So Crisp and Clean @ Work!

Summer whites are so natural and so easy! Once again, our stylish co-worker effortlessly used a sleeveless white shirt and paired it with a bright yellow A-line skirt. Neutral colored accessories grounded this look for work. Easily said and easily done.

Black | White @ Work!

Sometimes you don't even need color to stand out. Black and white in their purest forms can do the trick! Here our co-worker wore a patterned top paired with a black belt at the waist. The belt defined her shape when worn with a flowy top. And of course it can get a bit chilly in the office so she wore a black cardigan along with black trousers. Simple but effective. Want to take it up a notch? Add splash of color through accessories. Any one color will do!

Color @ Work!

So here we have another co-worker who nailed this killer look! And how? Very simply might I say. Her bright eggplant-hued dress was all that she needed to stand out at work. Pairing it with tan colored heels further allowed the dress to take the stage. As for jewelry, small delicate earrings complimented the look. Try pairing a bright dress with gold, a compliment to most bright colors. Metallics can act as a neutral when paired correctly.

Kohl's

The Limited

Forever 21

The Right Red

Wearing red lipstick anywhere may seem like a daunting task but it can be done! And easily too. Wear red to punch up a basic outfit (keep you eye makeup minimal so it doesn't compete) at work or a night out on the town. 

Firstly, you need to know what your skin type is. These are the general categories you may fall into: fair skin, medium/beige skin, or dark skin.

If you have fair skin, coral-like or cherry reds work for your skin the best. So pick reds with a cool blue undertone to it. Try Revlon's "Cherry Ice".

If you have medium/beige skin, true reds such as fire engine or apple. Try Maybelline's "Are You Red'dy"

And if you have dark skin, darker red shades like deep rich blood red colors (eg: sangria or garnet) work well with your skin tone. Try L'Oreal's "Blazing Sangria".

The '70's are back!

  Old is gold. Fashion trends from the 1970's are back for summer 2011. Don't be scared and imagine polyester suits from Saturday Night Fever or huge bell bottoms your parents might have owned. Imagine Bianca Jagger at Studio 54 in the 21st century...

• Jumpsuits and rompers (shorter version of jumpsuits) are making a comeback but this time, they are more streamlined and in more breezier fabrics. You can pair them with a belt and clogs, another trend making a comeback

Forever 21



BeBe



Macys

• High-waisted jeans paired with fitted blouses can be done in a modern context 

•  Maxi dresses are also in this summer. They are great to wear over the summer not only because they are loosely fitted but allow but easy movement. There are daytime versions as well as glam night ones. Wear with exotic wooden, tribal-patterned or colorful bangles to add a boho vibe.

Arden B

Aldo

Victoria's Secret

• If you don't want to overtly display the '70's trend, use accessories to show that you're on board the trend. Colorblocking can be worn through clothes as well as shoes. Wear shoes that are colorblocked or clogs. Clogs are revamped for 2011.

BeBe

Jessica Simpson

Banana Republic

Working hard to hardly working

Here's a way for those who have a special date or party to attend right after work! It might seem hard to transition from work clothes to party wear but it can be done. I wore a red dress with a black blazer to work and tied it with a black belt. In addition I wore black pantyhose with black flats. The black toned down the vibrant red dress so it didn't scream "Look at me!". My makeup was minimal for work also.

 

After work I wanted to change my professional look into a more fun after-work look. So i simply rolled up my sleeves on my blazer to showcase the inner leopard print thus making it more fun. And removed panty hose to show off those gams and wore red high heels. For this look, I wanted red to steal the show and so I also wore red lipstick. For accessories, I throw on a black chain necklace and this time, wore the belt on my dress.

So going from work to after work isn't so hard. Just change up your accessories to make your outfit more fun. You can also wear your 9-5 outfit in a different way by adding/removing a jacket or even changing your black pants to skinny white jeans. Have fun and knock 'em dead at work and after work!

Fly Away

Feathers are in style now and are even being used as extensions in hair. Many salons can add in these feather hair extensions for a price or you can even buy them yourself and insert them. Feather hair extensions might be an extreme to wear to work but you can wear them on your downtime for fun! They come in various funky colors and are surprisingly manageable with your normal hair (you can shampoo and style them). I guess Ke$ha's once crazy style is tame enough for the normal girl to imitate! 


Selena Gomez



Hilary Duff





Ke$ha



One way you can wear the feather trend to work is through accessories. Now this kind of earring might not be suitable for work at some places but if you can dress down (even if only on Fridays) then it can definitely work! Feather earrings add a very boho and even glam style to an outfit.They can be colorful or neutral to add a pop or blend in with your work clothes. Feather earrings can even look like feather hair extensions if you do not want to risk the hassle of extensions. Here are some examples of what may be worn at work (all priced under $25):

Forever 21

Forever 21

Arden B

Lori's Shoes

Minimalism @ Work!

Another great idea of what can be worn at work to let you shine can be through minimalism. Here, our co-worker wore all black — shirt, skirt, heels, and a bag. However, she added a grey men's style blazer to make it more professional. This slouchy type of blazer makes a simple black look interesting. The blazer not only makes it work-friendly but of course it can get a bit chilly from the office AC! Simply remove it for after work drinks. To make this look a bit less minimal, substitute your accessories for a red bag/shoes or even add colorful funky jewelry (examples below from Forever 21).   

Bracelet

Brooch

Necklace

Brights @ Work

Summer is a season for bright colors! Some may be intimidated by bright colors at work but done in the correct context, anyone can pull them off. Our ever-so-stylish co-worker here pulled off Pantone's 2011 color of the year, Honeysuckle, off beautifully! She downplayed a vibrant dress to make it more suitable for work with earth tones using a short light brown jacket. The light brown jacket, then paired with a black belt, tied in with her black flats and bag. So when in doubt with bright colors, use work "appropriate" colors (browns, greys, blacks) to make a bold colored dress professional.

Eyebrow Threading

There are many ways to keep unwanted hairs on your face away: waxing, depilatories, tweezing, and bleaching. However, threading is the best one in my opinion. A bit of history: threading originated from India and the Middle East. Threading of course uses thread (100% cotton) to wrap around the hair follicle and plucks it out. It is quick and cheap ($5-$7). It doesn't use any chemicals so it won't take out any skin like a bad-wax job might (yikes!). Also, it's lot easier to shape the eyebrows by plucking out a hair individually. I never had eyebrows waxed but first time I had eyebrows threaded, it was VERY painful. I cried involuntarily because it felt like needles pricking my skin. My mom also had to hold the skin above the eyebrows so it was taut enough for the threader to pull hairs. Now after dozens of salon visits, I can proudly say I don't cry anymore but it still feels somewhat painful. But it's lot better and it even feels like small vibrations and process only lasts 3 minutes! Threading also provides nice shapes and can give a clean arch. It can last up to 3 weeks before you'll want to go again. Be careful of who will thread because some hairs may be missed.

About Me!

My first blog post! Hope I can keep this up regularly (at least few times a week and maybe even daily!) To anyone reading this, I will try my best to provide my point of view to those in my position — starting out in the workforce in NYC after graduating from college. I want to wear stylish clothes that people at work can compliment not only my outfit but work, meaning my outfit shouldn't distract anyone from my work. I work in the advertising industry so I'll also provide tips for those in a very uniformed industry versus not-so-uniformed. And of course, I'll provide tips on how to dress for a social life after work (work parties, hanging out with friends, birthday parties, whatever!) I'll occasionally provide makeup and accessory tips as well because no outfit can be complete without it! Hope you'll enjoy my subsequent posts! :)