Business Attire

This spring’s fashion season will be going ahead with pastel colours taking centre stage.  Even a trendy printed dress featuring disorganised maps of the United States is designed with a plentiful amount of this season’s yellow dotted over it.

Another winning colour will be white.  Instead of the ‘little black dress’, a ‘little white dress’ should be packed when going away.  Dresses in white may look stark and cold in the fashion store but when worn can look pure, clean and fresh, especially with large jewellery to soften the image.  To really grab the attention however, a woman can do no better than to wear a complete outfit in white, for instance, a white crepe tunic and trousers or white trouser suit.  In a smaller dose, any white top with black velvet tuxedo trousers will create a strong contrast.

However, snowy white ski jackets on a skiing holiday are not usually recommended.  Victoria Beckham has been photographed on the slopes wearing a red jacket and red ski-pants.  The general consensus for fashionable ski trousers is that they should be skinny.  Jackets for skiing, by their very nature, will inevitably be baggy which will make skinny trousers look slimmer than ever.  Fur trims around jacket hoods and cuffs are best avoided because as with an animal’s fur, they can trap icicles.

What are the factors that contribute to a successful career for a woman, apart from qualifications, skills and expertise?   A well-thought through clothing style is indisputably of great value.

Women in  accountancy, banking, insurance and law require suits:  jacket, skirt or trousers with a blended tone or bright shirt or top to enliven the sober suit. It is a good idea to match your bras with the same colour as your  shirts wherever possible, otherwise  nude underwear will always blend.

On the other hand if a woman is employed in the non-uniformed caring sector, perhaps as social worker or counsellor, then non-threatening colours such as navy co-ordinated with white are appropriate.  However, a colourful top will not go amiss and will serve to cheer everyone up and win the confidence of clients.

Those women in marketing, management consultancy and public relations who regularly meet clients will impress with mid-tone neutral colours for their suit but when undertaking a presentation, a power red jacket is perfect.

If selling direct to the public then the client group must be considered.  If the product is serious such as IT software or medical supplies, a ‘user friendly’ look is required.  Therefore, tops or shirts in soft pastel colours along with blended neutral colours for jackets, trousers and skirts should suffice.

Teachers should wear tops of interesting colours and textures to hold their pupils’ attention.  A flashy orange top will distract.  Those working in advertising, media, retail or travel must look fashionable, therefore a chic jacket and stylish top or shirt are ideal.

T-shirts and jeans are the mainstay of Rihanna when off stage.  A point of interest is that she has now joined forces with Emporio Armani to help create and promote a collection of casual outfits, in other words, skinny jeans, biker jackets and T-shirts.

For those of us who have not got the super slim legs intended for skinny jeans then there are plenty of alternatives in which to feel comfortable in, for instance with a 2-way stretch.  The stretch is accomplished with a blend of wool and crepe.  The trousers are tapered so the wearer feels she is not only being pampered in sumptuous fabrics, but beautiful tailoring too.  Extremely flattering pairs of trousers are those that are artfully made to keep unwanted curves under control.

For the on-coming party season, trousers are quite acceptable, especially with a luxurious jacket, perhaps of sheepskin.  Sheepskin is very light in weight to wear; there is nothing burdensome or heavy about it.  The ‘hippie’ image of sheepskin is outmoded because the jackets of today have a shapely waist and are beautifully tailored.  Darker colours, such as chocolate brown look ravishing when worn with luxurious gold earrings.

If a more elegant look is required for a party, any soft tailored jacket such as a jacquard will perfectly complement any trousers.

Glamorous tops with elegantly tapered trousers of today were also considered highly fashionable in the 1950’s but with one crucial difference - high, narrow stiletto heels were never worn to complete the outfit as this was deemed vulgar.  This seems regrettable because stilettos and heeled mules looked absolutely fabulous in this era, worn with a couture sheath dress, renowned for its small waist and tight skirt. This is also a great look for the modern office.

Another style of ladies’ trousers, pedal pushers, was popular with teenagers in the 1950’s but it was   the close fitting tapered trousers with short tops & a matching bra that had a universal appeal.  The trousers could be full length, mid-calf or just below the knee.  It became a cool, sophisticated style, capitalised on by the likes of model and film star Grace Kelly.

The eminent fashion house of Christian Dior was more interested in ultra-feminine styles which he called his ‘New Look’.  A wool coat with sloping shoulders for example, revealing full billowing skirts falling to mid-calf length was this look.  His feminine hour-glass figure was complete with a pair of stiletto heeled shoes.

This ‘New Look’ was condemned by thrifty post-war dignitaries who thought it frivolous and wasteful in a time of austerity measures.  This is a fair point because one wartime dress required three metres of fabric, whilst Dior’s dresses needed much more.

The world has made huge progress since the Industrial revolution in the 19th century. However over the last few decades the progress rate has been unusually high and rapid strides are being made in every field. The world of business has also assumed a very different outlook. This different outlook has also affected the dressing norms in the business world. The dressing around corporate offices and boardrooms is getting more and more casual but also more and more stylish. Gone are the drab and the ordinary colours, they have been replaced by vibrant and eye catching colours and modifications are being made to simple business clothing to give it a more stylish look.

One of the all time popular attire for business meetings is a sharp business suit. However a pair of trousers and a shirt is also back in fashion and is considered as formal business attire. Business trousers are recommended to be in mild colours and should complement your shirt or jacket. The material used in the manufacturing of business trousers is normally tricot, wool, and tweed trousers. It is recommended that you tailor your trousers according to your measurements as these trousers will provide the maximum comfort and look good on you. Business trousers wear and get damaged in the seat area and also the legs and it is prudent to put some extra patches or strong stitches in these areas.