Rainy day blues...and you have to get to work

With this weekend's out of season snow/rain storm in the Northeast, we thought it might be helpful to share how we dress for bad weather.

Nothing is worse than waking up to a gray rainy day......especially if it’s Monday.

By the time you arrive at the office, your shoes are soaked and the crease of your trousers has completely disappeared. Here’s how we’ve learned to dress for those rainy days, so you can still look presentable after you get to your desk.

• A skirt or a dress is always a better choice than trousers no matter what the season
• If you absolutely must wear pants on a rainy day, opt for a pair that are cropped with a flat front (no crease)
• Invest in a pair of wellies and carry your shoes in your purse or even a plastic shopping bag

Two 'investment' pieces for the rain, every working woman should have:

Wellies – these have become more high fashion (Jimmy Choo created a whole line for Hunter Boots) but we still prefer the classic tall boot which runs at about $125 and comes in a variety of colors (our suggestion, keep it basic with the color). Click here to take a look: Original Hunter Boot

Trench coat – a staple wardrobe piece that everyone should own. It's lightweight and will keep your clothes dry. Plus, it looks great on everyone. Like the wellies keep it basic with the color. Consider beige, navy or black only.

TIPS:

1)   If the belt of the trench comes with a buckle don’t use it. Tie the belt into a knot

2)   When not using the belt tuck the ends into the pockets of the coat. This way, the ends of the belt won’t flap around or get caught in a taxi door (like ours always do when we forget this trick!)

Where to find: Burberry carries the all time classic trench plus many really edgey styles that makes us drool....but the price tag can be hard to swallow (~$900-$1500)! So, below are links to couple of other choices we found, that won’t break the bank:

• Trench at Madewell

• Trench at JCrew

How to look like you do yoga every day - but still work all the time.

We HAD to share. The cut of this bright green top from Tibi is super flattering. The way it indents around the shoulder area makes your arms look cut up - just like the regulars at yoga. Even mini-shaped Lex looks all toned up.  Plus, you can get serious mileage out of it making it kind to a working girl's budget.

The back is really pretty too....

Notice the grosgrain detail around the zipper. So cute.

Taking it to work: Brighten up your black suit with a hint of green, and per-fect it with gold accessories. By the way, it's not an accident we chose a longer necklace. High necked looks can be lengthened with a long necklace - particularly important for bustier ladies.

Then on the weekend: take it for a spin at the bars, or on a date, with black jeans and a boyfriend blazer.

A rocker look - add platform clogs to complete it.
(Or, make it a bit more girly with patent leather heels.)

Woah..the perfect fall bootie. AND you can wear them to work.

While scanning the ground with laser-like eyes at Zara recently (where all the shoes are displayed), Ludlow stumbled upon these booties and slowly but surely fell in love. Just like you, she has to touch and inspect the shoe before making her usual swift and final decision. Beautiful and so versatile too!
It combines 3 Fall trends into 1: bootie, snake skin, burgundyish red. The slit up the middle helps lengthen your leg, rather than cutting it off.

At the office, wear them with black pants for a more conservative look:

Yum

Or for a slightly trendier approach (maybe for the days with no client meetings), pair with black tights, worn with a skirt or dress.

While taking the pictures, this is when Lex fell in love - the weekend look with jeans won her over. Shown here with dark skinny jeans - be sure not pair them with fashionably ripped jeans... that's just too Motley Crue.

Funny story: Ludlow wore them to work and had a number of admirers. One client actually said to her: "Those shoes must be from Europe, aren't they?"... Ludlow replied: "Ha, yes. Spain."

Can I wear white after labor day....to work?

A classic question.... one we have been asked a couple of times recently as we transition from summer to fall. The old rules say no... absolutely not. But this is 2011!

In doing some research, no one is able to actually pinpoint how or why the rule got started - hotter summers in the city?, the development of 'summering' from the emerging middle class in the post war era? Whatever the reason, the rule still exists. Therefore, it's appropriate to give creedence to it, when it comes to work.

To us, the answer is not "no". As far back as the 1920's, Coco Chanel was spotted wearing her classic white suit...in all seasons. We cannot argue with one of our idols.

To put it simply, the answer lies in the weight and/or the color of the fabric.

• Post labor day, the fabric should be a bit heavier or give that appearance. No linen! A white cotton skirt in the same material as your white cotton shorts or white button downs is not appropriate (in our humble opinion). 

White tulip skirt from Marc Jacobs...not a good idea after Labor Day at work

• Some appropriate fabrics are wool, wool crepe, silk.
• Cream, off-white, beige, winter white - these are all better choices than pure white.
• No more seersucker. Just in case you were wondering.

As an example, this skirt would be perfect post labor day: off-white and wool crepe which is a bit lighter than wool but not cotton, so it carries you in to spring. Yum!

Giambattista Valli skirt  

Our reasoning: In the summer months, work is just a bit more casual. On Fridays, the office is less populated. You hear clients often say "let's regroup post labor day and set up a meeting". Post labor day, it is back to the grind. Your wardrobe should be too.

Our First Post - Welcome to our blog!

We are on a mission for the working woman and we'll be writing this blog together. While we each share much of the same interests and passions, below is an introduction from our own perspectives.

Lex:

Fashion has been a passion and interest of mine for as long as I can remember. Though I don’t work in the fashion industry, I feel it plays an important role in everyone’s life no matter what industry you are in. Whether you like it or not, what you wear makes a statement.

I’ve worked in the financial industry for the past 7yrs and have always found shopping for work clothes more of a chore than enjoyment (as shopping should be).  From speaking with our colleagues, peers and friends we found out we are not alone. We launched this blog with the corporate lady in mind to show them looks that are easy to put together, ideas to get the most out of your purchases as well as a few tips we have picked up over the years.

Ludlow:

It feels like yesterday I started my first job out of college. A corporate environment yes, but during the tail end of the heady '90s, when there were more jobs than people and companies were paying 'reporting' bonuses to 21 year olds. This was a time when companies wanted to be nicer - casual fridays, ping pong tables and regular parties. Today, the economy is less robust to say the least. Thus, we the employed must ensure our outward image, both physical and the team spirit we project, is at the highest level it can be. "Dress for the job you want!" 

Unfortunately how you dress can be just as important as what you say, if not more (I hope, dear reader, that you don't know what I am talking about because you work in an environment of absolute encouragement and acceptance!). Of course, the best way to learn and understand this is actually making mistakes (in a future blog, see me in a fairy costume, in front of my new colleagues - I swear). I myself have learned many lessons along the way. So here, in this blog, we hope to share with you what our obsession with fashion combined with the corporate environment has taught us. Also, with age brings wisdom and the belief that practicality is probably better when you work a 12 hour day than those fantastic 5 inch heels!  We hope you learn, enjoy... or at least laugh.. and at us is ok.