A 'Bib' for the Office

It never fails. Whenever we eat at our desks, we manage to spill something - be it a splash of coffee on our cream silk top or better yet, later in the day we discover some crusted up oatmeal stuck to the underside of our jacket's arm. That stuff is like glue when dry! 

One possible solution: start wearing a bib. For extra brownie points, maybe you could even have it read 'I heart my boss!'.....Ok, maybe we're going a bit too far here... since we're not babies anymore, we just need to be more careful when we eat.

But, now that we are on the topic of bibs... 

Ludlow finds multiple ways to wear this gold Egyptian style bib necklace by Fallon Jewelry for both the office and weekends. 

The key to any 'statement' jewelry like this is to make everything else simple, no matter what time of day. Use it to spruce up a basic (and maybe tired) outfit for the office, be it a sheath dress or simple blouse (again no ties or details).

                                  

Here we wore it with a collarless jacket...

                      

                                     

...and also tried it with a white blazer for spring (all over the runways for Spring '12). In a similar vain, it goes well with a crisp white button down all year round.

We love finding ways to renew our wardrobe - much easier on the wallet too!

Pop that collar (on or off)

On the weekends you can catch either of us at home trolling the internet... for hours. It's not that we're looking for anything in particular, we just love discovering clothes.. and shoes... and accessories. 

Ludlow, having a semi-serious obsession with net-a-porter, was perusing the recently launched Karl collection (a lower priced line from Karl Lagerfeld) when she discovered his use of collars. Not just in the traditional sense, where they are sewn in to a shirt, but as an accessory in their own right. The idea slowly grew on her - they were almost like choker necklaces of the past. She thought about how she could incorporate a black sequins collar into a Saturday night... and if this could extend to a weekday look. 

The answer is, in sequins, probably not. But, this lead to another collar-related discovery: this super cute button down from Tibi. AND...drum roll... it's collar is removable.

The shirt is cotton, but the black lining is actually silk. The color is perfect for spring too. We want to pair it with a black pencil skirt.

Without the collar, it looked best a little more open with a black tank. Otherwise, the shirt was too close to a pajama top. A long gold necklace would be a nice addition.

We love the way it looks with a black sweater over it too. Here's a closer look at that collar as well.

Office Nail Etiquette

The popularity of nail polish, particularly as part of one's look, has been growing exponentially. The variety of up to the minute shades grows almost daily and the creative names of all the colors are just pure fun to discover (who doesn't want to be...oops I mean wear, 'rock star skinny'?). We would love to meet the people who's job it is name nail polishes!

With this trend, comes important decisions at the nail salon, particularly if it's a Sunday and your looking at a busy workweek ahead. Ludlow herself has kept a manicurist waiting for what feels like an eternity while she tries to make a decision on what color she lives with for the next 5 days or so. 
Here are some rules and suggestions we hope are helpful:

• This spring, we see brands like Essie and OPI featuring pretty yellows and greens. Of course, the blues are also hot. Unfortunately ladies, if you are in a professional environment, these colors should really be for toes only.
• Neutrals are the safest way to go. Clean and pretty without being a distraction. Our favorites are: 
• Essie's south of the hi'way

• Lex likes to layer her neutrals. One of her favorite combinations is limo-scene with mademoiselle. 

• Reds, browns and plums (except lilacs) are all classics. Make sure your nails are on the shorter side when wearing them to work. Both Ludlow and Lex LOVE Essie's wicked. Tip: 3 coats are best with this color.

• On the trendy end, our favorites are differentiated colors that are still low key such as Essie's mink muffs, sew psyched or chinchilly, shown on Ludlow below. 

• To make sure your manicure lasts the longest it can, pay the extra $1 and ask for a quick dry top coat. Also, we like to get a 10 minute massage after the manicure, purely to distract us of course, and to ensure our nails are dry before leaving the salon.
• To keep nails healthy, we use NailTek in between manicures. It's less expensive than Nailtiques and does a better job (in our opinion).

Finally, if you can't tell after reading this, our favorite nail polish brand is Essie : )

Pop of Pink for the Office

We LOVE this pink top from Tibi.  We think you'll be seeing this color a ton this spring. Here we toned it down for the office, pairing it with a navy suit and neutral accessories. 
On the weekend, let the color do the work and wear it with skinny black jeans.

Shop the full outfit here.