s my outfit pick for you: a collared shirt and textured sports coat (think wool or tweed) paired with a pair of straight/slim dark wash jeans and brown oxfords… THIS would be a great casual weekend look. The colour is rich and is perfect for fall. It’s cashmere. At a reasonable pricepoint. The sweater is on sale for $149. Right now, you’ll get an additional 30% off if you use the coupon code: EXTRA30. You’re welcome.
Plus-sized clothing: Why isn’t it like VISA?
I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while now, especially after reading this Huffington Post article featuring Tim Gunn. He is someone I truly admire who has a positive voice in the world of style and fashion. In the article, he said: “When I’m working in the real world with real women and we’re shopping, we find that fashion seems to end when you get any larger than a size 12. How ridiculous is that?” Ummm… totally ridiculous actually. Unfortunately, it’s true. As a style consultant, I too work with real women. Women who are tall, petite and plus-size. I work with those who have short torsos, long torsos, big hips, small hips large chests, no chests… you get the point. We are all different. When it comes to plus-size people, I can appreciate the challenges faced when it comes to finding garments that fit properly. I have to say, I’m extremely disappointed when I walk into a plus-size store or plus-size section of a department store to see what’s available for my clients. I’d equate my sentiment to what Tim Gunn said in the article: “Go to Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue, I think it’s the eighth floor, and it’s just a department called ‘Woman.’ It’s rather devastating. You’ve never seen such hideous clothes in your entire life. I mean, it’s simply appalling. Thank God there are no windows on that floor, because if I were a size 18, I’d throw myself right out the window [after seeing those clothes]. It’s insulting what these designers do to these women.” When I was worked full time as a management consultant, I worked on a project for the Canadian Obesity Network (CON). I was so interested in this organization that I subscribed to their magazine. In the first issue that I received, I found this article (you’ll have to go to pg. 12 to read it). Even though this article is from 2009, many of the points mentioned, about why retailers and designers don’t cater to plus size people, seem to remain true. Disappointing huh? Along the same vein, I saw this video a few months ago from Jimmy Kimmel Live. For those that haven’t seen it as yet, you must watch it. Though I bring up this video, I don’t think that all brands have to cater to all markets – that would be absurd. Abercrombie and Fitch has a marketing strategy for who they target and that’s perfectly fine. What is not fine though, were the comments made by the company’s CEO about the type of customer they wish to attract – and detract – from their retail locations (I believe these comments were made in 2006 but they went viral earlier this year). They were disappointing and extremely discriminatory. Look em up if you’re interested because I’m not posting that crap on my blog. My understanding is that sales aren’t so hot and the company’s shares are down… The Good News The good news, as I see it, is that the market for plus-size clothing is growing. People are demanding better quaility and more stylish, fashion forward options.