How to Dress up Strategically

Raise your hand if you've ever been in this modern-day conundrum:

You have a first date waiting at the end of your workday but only a short 15 minutes to get from your office to the bar, leaving you with no time to prep, polish, or even change. You'll just have to rely on the hope that you picked the right outfit in the morning to get you through the day and pray to find a red lipstick in your desk drawer. That's all well and good, but what outfit will seamlessly blend at the bar as much as it does in the boardroom? Good news– you don’t have to do either! We’ve put together easy tips to taking your work outfit from office Chic to Night out in a matter of minutes.

1.Ditch the blazer

Wearing a blazer into the office automatically makes you look more poised and put together, but also gives off a day time vibe when paired with other business casual/formal pieces. To take your look from day tonight, simply lose the jacket! Layer it with a tank instead of a button down and a midi skirt and you're cocktail ready by the end of the day.

2. Or not

Blazer shave recently become very trendy and versatile night looks, so take advantage of that! Stick a single pair of jeans in your car or work bag to pair with your blazer and slip them on once the day is done. For a more casual night look, roll up the sleeves of your blazer. Again, pair it with a tank instead of a button down and you're ready to go!

3.Embrace Dresses

Dresses are also an easy and stylish way to transform your look from office to cocktail hour. We suggest finding a wrap dress you love, because they're both professional for the workplace, yet well-fitted enough to make you feel sexy and confident on your night out. If wrap dresses aren't your thing, find any other style that makes you feel great! And of course, an LBD is an essential when it comes today to night looks.

4.Don’t be afraid of animal prints

Add some flare to your office look by matching a pair of leopard print heels with your standard business casual/formal attire. You can embrace animal prints with in your tops—pair a snakeskin blouse with your black trousers and blazer to be trendy and professional. When your day is done, the animal print alone will help take you from day tonight! Again, lose the blazer or bring a pair of jeans to the office to create the ultimate night outfit.

5.Let your hair down

Sometimes taking your look from professional to party is as easy as just freshening up. If you like you wear your hair up during the workday, let it down for your night out! You can also add a darker lip color to your look to create a sultrier, night vibe without having to switch up your outfit.

6.From Boardroom to Bar Bites

On a day where you need to keep your outfit semi-professional, swap out your blue jeans for a colored denim, and pair with a simple (but sultry) wrap blouse. Finish off your look with silver mules and a bright red lip, and you'll be ready to head to the bar for your date.

7.From Client Meeting to Happy Hour

 A lacy blouse is professional while still being date-appropriate while the red pants and a seductive touch. Pair this with comfortable slides and a structured mini bag.

8.From Casual Friday to Cocktails

Is your office jean-friendly? Pair high-waisted denim flares with a frilly top for the perfect day-to-night look. All you’ll need is statement mules and a beautiful bag to add a little visual interest to your outfit.

9.From Board Meeting to Dinner

There are those days when you need to look like a million bucks, both in the boardroom and at the bar. If your day consists of an important board meeting followed by a starred dinner date, try a sleek air of white paints mixed with a dramatic black top with statement sleeves. A deep red lip and mules will complete this powerful look.

           Follow one (or all!) of these tips and you'll be an expert at transforming your look from day to night!   Have a happy cocktail hour, ladies.:)

Business Attire Guidelines

When you first enter or are in the business world, you must know how to dress appropriately for any given situation.

What you wear for an interview or career fair is likely to differ from your day-to-day business attire.  Today, business attire is more confusing than even before, and striking the perfect balance of professionalism and style can be tricky.

Thankfully, we’re here to help with our guide to chic yet appropriate work wear. From smart suits to sophisticated separates these outfit ideas are sure to leave you feeling inspired all week long.

Business Attire

Business attire refers to the clothing that employees wear to work. Depending on the workplace, various levels of the formality of business attire are expected and the norm.

It denotes a professional style of dress that appears smart and sophisticated. For men, a suit is generally required.

Women, on the other hand, can interpret business attire in a range of ways. While pantsuits and skirt suits are ideal, polished separates and business and dresses can also work well.

Business Attire Ideas

Business Casual or Business Formal?

Business casual or formal attire differ significantly. As such, it’s essential to know which one you’re dressing for and how to do so appropriately.

Business casual attire is a somewhat Relaxed style of office wear. It is often called upon for contemporary place of work along with business. ‘’Casual Fridays’’ in more conservative offices.

Business formal attire is more sophisticated than business casual and is typically reserved for more tradition offices along with certain professional occasions, such as client meetings and presentations.

How to Wear Business Attire for Women

• Understand whether you’re dressing business casual or business formal and what that means before planning your outfit

• Rely on work wear basics, such as suits, shirts, business dresses, pencil skirts and tailored pants

• Stick to a neutral color palette and only add prints or other tones when appropriate

• Consider having garments tailored to ensure they fit correctly and appear professional

• Ensure your outfit is clean, neatly pressed and doesn’t have any stains, marks or tears

• Keep jewelry minimal, opt for a structured handbag, and choose smart closed-toe shoes

• Keep it Hemlines, necklines, fabrics - consider your office environment and adjust accordingly.  If you’re unsure if an outfit will be appropriate, always err on the side of conservative just to be safe 

Corporate Staples Women Must Haves

1. A smart blouse or shirt

Versatile and easy to style, a blouse is the perfect balance between smart and feminine. It can also take you from work week to casual Friday with the switch of accessories. Prints, detailing like ruffles or embellishments, and color has got your back.

Tip: Look out for anything too sheer and always iron out those creases.

2. Classic pair of pants

 Slim and straight are a top choice when choosing the best pants style for the workplace. Black is classic, as are shades of grey as they go with everything. Alternatively, opt for a colored pair of pants with a matching blazer for the ultimate modern power suit.

Tip: Buy them a little long so that when you wear them with heels, the hemline falls just above the ground.

3. Polished Skirt

You can’t beat the timeless pencil skirt: the length, the sharp lines - it is an effortless piece. Midi skirts in an A- line silhouette are also suitable; avoid anything above the knee (unless it’s a pencil skirt).

Slip dresses are too sultry for the workplace, but a slip skirt adds an elegant touch.

Elegant is in. Think longer dresses that accentuate your waist; and trade in bright prints for solid block colors. Dresses are fantastic for the office because they’re an entire outfit in one easy zip.

On the days when you have time to orchestrate elegance before a big meeting, it will be an advantage or when you’re running late but want all the rewards of sophistication, there’s nothing better.

5. A Tailored Blazer

A well-made blazer is a transformative object. It makes denim dressy, party dresses polished, and -- with the right fit -- can bestow a boyish figure with curves, or make those last five pounds disappear.

Not all blazers are created equal. Oversized menswear blazers are having a moment but a sleek ’90s leather single-breasted jacket also feels right on time And it doesn’t hurt that blazers are still super trendy- either as a separate or as part of a suit.

In our experience, no blazer is more versatile or flattering than Theory's classic tailored version. It is constructed with a woman's movement in mind, and looks simultaneously professional and sensual. As crucial as choosing the jacket is having it tailored. Here’s a cheat sheet to making yours fit like a second skin.

• It should be fitted across the shoulders, but not stretched taut
• The hem should skim your hipbone
• The sleeves should hit mid-thumb when your arms are straight in front of
• You should be able to button it without pulling, but it should retain its silhouette when worn
• If you are between sizes, or any part of the blazer is too small, always size To make smellers much easier than the opposite (unless we’re talking body fat percentages.)
• Your blazer is a frame; you are the main attraction’
• It’s should be fitted across the shoulders, but not stretched
• The hem should skim your hipbone
• The sleeves should hit mid-thumb when your arms are straight in front of you

6.Shoes and Accessories

Always go with a closed toe shoe. Some offices require heels, pointed-toe pumps are sleek and forever stylish, although make sure to avoid heels that are more than three inches high.

Keep your bag and jewelry simple. A black handbag is a great investment piece – a well-made one will go with anything and last you forever. A stick to basic studs for your earrings, and maybe a classic watch to finish off your look.

Just show that killer BOSS LADY  YOU could be!

Back to Basics

While trends come and got, here are essentials that’ll last a lifetime. It’s all about the basics, the kind that will help you bring your outfits together from start to finish without having to spend a single second worrying about what to wear.

Fashion neutrals are colors that can go with anything, and they're essentials for building any woman's wardrobe. However, just because these hues can go with any other colors doesn't mean that every fashion neutral will look good on any woman, so it's important to identify those fashion neutral colors that work best.

The following colors (and their tints and shades) fall into the category of basic neutral colors:

• black
• gray
• navy
• brown
• khaki
• white
• nude
• beige

1.Little Black Dress

Stylist tip: “The first step to finding your perfect dress? Know your body shape, then pick your silhouette.”

Timeless, elegant and refined, the little black dress is quite simply the woman’s best friend. The classic look is something that every lady needs her own version of, as it evokes a clean and crisp sense of femininity and sophistication for the contemporary lifestyle and all the challenges that comes with it. Versatile in nature and never out-of-style, there’s something to be said about the simplicity of the little black dress.

You absolutely cannot go wrong with a high-quality little black dress in a timeless cut. If you’re looking for one that you will be able to wear years down the time, opt for something fairly simple in design and that’s not too trendy.

2.Low heels that you can walk all day

A comfortable heel is a great way to get a sleek, professional look with a lot of different outfits. Color wise, you can do a lot with black and white and red. A nude-for-you heel to make it look like your legs go for miles (with or without pantyhose or tights).

If you're going to invest in a pair of work heels, neutral colors and low heels are going to make by far the most sense. You'll be wearing them all day, so you'll want to ditch the higher heels that hurt after the second hour and aren't as unilaterally professional in their own right. More often than a pattern. invest in a nice pair, and treat your feet nicely

3. A well made blazer that will last

A well-made blazer is a transformative object. It makes denim dressy, party dresses polished, and -- with the right fit -- can bestow a boyish figure with curves, or make those last five pounds disappear. You can dress up casual clothes or throw it over a top and nice jeans if your office is more casual, but either way, more than any other item, this is the one you'll be able to get by with wearing many times consecutively.

A quality blazer is not hard to spot; they really do look different, and they feel different. Blazers are one of those effortless pieces, that makes you look stylish and chic without trying too hard. it’s a staple that should be forever be in your closet.

Whether they’re tie-waist trousers or pencil-straight, a pair of pants is another foundation piece to stock up on. The words "work pants" might conjure up images of stuffy black slacks and boring wool trousers, but you won't find those here. yes, cute work pants do exist.

Whether your HR department dictates your dress code as corporate or relaxed, there is a bottom for everyone, all office- appropriate yet stylish enough that you don't feel the need to change before happy hour.

5. Bag

The best work bags are a little bit of everything at once: They’re professional, but not too stuffy, roomy enough to juggle gym sneakers and a laptop, equipped with additional pockets to store the miscellany you don’t need but carry anyway  not required, but still appreciated if you it can also be worn multiple ways.

6. A Nice Blouse

A nice blouse is an essential for much the same reason neutral, unoffending shirts are — they can be mixed and matched with the rest of your essentials to create a more formal look as necessary.

if you choose and style your work blouses wisely, you can wear this wardrobe workhorse from the office all the way to after-dinner drinks. These versatile work blouses that will pair with trousers, skirts, jeans, and anything else you’ve got in rotation right now.

7.Skirt

No matter how much the fashion keeps on changing, Skirts will always be on the top in the list of the apparel industry. Formal Skirts are exceedingly adaptable decision with regards to picking the right outfit for the day and gives you looks if going for the professional event or meeting.

Skirts are beautiful, and only women and girls have the privilege to wear skirts! It is wonderful how skirts and easily customizable in various combinations. Using different colors, designs, looks, and fashionable, styles the possibility are limitless.

Stylist tp: “Look for one that you can reach for in a hurry. This means minimal patterns and neutral colors so you don’t have to put much thought into how it will work with the rest of your look.” — Stylist Anne R.

As you add to your closet over the years, don’t be afraid to dabble in new trends that you fall in love with! Wardrobe staples like these will play the supporting role to those star-studded pieces that you sprinkle in each season. Tell your Stylist that you’re looking to stock up your closet with one (or all) of these essentials.