Posts Tagged ‘workwear’
A new survey has highlighted the kind of women’s clothing bosses think is acceptable, and unacceptable, for the workplace.
The research, by an online retail company, found many bosses disliked plunging necklines, and said cleavage was an office no-no.
Dressing down was given a dressing down by company managers, whilst those who dressed up too much were criticised, too.
Women who dress to impress, without going over the top, are likely to meet bosses’ sartorial expectations, the survey found.
Bosses responding to the survey highlighted the ten worst office clothing faux pas.
They included showing too much cleavage, wearing clothing that had holes or was frayed, wearing slipperboots by UGG, denim jeans, facial piercings, underwear on show, fake tan and “orange faces”, over-the-top stilettos, brash jewellery, and wedge shoes.
Unsurprisingly, female bosses were particularly critical of cleavage. 60% said daring necklines were the worst fashion crime in their office.
The latest women’s fashion news courtesy of the Roman Originals blog.
If you work in an office, you may have a dress down on day on some or all Fridays. For many people choosing something to wear on dress down Friday represents something of a challenge. If your office is smart during the week and you usually wear either a suit or smart trousers and blouse, dress down Friday gives you the chance to wear something more casual that you wouldn’t usually be able to wear. The difficulty with smart casual wear is that the name in itself is something of a contradiction. Is it smart or is it casual? It is actually a grey and murky area in between that is very much open to interpretation. Smart casual dress for work often forces people out of their comfort zone of a preset wardrobe of trouser suits into very uncertain territory that can make them feel uncomfortable.
On the one hand smart casual wear on dress down Fridays gives you the chance to show a bit of who you are and how you dress on the weekends, to have a bit of a change and a bit of fun. On the other hand, many fear that they can’t go too far and dress too casually, as after all it is still work and they still have to maintain an air of professionalism. Some offices will have rules for smart casual days such as no jeans, t shirts or trainers, others will leave it entirely up to the employees what they deem to be ‘smart casual’.
Of course, you could just ignore dress down Fridays all together and wear your usual business suit. But why miss out on all of the fun and the chance to wear something a bit different? After all they do say that variety is the spice of life.
The key to negotiating the difficult choice of what to wear on dress down Fridays is to choose something that you feel comfortable in. If you only really feel comfortable wearing suits for work, why not try wearing a brighter top or accessorising with some really fun and bright accessories.
If you usually wear trousers for work, why not try wearing a beautiful printed skirt instead, still smart but making much more of an individual style statement than your usual office wear.
Another option is to wear a casual suit or matching top and bottoms, this still looks smart and stays within the comfort zone of wearing a suit but is a bit more comfortable and relaxed.
A good alternative to smart trousers and a blouse for the summer is a pair of casual trousers and a tunic top.
A dress can also make a relaxed alternative to your usual business wear for dress down Fridays. Why not try choosing a different colour to the ones that you would usually wear to work.
Whatever you choose to wear to work, have fun on your dress down Fridays and the chance to wear something a bit different. Show off your own personal style and enjoy the chance to feel a little bit more relaxed at work.
The ruffle collar or frill neck top is currently a big trend. It is smart, stylish and very eye catching. It also looks good on just about everyone. Chanel’s spring summer collection featured some very desirable ruffled collars and cuffs. Whilst not many of us will ever get to wear Chanel clothes, there are plenty of versions of this style on the high street The Chanel ruffled collar was very dramatic but some of the high street versions are much more wearable and suitable for everyday like this double v neck frill top (pictured above). The white ruffled collar top is particularly striking and a great alternative to the ever classic white shirt or blouse.
Ruffles in general were all over the catwalk this season from Givenchy to Stella McCartney. Riccardo Tisci used ruffles at Givenchy to create texture on neutral coloured dresses. A Stella McCartney the much larger ruffles created structure in the dresses. This seasons ruffled collar trend is also reminiscent of Vicktor and Rolf’s 2008 spring collection.
Most ruffled collars are originally inspired by historical costumes. Whilst ruffles are now very much a feminine feature, in history they were worn by boys and men from the 17th century right up until the early 1920′s. They included both plain ruffles and lace embellishments
Ruffles are a great way of creating a dramatic or romantic feminine look. They are also great for drawing attention to a particular part of the body or away from another part of the body. The ruffle collar or frill neck top is a great piece of clothing that helps to make you look younger by hiding the neck which is a part of the body that often shows your age. A ruffle collar or frill neck top also draws the eyes towards the face and if it is a light colour, it will reflect light onto the face which is also a great way of making yourself look younger. High ruffles on a collar also create an illusion of height and length in the body helping to make it look slimmer and taller.
The ruffle collar or frill neck top can be worn in a number of different ways. It looks great when worn on its own with a simple skirt or pair of trousers. For a dramatic and smart look for work, it works really well under a collarless jacket. Try teaming a white frill collared top with a black jacket for a really striking look. For something a bit different try wearing a frill collar top under a simple shift dress, it will add a completely new dimension to the dress making it more formal or dressy for a party or smart occasion.
If you have medium to long length hair, the ruffled collar will look best with hair tied or clipped up so that it does not interfere with the shape of the ruffles. This style of top will also look best with minimal or very simple jewellery as the collar is already a strong feature in its own right.