during the last few days, i have been reading a couple of really smart essays and articles about how to organize my wardrobe better, how to find my own style, and basically, how to dress better. so, i thought, i'd share some of those articles.
the first one which i want to feature is by a blogger whom i have come to like a lot, even though i do not comment so much on her entries. her name is erin, the blog is called "a dress a day", and the article "dress to impress".
here is the beginning for you to read. it is smart and witty and oh so true.
The conventional wisdom on dressing for success is ridiculously straightforward. Buy good, simple, quality suits and separates. Iron your shirt. Shine your shoes. Wear a good, understated watch. Splurge on a high quality handbag or tie. Avoid the outré and the trendy. Dress like your boss, or for the job you want to have.
To which I say: BOR-ing.
Instead, wear orange. Wear polka-dots. Wear both together!
I am a big advocate of orange and polka-dots because they do stand out, they are outré, and since I've worked from home since 2000, I really want to make a splash when I go into my office. I don't want to have to be reintroduced each time I walk into a meeting. I want someone to say, "Great to see you again, Erin. Nice dress!"
The classic, the understated, the quietly chic--they make an impression a little bit at a time, day after day. If you're only in the office one day a month, that impression takes years to settle in. Nobody says, "Oh, Erin, you remember her. She's the one with the fashionable, yet timeless, tank watch and the well-cut gray suit." No, they say, "You know Erin, she wore that dress with the giant yellow birds on it." Or "She's the one with the bright blue eyeglasses." You get the idea.
You may be thinking, shouldn't people know me for my work? Well, they might, but in any company over a dozen people, how many will really have seen your work? How many will have looked at it closely enough to judge it? And how does "You know Erin. She wrote that incredible Robertson piece" help them put a face to a name in a meeting?
When you work in an office every day, you have more avenues for presenting a
fuller picture of yourself to your colleagues. You have daily opportunities for random conversation--not just the working lunches or the few minutes of chit-chat in the elevator telecommuters make do with. You can decorate your office or cubicle with your rubber-stamp art, your memorabilia from your college curling team, or pictures of your (adorable) Welsh corgi.
But if you're a telecommuter, all your colleagues really know about you is your work and your look. And since the colleagues who don't work directly with you will only know about your look, it's worthwhile to spend a little time thinking about what that look should be.
the whole article can be read on jugglezine, and it is worth while reading, for after this fantastic introduction, you get a lot of great tips and ideas of how to pull off your own distinctive look.
the pictures in this entry are both from erin's blog and they are dresses which she has made herself. i adore her very personal style with bright patterns, even though i never would wear any of those myself. still, they carry, above all, one message: wear what you love!
the first one which i want to feature is by a blogger whom i have come to like a lot, even though i do not comment so much on her entries. her name is erin, the blog is called "a dress a day", and the article "dress to impress".
here is the beginning for you to read. it is smart and witty and oh so true.
The conventional wisdom on dressing for success is ridiculously straightforward. Buy good, simple, quality suits and separates. Iron your shirt. Shine your shoes. Wear a good, understated watch. Splurge on a high quality handbag or tie. Avoid the outré and the trendy. Dress like your boss, or for the job you want to have.
To which I say: BOR-ing. Instead, wear orange. Wear polka-dots. Wear both together!
I am a big advocate of orange and polka-dots because they do stand out, they are outré, and since I've worked from home since 2000, I really want to make a splash when I go into my office. I don't want to have to be reintroduced each time I walk into a meeting. I want someone to say, "Great to see you again, Erin. Nice dress!"
The classic, the understated, the quietly chic--they make an impression a little bit at a time, day after day. If you're only in the office one day a month, that impression takes years to settle in. Nobody says, "Oh, Erin, you remember her. She's the one with the fashionable, yet timeless, tank watch and the well-cut gray suit." No, they say, "You know Erin, she wore that dress with the giant yellow birds on it." Or "She's the one with the bright blue eyeglasses." You get the idea.
You may be thinking, shouldn't people know me for my work? Well, they might, but in any company over a dozen people, how many will really have seen your work? How many will have looked at it closely enough to judge it? And how does "You know Erin. She wrote that incredible Robertson piece" help them put a face to a name in a meeting?
When you work in an office every day, you have more avenues for presenting a
fuller picture of yourself to your colleagues. You have daily opportunities for random conversation--not just the working lunches or the few minutes of chit-chat in the elevator telecommuters make do with. You can decorate your office or cubicle with your rubber-stamp art, your memorabilia from your college curling team, or pictures of your (adorable) Welsh corgi. But if you're a telecommuter, all your colleagues really know about you is your work and your look. And since the colleagues who don't work directly with you will only know about your look, it's worthwhile to spend a little time thinking about what that look should be.
the whole article can be read on jugglezine, and it is worth while reading, for after this fantastic introduction, you get a lot of great tips and ideas of how to pull off your own distinctive look.
the pictures in this entry are both from erin's blog and they are dresses which she has made herself. i adore her very personal style with bright patterns, even though i never would wear any of those myself. still, they carry, above all, one message: wear what you love!
