Many clients come to me in career transition. Quite a few are going for new jobs, new positions within their company or are trying to become more recognized by their superiors. Others have come to me after a promotion and the realization that their current wardrobe no-longer fits the bill. Be it before or after a big job change, these clients are looking for promotion-worthy wardrobes. For today’s post in this series I am going to give you my fashion and style tips on how you can easily create a style that fits your skills or to go for that new job or position.
Obviously, there are a lot of things that makes someone promotion-worthy. While image may seem down at the bottom of the promotion priority list, after things like skills, competence, management qualifications, and more, the way you look when you go to work actually plays a much bigger role than you think. Not only does your professional presentation play a part in how others at your job perceive you but it also can greatly affect how you perceive yourself. As I always say, “If you don’t feel it nobody else will.” Therefore, if you’re not feeling powerful or skilled or competent in what you wear you will never fool anyone else. Think about how differently you interacted with others when you knew you looked good– the confidence and power you gave off. Now, think about all the times you became a shrinking violet or turned away from opportunities simply because your personal style and image didn’t reflect you properly. No, a great work image will not get you the job alone but it certainly will be a more of a factor than you might be thinking it will.
Promotion-Worthy Style means standing out and fitting in at the same time
I like to tell my clients that being stylish at work means fitting in yet standing out at the same time. If you have ever taken the time to notice how well dressed people at your workplace dress you may have noticed they have appropriately stood out. There is something, even if you can’t put your finger on it, about the way they dress that stands out.
As hard as it may seem to emulate a well dressed person in the workplace it actually isn’t that hard. The first bit of advice is to never copy what someone else is doing. Having stand out work style means that you embrace your style, not the style of someone else. I have a client who has been telling me that co-worker, who we have aptly nicknamed “her doppelganger”, has been copying her style ever since we upgraded it. A compliment, for sure, but sort of sad at the same time. Yes, find inspiration in others but don’t copy it exactly. You can’t stand out when you look exactly like someone else.
You don’t have to break the budget
When someone thinks about upgrading their style they often think that what they own isn’t good enough and that the only way to look good is to spend lots of money on expensive clothing. Get the promotion first then spend the money. Never spend beyond what you can afford, and if you must buy expensive items to get the job spend mindfully and learn to mix and match with less. There are a lot of tricks that can upgrade the look of inexpensive items (which I’ll get into in a bit), and it’s quite probable that you don’t necessarily need more clothes. What you actually just need to know how to wear what you already own in a better way. We’ll get into how to maximize what you own below.
Color and Accessories
There are two easy tricks to standing out in the workplace, especially if it is corporate. The pieces that are appropriate in a corporate environment, for the most part, are pretty basic. If you have to wear suits there is so much variety out there. The same goes for tailored pants, skirts, cardigans, and so on. In the corporate, work world, the clothing is typically on the basic side. However, what sets it apart is how the color is combined and the accessories that are used with these items.
Never scrimp on the tailor
While you can get a promotion if you look unkempt it’s not worth the extra effort to overcompensate for a ill-fitting jacket or pants that don’t flatter, especially when all it would take to rectify this problem is to go to your tailor. Yes it sucks that an extra step is often required when finding clothes to fit but it is just the way it is. If what was standing between you and a great new job was a properly hemmed pair of pants or a jacket that fit you well wouldn’t you do it? My most successful clients would never dream of not getting what needs to get tailored taken care of. This is the mindset you need to adopt.
Promotion-Worthy Outfits
What I want to do with today’s outfits is show you that you don’t need a lot to upgrade your wardrobe or make it look promotion-worthy. Like I said earlier, typically, it’s not that women don’t have the right clothes, it’s how they are utilizing their clothing that is causing the problems. As I also said, the way to stand out in the workplace is how you combine your pieces and accessorize them. In order to create a special uniqueness to your work look you need to do something that stands out. Below are just a few ways you can do this.
Here are three very basic items that often exists in the wardrobes of most working women and three ways that I change up the pieces to make them look extra special. As you will notice, many many accents and coordinating pieces are used multiple ways. Doing this will give your pieces greater value and will save you money. It’s much easier to invest in pieces when you know you will get multiple use from them. Always look to the many ways you can wear one piece.
Looks #1
Most women have at least one dress in their work wardrobe, like this one from Boden. No matter what color your dress is you want to try to wear it multiple ways. Again, you will get more value but you will also be able to stand out more when you change up the dress to something less basic looking. Basics are meant to be accessorized.
Here, with the first look, I added a pink cardigan by Adrianna Papell a pair of two-tone pink pumps by Rachel Roy, a pair of navy earrings and Banana Republic handbag.
In the next look, the dress is complemented with yellow and gray. The jacket is by Calvin Klein, the shoes by Nine West, the handbag by Steve Madden and earrings by David Aubrey.
The beauty of a dress is that it is easy and it certainly doesn’t need to be worn with a jacket or cardigan. In this outfit I simply styled this outfit with a versatile pair nude Cole Haan pumps, a light blue handbag from Vince Camuto and earrings by Blu Bijoux.
Looks #2
Next, a pair of basic black pants, like these from T. Tahari. Now, if you think a boring pair of black shoes, a basic top and a boring black handbag is going to get you a promotion it won’t. Well, you might get the promotion or new job but you certainly aren’t going to stand out and shine. Use these basic black pants to do something a little more interesting. It’s not that hard.
First, when you buy components to go with your basics always think the through the purchases. When I shop and want to buy something new I stand there for a few seconds and think about all the ways I will wear the item. If I can’t see it working in my wardrobe in multiple ways I leave it at the store.
In the first outfit, for a more professionally casual look, I took an emerald green sweater from Reiss and used the same Rachel Roy pumps from the first series of looks. To add some punch, the pink shoes are more interesting than something more basic. Plus you are getting more wear from one item. The outfit is finished with a pink necklace from Stella & Dot, basic go-to studs and a green MICHAEL Michael Kors handbag. The great thing about a green handbag is it usually goes with everything. If you are going to invest in a colored handbag you can never go wrong with green.
Next, we’re going to use that yellow blazer again. This time I am pairing it with a printed top. The fabulous thing about a top, like this one from Anne Klein is that there are multiple colors in it. The more colors in a print the more you can do with it. The outfit is finished using previously used items– the gray pumps and gray handbag. Simple yellow, and very inexpensive, yellow earrings add the final touch. Jewelry like this is that it can pack a huge punch without breaking your budget.
Last, the third outfit. This is a printed top by Dex that can go from work to weekend. For a dress down Friday, or if your work environment is more casual, a top like this can create some interest that gets you noticed. To make it work appropriate, a simple ivory cardigan, like this one by Calvin Klein, can fill the job description. In addition, a piece like this can be very versatile in general. It could easily go over the dress featured above. The outfit is finished with the same gray pumps, earrings and light blue bag used prior.
Looks #3
Many assume that the suit has gone by way of the dinosaur. However, you might be surprised to know that there are many women out there who still need to wear suits. Most of my corporate clients need to have multiple suits in their closet. If this is the case with you, even if you don’t have to wear them everyday, you know that suit purchases can be expensive transactions. In order to get the most bang for your buck, here are some ways to utilize them to their maximum.
It’s not uncommon to split up a suit. The only word of caution I give you about this is to dry clean your entire suit together each time you take it to the cleaners, even if you utilize one piece more often than the other. Over time the more heavily dry cleaned item will change in color and it won’t be long before you have a suit that doesn’t match. And, just another tip about dry cleaning: When bringing your suits to the cleaner always ask for a soft press. I’ve seen the expensive suits of many of my clients’ ruined because the dry cleaner was too hard on the pressing.
The reason I am showing a suit split up is because I think it is incredibly easy to style a suit and, certainly, all the looks shown here can be styled using the Reiss jacket that goes with the skirt. For a change up, I want to show you how you can treat a suit more like sportswear to get multiple uses out of one item.
The first look is created by using the same cardigan in the first series of outfits. Underneath it is an novelty ivory top from DKNYC that can be a great basic layering piece for your wardrobe. I call items like these Novelty Basics because they play the role of a basic even though they are novel in look. With this outfit is the same pair of Rachel Roy pumps, the same Banana Republic handbag and basic gold studs from previous looks along with a statement necklace from Stella & Dot. My rule of thumb on jewelry is that you choose one place to make the statement- either the earrings or the necklace, especially in the workplace. I don’t care for jewelry sets and it is also why I think everyone needs a basic pair of stud earrings.
Next, I showed the suit entirely suited with both the jacket and skirt. Even in cases of wearing a basic suit you still want to pump up the volume. Here it is easily done with a turquoise layering piece by T. Tahari and complemented with that green MICHAEL Michael Kors handbag. The outfit is finished with the same gray pumps and a pair of earrings that match the two pop colors in the outfit.
The last outfit is using the same printed top from the last series of outfits and a novelty jacket. The beauty of this jacket from Anne Klein is that it can be used with the black pants, the dress and as a suit finisher. Here is my tip about pairing a different jacket with a suit bottom, be it skirt or pants: You never want to look like you are forcing a suit. You want to the jacket to be a stand alone piece that doesn’t look like the top half a suit. The fabrication of the jacket and the bottoms you are pairing it with should be different in look and weight. Never…not ever, ever, ever, try to make a separate jacket and bottom look like they are a suit. It never works. If you can’t afford a suit go for a jacket to be worn with a pair of bottoms that looks like it could stand alone. A forced suit looks cheap and unprofessional. This last look is finished with the same nude Cole Haan pumps, the gray handbag and a simple pair of black stud earrings from Stella & Dot.
A professional client recently said something very insightful with me that I want to share with you. While she called shopping for inexpensive buys fun, when it comes to investment pieces for work there it’s less fun because the mistakes are far more costly. It is my hope that with these simple tips you’ll be able to invest in your promotion-worthy wardrobe mistake-free.
