December 11th, 2007
Do You Have a Tailor?
I have posted about clothes on a few occasions this year. We are a more casual society and often times the lines between work and play are blurred. When I first started my business career at Xerox, it was understood you wore a suit and tie 5 days a week as a man. The women wore suits that looked very much like the male suits but with dresses. The Hilary Clinton pant suit was unacceptable attire. And as I found out, short sleeve dress shirts, along with sport coats were not allowable business wear.
I was in quite a bind. I only had one suit which I brought used for 60 dollars and it had a burn mark from an Iron on the pant leg. I managed to buy 3 more suits on credit and discovered I loved being dressed for work.
Fast forward to recent years, in my days as an executive at Abbott Laboratories we wore suits 5 days a week until the advent of casual Fridays. Later we added Monday and Friday as casual days. Eventuality we went to casual summer and then casual all the time.
I work by myself now and am the business owner so I can wear clothes to cut grass in If I chose. On occasion I do.
As a former football player I have a large frame and an athletic built. I am not built as well as I use to be but the older I get, the better I use to be! I started using a tailor 20 years ago for made to measure suits. 12 inch drop from coat to pants made it impossible to get fitted off the rack.
Even if you are in a casual business there are times when you will want to look your best. Every man should have a blue blazer, a grey and a blue suit, trench coat and appropriate accessories. I just ordered a grey flannel suit from my man Kash Ross the owner of Ross Creations. I urge you to find a good tailor if you are hard to fit, or just want to look your best. You will be glad you did, I guarantee it. Men what is in your closet, let us know, Ladies help us out, what is in yours and what does the well dressed business woman wear today? I look forward to your comments
December 12th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Like you JD, I too have been out of the office for a while. I became a stay-at-home mom 8 years ago, and now my daughter’s a sophomore in college and my son in high school.
I’m still loaded down with suits that I can continue to wear. I like the classics of Channel and Ralph Lauren. I’ve always been into that male tailored look feminized with some serious pumps or sling backs, high-end bag and other accessories. I own nearly as many ties as my husband. I love French cuff monogrammed shirts and cufflinks with a tie. That male tailored look on a skirt suit can be extremely sexy yet very professional. Knit dresses and skirt suits such as those from St. Johns will darn near win an interview by themselves!
I think that one of the keys for women is to stay away from looks that are too trendy in the office. You can always accessorize and play with your shirts, blouses, shoes, jewelry, handbags etc., thereby updating your wardrobe. Try to buy natural fabrics i.e., linen, cotton, wool/wool blend, silk. They look better and hold up longer.
Another key is makeup, if you choose to wear it, make sure that it compliments and highlights you and doesn’t look like you’re going to the club.
Also, a great hairstyle that fits YOU! Bad hair can make a $300 dress look like you bought it at the swap meet. Clean, neat and fashionably styled hair is an absolute must!
Like you were talking about JD, a lot of office’s have gone casual, but even with that, dependent upon where you work of course, a woman especially should let her casual speak to her career motivations. Men can get away with a lot more than a woman. Both men and women make major assumptions about a woman based solely on the way she dresses. So it definitely behooves a woman to ensure that her appearance dictates how she wants to be considered.
December 12th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Shelia, wow! you gave terrific advice and I hope many women read and benifit from your comment. Thank you for this important contribution
February 18th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Man can get away with a lot more than a woman. Both man and women make major assumptions abouts a woman based solely on the way she dresses