Business Attire

Women’s shirts are a must-have in any woman’s closet. There are a lot of popular styles of women’s shirts, like the regular cotton t-shirt, v-neck shirt, and a dress shirt that is worn on more formal occasions and in the workplace.

A dress shirt is also known as a button-down shirt. Button-down shirts look great in the workplace, as they look formal and professional. Women’s shirts normally are casual-looking, but dress shirts are a different story.

If you want to have a dress-shirt with that soft, cotton look, opt for iron-free dress shirts. Non-iron or iron free are so soft and comfortable that you want to wear them 24/7. Remember to wear the color on the inside of your blazer, and don’t let its collar lie around the collar of your blazer or jacket. White dress shirts mustn’t be machine-washed to avoid yellowing.

Women’s shirts aren’t always too casual. Wear a dress shirt, and feel the difference.

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.

According to a recent article in the ‘Style’ section of a broad sheet newspaper, the 3-piece suit is returning to grace ladies’ fashions.  

Owning a 3-piece suit does not mean having to wear all three pieces together.  The waistcoat is versatile and can be worn with effect under a coat without the bulk of a jacket.  In the daytime, a waistcoat will look charming with an item of knitwear such as a thin jumper, or a stark white shirt. 

A high street 3-piece suit will vary in quality according to the tailoring.  For women who do not possess angular, ‘androgynous’ figures it is worth visiting fashion stores that specialize in making jackets and waistcoats for more curvy figures.  In this instance, the customer is professionally measured by a trained style adviser.  A made-to-measure jacket or waistcoat may need a few adjustments at the final fitting but the shop will then be able to keep those measurements on file to be used at a future date. 

We need only to think back to 1971 and the wedding of Mick Jagger, to agree that the white maxi skirt and jacket that Bianca wore, designed by Tommy Nuttall, was a chic outfit in which to be married.

An alumnus of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) school is currently making waves in the fashion industry.

Fashion designer Kevan Hall has dressed some of the most popular celebrities in Hollywood in some very glamorous and professional outfits. This time he has gone another step further, as US First Lady Michelle Obama was seen wearing one of his creations and the photographed was seen in People Magazine.

Obama wore the dress when she gave a speech in an important event in Washington, D.C. in celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hall has dressed actresses Vanessa Williams, who stars in Ugly Betty, Katherine Heigl, Virginia Madsen and Tina Fey. He also created a dress for California Fist Lady Maria Shriver. At this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, “Glee” star Jenna Ushkowitz wore an original creation by the fashion designer - a beautiful red, off-the-shoulder dress that required the intentive use of a strapless bra.

Hall received a scholarship for FIDM and after graduating, he went to Europe to pursue the career in fashion design.

AnnTaylor Stores, known for providing women’s business attire, has ventured into casual wear which generated additional revenues for the company. The retail giant reported decline in sales on its business attire for the past two years, citing the trend where women invest their money on necessities for their families.

For the past two quarters last year, the company reported slight profits. For fourth quarter alone, a mere $41,000 in profits has been reported by the company. Despite this, analysts said that this is still a positive development considering that a year ago, the company lost a staggering $375.6 million or about $6.66 per share.

This led the officials to expand its line by going beyond the business attire collection. The company is set to offer casual wear and other items that fit the women’s needs.

Now this is a friendly neighborhood retail store you’d want to go to.
The Cache Fashion Store in Cape Coral offers a number of business clothes, apparel, accessories and other items at reasonable prices. Owner Ed Valero said that their clothing items alone won’t cost beyond $20.

Valero acknowledged that the economy is not in good shape at this point in time. He said that this led him to offer reasonably-priced clothing that still looks good. He said that he did not opt to offering branded clothing in his store because the prices are staggeringly high and he wants to stick to “what counts.”

The store opened in January and has so far reported positive response from the public.

Valero said that with this strategy, he gets to have more customers and it guarantees that they will return to buy some more. He said that they have new arrivals every week to continue piquing the interest of the public.

Billionaire television personality Oprah Winfrey has decided to auction off some of her accessories including items which have featured on the show but not been worn like designer clothing, sportswear, big bras and unwanted women’s business clothing for charity.

Winfrey has put up around 150 items which is composed of the aforementioned items plus designer bags and shoes for sale via the internet auction site eBay. The details of the auction have been outlined at her signature O Magazine.

Interested buyers can bid for the items starting March 1 with the target end date on March 11, 2010.
The proceeds of the sale will all go to Winfrey’s Leadership Academy Girls School situated in South Africa.

Winfrey is currently busy with her final few seasons of her eponymous talk show which has been announced to end soon. She’s been venturing to other modes of businesses and is believed to start her own talk show at her own television network.

Rumors are swirling that multiple Grammy winner Madonna is set to design a professional clothing line for Macy’s. The speculations arose during the New York Fashion Week recently. Aside from that, the pop star may also venture into the lingerie line as well.

As of press time, Madonna has yet to confirm the developments. Her rep has refused to make comments about the issue, as well as the representatives from Macy’s and brand management firm Iconix.

There have been reports that the fashion line may be called “Material Girl” or “Truth or Dare.”

Should the report confirm this, the pop icon may have a busy year. Aside from managing the line, she’s also in talks to shoot a film about a love affair between American socialite Wallis Simpson and King Edward III.

Madonna has collaborated with H&M in 2007 for her spring line called “M.”

A court has fined a business clothes company over the injury incurred by its two employees from chemical burns.

According to reports, clothing company Flame Safe Fabric Specialists was fined $135,000 by the Worksafe Victoria court after the latter determined that the company failed to give adequate protective gears and equipment to its staff. That also includes the lack of appropriate training to handle these situations.

One of the employees suffered burns after chemicals splashed into his eye while another one suffered more burns to his face.

Acting Executive Director Stan Krpan said that this case should serve as a reminder for employers to give a safer workplace to its employees in order to avoid these dangerous incidents.

He added that it is easy to comply with the law since the standards set in place are very clear and commonsense.

Business clothing giant Marks & Spencer PLC has hired a new chief executive in the name of Marc Bolland, who happens to come from rival William Morrison Supermarkets PLC.

The 50-year old Dutchman will be taking over the business effective immediately. Marks & Spencer is a 125-year old department store chains that has expanded to other businesses such as high-end food stores.

The new chief executive will now have his hands full when it comes to challenging the younger shoppers to purchase the store’s products. Marks & Spencer currently has 1,010 stores and last year posted £9.1 billion in revenues.

Bolland has successfully boosted the market share and sales of William Morrisons for the past three years and that experience had caught the eye of Marks & Spencer’s officials. He’s also chosen among the many aspirants due to his marketing experiences, among others.