As an addendum to How to Dress in an Arctic Office, I’d like to talk about layering when you’re not working in an office, but you’d still like to maintain a great presence when the temperatures vary vastly throughout the day. For example, how do you dress when you start your day starts at a cool 60°, then the temperatures swell to desert highs? Again, layering! If you haven’t had the chance to read the last post on this topic, I’d mentioned that “layering” is such a buzz word, but it seems to leave us a little baffled unless we’re heading to the mountains, and yes, we all know how to layer with long johns! To make layering in the city easiest, be sure that you have a few basic, neutral camisoles/tanks and long sleeved t-shirts in your closet. Tissue weight t-shirts are the ultimate; you know, the ones you look at and think, “I can’t wear this. It’s see through!” You’ll also need a couple of jackets that aren’t from Lucy or REI. (This is where it gets a little tricky for us Colorado girls!) And if they’re (Read more...)

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I got an e-mail the other day from Anthropologie and even after going to the web site haven’t been able to delete it. I absolutely love this look!  With this next statement, you'll think I'm crazy, but I could never wear the sweater (wrong green-wrong pattern-too bulky,) and I’m not crazy about plaid. What I like is the color combination, black/white/green. (I typically wear more of a lime or apple green over the grass green.) It’s a classic color combo and can be worn year round; And it’s perfectly professional (business casual) to boot!

The skirt? While I don’t love plaid, I again like the color combo—on the bottom. We so often see prints on the upper body-more difficult for us inverted triangles, (bigger on top than on bottom.) The other aspect of the whole look that I love is that it’s a touch retro. We’re going to be seeing a lot more skirt silhouettes for fall. This skirt is a cross between an A-Line and a Full

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While sometimes we think business casual is especially hard in the summer, it doesn’t have to be. The other day, I was meeting a client for lunch. It was a warm sunny day, and I wanted to be cool, comfortable, and stylish, professional without looking too dressed up. I chose a white 3Dots t-shirt and a tan, pencil skirt. Alone this would have been a pretty bland outfit, so I added a heavy, chain necklace, gold hoops and my gold watch. Then I slipped on my brown high heeled “gladiator” sandals. Ah, and because you can never tell what the weather is going to do, I grabbed my Beth Bowley, lightweight, brown cardigan. Here’s why this outfit works— First, the colors are neutral and the shapes are basic, so they're super easy to combine. Secondly, instead of choosing any old white t-shirt, I picked one in a high quality. While you might not always want to sink a lot of money into your everyday summer tops, a few nice quality t-shirts in your wardrobe lend themselves to a business casual look. They also wash better and last longer. Next, the weight of the skirt is a little heavier than your typical cotton skirt. (Read more...)

Studies show that people start forming impressions of us within mere seconds of first seeing us. In other words, your image speaks well before you ever get the chance to open your mouth. Without getting too technical, it’s all a matter of non-verbal communication. The good news is that you can control the impressions you make or the non-verbal messages you’re sending out. In professional situations such as an interview, sales call or important business negotiation, your professional appearance and non-verbal messages can help get you the job, sale or seal the deal. Here are a few general tips. -First and foremost, remember everything counts! Making sure every detail of your appearance is taken care of sends a non-verbal message that you pay attention to details. Employers like that! -People really notice shoes. Ensure your shoes are clean, well polished and don’t show any signs of wear. Again, it’s the attention to details. Also, if you’re wearing a skirt, you need to be wearing heels at least two inches high. If you can’t wear heels, it’s better to wear pants. -Make sure your clothing, accessories (Read more...)