Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Appropriate Business Clothing

Finding The Appropriate Business Clothing The solution? KISS-Keep It Simple and Sophisticated. You want your confidence to come from your professionals abilities, but still your clothes are important. If you dress with your next position in mind you're more likely to get there. Memorize these colors: NavyCharcoal GrayBlackKhakiWhiteThese are the staple colors of every business wardrobe. Here are some guidelines for both men and women to keep in mind:In the suit world start with the basics: A navy blue wool suit and a charcoal wool suit, white shirts, black shoes, black belt, and black leather briefcase/notebook computer case. in the casual world, start with the basics: Khaki pants or skirts, white shirts, black or brown shoes and belt, and a black or brown leather and ballistic nylon briefcase/notebook computer case. Add your own touches in keeping with your company's style.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Casual Workplace Wear for Women
Keep the KISS principle in mind even with casual clothes: Keep It Simple and Sophisticated. Dark colors convey authority; bright colors convey friendliness. Light colors such as taupe and khaki are generally more casual than black, gray, or navy. Try to avoid these fashion mistakes 1. Avoid excessive use of bright color and wild patterns.2. Avoid excessive jewelry and jewelry that signals your arrival with tiny clicking sounds.3. Your shoes do not need to "match" your blouse.4. Spiky, strappy, sandals in metallic colors or with rhinestones aren't appropriate for most businesses. Nor are open-toed shoes. 5. Casual does not mean you can wear jeans. Jeans are a definite no-no in the corporate workplace unless stated otherwise in your company's dress code.

Formal Business Clothes for Women
Suits The Keys are fabric, fit and comfort.For autumn, winter and spring, wool is still the best choice. For summer cotton and linen are good choices, specially if blended with a small amount of stretchy fabric. Tropic weight wool is another good option. Navy blue, black, charcoal, taupe, white, burgundy, and forest green are all acceptable colors. Although darker colors are typically worn in winter and lighter colors are worn in the spring and summer this rule is no longer hard and fast. Some women can wear red, but oranges, yellows, bright purples, and other loud colors are best used in small amounts. Have the suit professionally fitted. Choose suits with Jackets and skirts that are appropriate for your body type. Long jackets that cover the hips are flattering for most women. Skirts The two most important things are fit and length. Make sure your skirt is not too tight or too short. Shirts Blouses made of transparent material are inappropriate. However, high-quality cotton, silk, or a microfiber material are good choices. Collars on lady's blouses are varied. Coordinate your blouse color with your suit color and choose opaque materials for business shirts.

Shoes and Accessories
Shoes In a business environment it is strongly advised to keep shoes functional, attractive, clean and shined. Keep a black Sharpie marker with you to touch up scuffed shoes. Low-healed pumps are suitable for the vast majority of business situations. Heels can be as high as an inch and a half or two inches, but much higher than that looks unprofessional. Keep the higher heels for your skirts. Two inch heels with pantsuit is too dressy for day. Open-toed shoes and mules are inappropriate in conservative environments. Stockings and Pantyhose They are both appropriate in the workplace as long as they match your clothes and your garters do not show or they are heavily patterned. Belts Belts should be leather and from one half inch to three fourths of an inch thick. Coordinate the colors with your outfits and avoid metallic belts covered with studs and jewels, and belts made with plastic or fur. Jewelry Jewelry should be worn in moderate amounts and should not attract too much attention. Keep it simple and understated.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Casual Wear for Men
Remember that business casual and Friday casual are distinct things. Business casual generally means khaki pants, a plain polo shirt or a long-sleeved button down shirt, a V-neck sweater, sometimes a sports coat or blazer and brown leather shoes. Don't forget these general guidelines:1. A short sleeve shirt is, by definition, always a casual shirt. 2. Khaki and flannel pants are casual for most businesses.3. Tank tops, shorts, and sandals are weekend wear.4. Advertising, artists, and fashion types can wear leather jackets.5. Plain shirts are best, in general; shirts with adds on them are for fishing.6. Button-down Oxford shirts are casual; T-shirts are for musicians, computer types, and mowing the lawn.7. Loafers and dark walking shoes are casual.8. Blazers and sports coats are casual for some businesses, dressy for others. The fabric should never shine or change colors in a different lighting.

Formal Business Wear for Men
Suits When choosing a suit, look first for fabric, fit, and comfort; look second for style.Your fabric should never shine or change colors in different lighting. Fabrics that are appropriate include wool, cotton, linen and various microfibers. Wool is the most versatile of the three coming in both summer or tropic weight and in a variety of fabric styles. Linen suits are popular specially during extreme heat and high humidity but it wrinkles immediately. You can choose from these basic styles (and their multiple variations): American cut: These suits can have either two or three buttons and have center-vented jackets and natural shoulders and pants with a straight line. Italian cut: These suits have unvested jackets with padded shoulders and pants that are fuller than American suits. British cut: These suits have side-vented or unvested jackets with a square shoulder, tapered waist, and pants that are narrower than both American cut and Italian cut suits.

Shoes and Accessories
Shoes Coordinate your shoe color with your suit color. Black shoes go nicely with charcoal and black or navy suits. Brown shoes match with brown and tan suits. Keep them well-shined and keep a Sharpie with you to touch up scuffed shoes. In some locations-from Texas to Nevada and north to Montana-dress cowboy boots are acceptable with suits, as long as you are a rancher, a politician or in the oil business. But be careful-most of the time cowboy boots just make you look silly. Running shoes, hiking boots, or sandals with a suit are unacceptable. Ties Follow these simple rules with ties: 1. Ties should be silk. 2. Ties should be understated. 3. Ties should be coordinated with the suit and shirt. 4. Ties should end at the top of your belt.