To wear or skip pantyhose is the most hotly debated topic I cover in professional dress. It’s human nature to want to be ultimately comfortable and to also follow what others are doing; however, this is an area where you should really stop to think about your environment, superiors/peers and your goals. Something you may not know is that study after study shows that women who wear hosiery are viewed as more capable than their bare legged peers. They also typically earn more money. Why, you may ask? A couple of reasons…Hosiery gives a more finished look to professional clothes; they give you a barrier so that you’re showing less skin (another pro dress guideline,) and they send out a non-verbal (subconscious) message that you take care of the details. Those are pretty darn good arguments for pantyhose! The cons? Of course, they uncomfortable and especially hot in warm weather. (I probably didn’t need to point this out, right?) The other con to wearing pantyhose is that a lot of people view them as frumpy and old fashioned—No one has ever told me they’d like to be perceived as either of those! I think this may have a lot to do with the (Read more...)

Anyone who has lived in Colorado for very long knows that the weather changes nearly every day in March. As optimistic as we want to be, we also know that it will likely snow at least a few more times—in between our 60 degree days. All of these changes make it very difficult to plan our spring wardrobes and to know exactly when to shop for spring. As a wardrobe consultant and personal stylist, I work with professional women who need both professional clothing and business casual clothing. For both of these categories, I highly recommend shopping early in the spring season, March though April. You’ll notice that many of this season’s trends seem to be casual or business casual. If you have a business casual dress code at your office, now is the time to find some great upgrades to your wardrobe. Business professional updates require a little more creativity and caution this season. Update with color, dresses and accessories. In the market for a new spring suit? I encourage you to get it now. As early as it is in the spring season, I’m noticing the great suits are flying out the doors. Once they’re gone and we get closer to (Read more...)