How to wear animal print in the office

Animal prints are a trend we have fun with, incorporating into our weekend looks. It can be tricky to do the same for the office though. Here are some tips when attempting this for work:

Make sure both the print and the material of the clothing do not look cheap. Keep it simple! Only one piece of animal print per look. Never ever mix animal prints - anytime, anywhere (not just at work). You don't want to look like a walking advertisement for a safari tour...


This J.Crew cheetah print blouse is perfect for the office. The neutral colors of the print go great with black cropped pants for a more casual day or with a black skirt to dress it up. The material is a crepey silk so it's looks and feels higher quality. 

Lex accessorized it with this gold and pearl necklace, the hint of turquoise adds a great pop of color.

On the Weekend: Throw on stretchy black denim, flats and a black leather biker jacket and you are ready to go.

What a difference a belt makes.

Both Lex and Ludlow believe in the LBD as a staple piece for work and beyond. But, without the right accessories, it's really just a black dress. This one sat in Ludlow's closet for a year before she figured out what it needed for work.

 

The missing link: a skinny belt like the patterned one below from J.Crew  

 

Voila!: a cute dress, with a touch of a trend. Grab a blazer or jacket and you are good to go for that client meeting....or just cool weather. Add black tights for the winter.

The LBD is also a good companion for patterned tights. Just make sure the rest of the accessories are simple (aka, we wouldn't wear the belt above and patterned tights).

Because, when it comes to the office, there is room for only one major 'value add'.....for your outfit, that is.

Introducing 'Timesavers for Work'

We know how tiring a working woman's life can be. Timesavers, shortcuts - and sometimes even reschedules or cancellations - can feel like utter lifesavers.

Wardrobes should also include timesavers - like that dress that always looks good but is comfortable too. You can pop out of the shower and throw it on without having to think about it. Versatility is also important. We are always on the lookout for these and will continually feature what we find.

This oatmeal colored cashmere dress from Tibi looks great multiple ways and can be worn with or without a jacket. Throw on a strand of pearls and have some fun with the shoes, as Ludlow did here, sporting a pair of color-block Miu Miu pumps (Fall 2007 and still cute!).  

Adding a belt instead gives the dress a whole new look for the office.

Another option: throw on a colorful jacket, keeping everything else neutral.

You can even take this number from work to cocktails... that's versatility.

How we dress 40's at work

We have a special place in our hearts for fashion from certain prior decades and we absolutely love when they come back in to popular fashion. Gucci's Fall 2011 ready to wear (rtw) line is so fantastically 70's, Ludlow has her heart set on wearing Fedora's and silk dresses until spring.

A tidbit you may not be aware of is that fashion in the 70's, and particularly the late to mid 70's, was an update of the 40's. So, naturally we love anything 40's too. Of course, a lot of times what you see on the runway, can be difficult to translate when dressing for the office.

So, here is one example of how we would do 40s/70s in the office:

Lex found this super cute top from Tibi (that is actually a body suit) and matched it with a delicious belted pair of redish/burnt sienna trousers from J.Crew. Gold accesories, such as a thin gold necklace to accentuate the neckline, could be added.

Given the 40's was a decade where more women went to work, since their men were off at war, denim-like shirts became popular fashion. That also looks really good with these trousers and is a little more casual - for a Friday if your office is a bit more formal. A chunky gold bracelet would top off the look.

After we wrote this, we were interested in the employment trends during WWII. We found out that more than  an estimated six million women joined the workforce during the war - the majority of them married women. In 1940, before the war, only 36% of women workers were married. By 1945, after the war, 50% of women workers were also married. The middle class taboo against a working wife had been repealed.