Hi Lazina, I’ve been working for the past six years in a mid-management role. Recently, I’ve moved over to a new organization where I feel I can really grow my career, however, I’ve noticed that some people in my office (those both senior to me and those at my level) keep giving me “odd” looks. I’m not sure whether I’m just plain paranoid or am doing something wrong! I don’t think it’s because of my office attire though. I even asked one of my colleagues (who I’m a bit closer with) if I’m dressing too provocatively. She seemed very supportive of this weird situation but I didn’t really feel that she gave me a straight answer. Could I be one of those fashion disasters in the work place and not even know it? L Hi There, First of all, you deserve a pat on the back for being as open and honest with yourself and taking that hard look in the mirror. That’s a tough thing to do! Trust me, not many people do that! Let’s focus on YOU and what you might be doing right or wrong when it comes to attire in the workplace. Here are some simple guidelines that you might want to use to see if you need to step it up a notch (or two): Necklines: There’s a quick test you can do to see if your girls are making too much of an appearance at the office. When you’re getting ready for work, look straight down at your chest. Can you see more than just a bit of cleavage? If so, you’re probably showing too much for the office. Now I realize that this can be a tricky area to dress, depending on your body type, so I would suggest playing around with different necklines to find the shape that works best for you (check out one of my past posts on necklines… this might give you a few ideas). Material: I’m not sure what type of material you are choosing when buying professional attire but here’s a good rule of thumb: the more structure a garment has, the more professional and appropriate it looks (it won’t cling to your body) and the less likely it is to be seen as bar or club wear. Skirt Length: This is an area where I often see many style ‘mistakes’. Here’s a simple checkpoint to see if you’re a showing too much leg: with the skirt or dress you would normally wear, sit down and see how much of your leg is showing. If it’s more than a couple of inches, your skirt is just too short for the office (check out this past post on skirt lengths)! Heels: I do agree that heels give the leg a longer, leaner look. They do wonders in completing a professional look but sometimes women take high heels to a whole new level – like a 5 or 6 inch new level! If you’re wearing shoes that are much more suitable for a bar (one that is just too sexy) than for the office, you probably want to reconsider this
Stylish, warm winter boots… do these exist?
I’ve been stumped by this problem for a while now. When I started my first big-girl job, I quickly realized that I needed professional-looking winter boots for my commute to work. I thought the task of buying new winter boots would be the best thing ever (after all, who doesn’t love a new shoe purchase??) but it turned out to be quite frustrating and disappointing. If I actually wanted to be warm as I walked to work, I was going to have to suck it up and wear a warm, functional winter boot. While this would work and keep my feet warm, this option would simply not do – can you image me walking to work, with a lovely suit, stylish wool coat and THOSE boots?! I can’t either! Needless to say, I ended up getting stylish boots…. that didn’t keep my feet warm for 4 blocks…. but I looked great! Brrrr… It still amazes me that most winter boots on the market (available to those of us in real winter weather) aren’t stylish AND warm. Most of the fashion-forward boots I come across wouldn’t hold up for 30 minutes in any real Canadian winter weather. They just aren’t made for “real” winter. To me, these are “pretend” winter boots…. like the ones I bought a few years ago. What a waste of hard-earned $$!! On the other hand, we have those boots that are perfect for -30 or below (Celsius) but most certainly don’t belong in any urban setting… and definitely won’t go with your outfit as you commute to work each and every winter day! I thought I would do a bit of digging to find boots that are: Work-appropriate Comfy for commuting Stylish Warm For dryer winter weather, here’s what I found: Joan and David Florita Wedge Boots Cole Haan Air Tali Wedge Boots Sam Edelman Jayla Wedge Bootie For those slushy, wet winter climates, here’s what I found: Sorel Cate the Great Tapeet Flat Puffer Boots Michael Kors Brandy Snow Boot Which of these “real” winter boots suit your fancy?
Professional Appearance- why you should care!
Hi Folks. Sorry for the long pause since my last posting. It’s been a hectic time. I’d like to share a version of a speech I gave at a Pecha Kucha style event last week. I thought it would be a perfect to share with you. Here goes… When you dress professionally, you look professional. When you look professional, you feel professional and when you feel professional, you play better…. When a reporter, in the early 1980’s, asked Glen Sather (then head coach of the Edmonton Oilers) what was with the suits and ties that he made his young players wear on their way to games, this phrase (above) was his response. Today, the NHL has a dress code but back in the day, it didn’t. Of course, the Edmonton Oilers of the early 1980s were made up of young, highly-skilled players. But Sather felt in those early days that the team lacked some of the maturity, work ethic – and ultimately, professionalism – that was needed if they were going to reach their full potential. So, one of the things he did to rectify this was to institute a mandatory dress code for game days. It’s interesting when you think about it. When they are actually “at work”, hockey players are wearing hockey equipment and uniforms. But Sather felt that if they drove to the rink in a suit and walked into the dressing room looking professional, that that would translate into improved performance on the ice. He, like any good coach and general manager, was always looking for that little extra something that would put his team over the top. It was important to not only build the skills of these young professional players but also have them think and act and dress like professionals too! With L2 Style, my message is similar; you might be smart, competent, skilled and talented at what you do but, as I just mentioned, that’s simply not enough in the business world. As you know, my goal is to start changing how people think about their overall presence and appearance in the workplace… whether it’s in client situations, in team situations, or in interview situations. Dressing professionally gets you in the right mindset which impacts things like: Your performance or productivity Your confidence Your personal level of credibility Dressing professionally not only gets YOU in the right mindset, but it also helps others develop the “right” perception of you and could impact things like: The impressions you make Leadership Your level of credibility with others Here’s an example I’d like to share. Which professional services firm would you rather hire? This one? Or this one? You get me point…. There is a reason why professional services firms have offices in high office towers that are very-well-furnished rather than a basement suite of a strip mall. Now both firms probably have the same level of competence and skill but a positive office appearance gives their clients a level of comfort or confidence in their skills. Is it fair?