By combining fashionable and professional appearance along with business etiquette, women can easily command a presence and gain the attention of their desired audience. This audience can be found in a boardroom, conference hall full of people, or even in one hiring manager’s office. There are many ways to look at the way you present yourself in a working environment. This is why bizMe and Workchic teamed up to bring information to women at all stages of their careers. From the initial interview to changing jobs later in life, women need to know how to showcase their own personal brand!
By drawing on their knowledge of brand awareness they put together a professional series like no other. Each of the following topics will showcase a 360° view of how women are perceived in business, from etiquette to appearance. Topics will include:

- Interviewing Tips
 - What to do once you’ve landed the job
 - Career advancement
 - Reentering the workforce or starting a new career later in life

Careers thrive and grow out of knowledge, preparation, and insight. This series will show women how to launch their careers and grow them while looking and acting like the strong professional women they are.

Professional Dress + Etiquette = Lasting Impression! Sign up for Webinars at http://workchic.com/content/38  or email info@workchic.com. Series begins April 13th.

The Seminars are a great gift for yourself, friend, relative or a new college graduate headed out into the workforce! Don’t Miss out!

If you have the luxury of a corner office, you should have the wardrobe to match. If you’re still striving for that big promotion, start dressing the part now! Today we are going to look at Spring jackets perfect for mixing and matching into business professional outfits. Since we know office environments can vary from classic and conservative to trendy and fashion conscience, we are going to look at a variety of jackets.

In a conservative office or industry, find subtle details that interest you in classic silhouettes. Here we feature a Stand Collar One Button Jacket in a classic charcoal hue. A light grey color is a more subtle for Spring.  This Two Button Jacket With Triangle Side Seams is updated with a double collar and slanted pockets.

Contemporary styles move away from classic silhouettes but fashion details remain tailored. This Zip Front Blazer plays on the safari jacket trend for Spring.  Linen Asymmetrical Wrap Jacket stays professional in mink brown.

Pattern and texture add another level to contemporary styles. Black & White Embroidered Matka Jacket plays on plaid and polka dot allowing you to mix patterns in one simple piece. Pair this with a solid blouse for the office.  Boucle is back for Spring in fresh colors like the warm ochre blended with soft yellow in this Baroness Tweed Jewel Neck Jacket from Jones New York.

While we are suggesting these jackets for business offices, they can easily be mixed and matched with skirts or chinos for both business casual and casual outfits. Try wearing a boucle jacket with dark wash denim and a subtle graphic tee to update your Casual Friday look. Happy Shopping!

We welcome Spring with open arms and love the neutral, lightweight suits that come along with it! We fell in love with this age appropriate short sleeve tweed suit from the Limited that has just a hint of shine.   Utilize these suit pieces with other business casual items in your wardrobe for multiple looks!

The Rounded Collar Jacket is complemented by a sash belt and pleated cap sleeves. Pair it with the matching Embellished Pencil Skirt that has beading around the waistline.  You can tuck in this Scoop Basic Tee so you can show off the detailing of the skirt.  It adds some instant fun to this work wardrobe!
Don’t forget the accessories. We are loving the saffron and spice color palette this Spring so why not add a chunky statement necklace with red, yellows, and oranges.  We love how this Rock Candy and Chain Necklace adds the right amount of color to a neutral suit. The Side Pocket Hobo Bag in a warm Cinnamon color really pulls this look together. 

What would you add to this suit?  We would love to hear your thoughts!  Just leave a comment below or email us at info@workchic.com!

It’s Saint Patrick’s Day and time for a little luck of the Irish.  At Workchic.com that means sales!

2 days only - Get 25% off all regular-priced merchandise at BananaRepublic.com. Enter BRSAVE25* at checkout. Offers ends 3/17.

14 Hour Sale! 25% off All Regular Price Items. Use Promo Code: LUCKYCJ Starts 3/17 at 10:00am ET, ends 11:59pm ET!

Lucky You! There’s a St. Patty’s Special at eBags - 25% Off 1 item Today Only!

2 days only - Get 20% off Any Oldnavy.com purchase. Enter ONGET20* at checkout. Offers ends 3/17.

We hope you enjoy shopping these sales and updating your work wardrobe. Need a little inspiration to add green to your outfit today?  Remember to Accessorize! Happy St. Patty’s Day!

St. Patty’s Day in the Office by Workchic featuring Ri2k bags

Our How Do I Wear This series continues with the must have staple in your work wardrobe this season: The Dress!  We love how there are so many versatile dress options this Spring.  We show you how to take these trends and put your best foot forward wearing them! 

Abstract/Digital prints

Since these patterns stand out on their own it is best to balance them out with solid accessories and shoes.  The statement is being made in the print and you don’t want the rest of your outfit to fight with that print!

1.Switchback Sheath
2.Dillard’s Sensitive Skin Jet Link Bracelet
3.BCBGeneration “Betsey” Large Hobo Bag
 4.nude footwear Sunnie Day

Solids

Now is the time to play with prints or bold accessories when wearing a solid dress.  You can instantly transform a basic look into a glam work outfit in no time!

1.Ladies’ Luncheon Dress
2.Gianni Bini “Sofie” Large Satchel
3 nude footwear Vanity Fair
4.GS Lillian Floral Cuff Bracelet

Florals

Add some glam pieces like a ruffled satchel or some snakeskin pumps to this feminine print.

1.Freesia Fantasy Dress
2.Steve Madden “Rose Ruffle” Satchel

3.Kenneth Cole New York Amethyst Cluster Earrings
4.nude footwear Milan

Stay tuned for more on our How Do I Wear This series.  If you have an issue on how to wear something you may have seen online or at the store just leave a comment or send us an email at info@workchic.com!

This month’s book review is a special edition. Today we will share with you why we recommend How to Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp, our Q&A with Charla herself, and we are running a giveaway! So don’t miss a minute of this exciting review.

After receiving this book, we could not wait to dig in and learn what pieces of clothing are “high fat” and “low fat” for our unique body shapes. Yes, you heard that right! Charla broke down the different clothing elements into dietary categories. Clothing can make you look slimmer so why not apply the rules we use in dieting to dress thinner?

This is an amazing concept and made the process of whittling down the less flattering pieces in our work wardrobe almost pain free. Throughout the book she looked at different figure flaws and described the best ways to distract from our problem areas, play up our attributes, and even included tips to help us look at these areas we try to hide in a different way.

Let’s delve into our questions for Charla before we give away any of the insights she provided.

WC: First we’d like to say- we love this book! It’s incredibly easy to find solutions to our problem areas. Plus, we were laughing at the nicknames for our “Buddha Bellies” and the like, all the way through. We have never seen the fit of clothing discussed in this way before. Charla, what inspired you to classify pieces of clothing as ‘no fat’ and ‘high fat’?

Charla Krupp: As I say in the intro section, my husband is super skinny. So, I buy high fat and low fat foods…for everything from peanut butter to milk. So, why not look at clothes as food? As women, we know the caloric content of everything. It’s much easier to comprehend than body shapes.

WC: Most books that discuss fit focus on overall body shapes. You really broke down these barriers and addressed individual problem areas. Many of us feel we need to improve on more then one of these areas. Where would you suggest someone start?

Charla Krupp: Start at the place you are least happy with…do one chapter at a time. Don’t kill yourself…take it slow. Be good to yourself. You’re starting.

WC: What did you find was the biggest problem area for women?

Charla Krupp: It really depends on your age…women over 40 complain about arm flap and Buddha belly…most women have hips/thighs/butt issues no matter what their age.

WC: Our focus at Workchic.com is dressing for the office. When women are searching for business clothing, do you have any tips on styles that are ‘no fat’ or ‘high fat’ on just about everyone?

Charla Krupp: Wear a dress with a jacket or cropped cardigan over it….works all the time.

WC: We all want to be thinner; you are showing every woman how to achieve a more flattering silhouette with simple steps. More than that, you have included tips to help us live healthier lives and start correcting the problem areas. How were you able to pull together all this information into such a comprehensive guide book?

Charla Krupp: It took a village! And a couple years! It was a ton of work but I loved it. And, I knew much of this from my years on the Today show and a magazine editor for In Style and People Style Watch, etc.

WC: What was your favorite part of this book to research?

Charla Krupp: Big Bust!

WC: Charla, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Can you give one last tip for our readers to think about when dressing for the office?

Charla Krupp: Don’t dress too sexy….keep your cleavage in check! Forget the micro mini skirts! Stay chic but professional at all times.

That was some great advice from Charla! By reading this book you will learn more than some quick tips to look fit and fabulous. You’ll also learn how to respect your body and work with what you have. If we’re always looking to lose that next 5 pounds we never take the time to celebrate our beauty. It’s all about balance and you can learn how to achieve that by exploring Charla Krupp’s book, How to Never Look Fat Again!

We encourage you to pick up your copy today. But- for a few lucky readers we are giving away 5 copies of this book! How can you win? Comment, Share, and tweet; here are our rules.

Option 1- Leave a comment on this blog post.
Option 2- Share this post with your facebook friends, and link back to our fan page, Workchic.com.
Option 3- Post this on twitter and include @Workchic in your tweet.

The more ways you spread the message the more chances to win. We will be selecting our winners March 31st.  Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win. So start telling everyone you know How to Never Look Fat Again!

Here is a little more information on Charla Krupp.
Charla Krupp has done more than 100 style segments on The Today Show and she has appeared on Good Morning America, Oprah, The View, Dateline NBC, and has been a regular on The E! Channel and Home Shopping Network. She was beauty director of Glamour, editor of In Style, beauty editor for People’s Style Watch and executive editor of Shop Etc. Magazine. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, InStyle, Glamour, Shop Etc., People, Cosmopolitan, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and Time. Currently, Charla writes a monthly fashion column for More Magazine called Fashion For Grownups.

We don’t know about you but the weather here calls for rain and wind.  It is a perfect day to stay inside.  Need a good read for the weekend?  Catch up on some posts from our fellow bloggers!

Links à la Mode : The IFB Weekly Roundup

Posted by Jennine • March 11th, 2010 • Printer-friendly

Spring Fever

Edited by Jennine Jacob

Do you get spring fever? Oh man… the itch to run around outside in flowery prints and frilly laces gets greater and greater each passing day. To heck with chunky sweaters! This week we have a load of great spring style posts, Holier Than Now checks out cape coats, if you’re strapped for cash Out of Order gives the perfect 45min spring skirt tutorial, so cute! And girly clothes not your thing? The Demoiselles has a great homage to genderbending unisex looks. I’ve been thinking of doing a couple of days in menswear myself. Well, as soon as I learn how to tie the half Windsor knot.

There were so, so many great links this week, it really was hard to narrow it down to 2o. Check out the full listing of Links à la Mode here.

Links à la Mode : March 11th

• 39th and Broadway – Death By Over-Scheduling
• Agent Lover – Mad Crushin’ on Pebelle
• Bobbins and Bombshells – Shop News…Hand Recovery Sale AND Give-Away!!
• Denim Debutante – Denim Advice: Why Should I Buy Premium Denim?
• Diary Of A Girl Left Behind – Sorry We Don’t Have Your (Shoe) Size
• Fashion Pulse Daily – London Fashion Week: Vivienne Westwood, Mark Fast & Burberry Prorsum
• Fete a Fete – The Frye Company SS 2010
• Glossary – Sipping tea with Sandra Beijer
• Grechen Blogs – Isabel Marant, the Internet & Social Media
• grit and glamour – Return to pretty, please!
• Hello Beauty! – Shu Uemura Spring 2010 Égérie Collection: Sparkling, rock star chic (with makeup lesson video)
• Holier Than Now – Spring (Transition) Shopping : Caped Crusaders
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – What does your ideal workspace look like?
• M.I.S.S. – Women Making History: Elisa Palomino
• Oranges and Apples – Sustainable fashion part 1: conceptualising the issues
• Out Of Order – DIY Tutorial – Spring Skirt
• Previously Owned – a PREVIEW of Private ARTS la shooting for MINT mag!
• Retro Chick – Vintage Hair Video Tutorial
• SF Indie Fashion – Good Looks: Moody Winter-Almost-Spring
• Shrimp Salad Circus – how to rock orange lips
• Smiles Go With Everything – How to Search Effectively on Etsy
• The Demoiselles – Gender-Bending: Menswear

We are huge fans of Project Runway.  That is why when we visited a Dillards department store in Houston last month we were so excited to find Korto Momolu is the latest “Project Runway” alum turning her talent into a major retail partnership. If you don’t remember her, She was the season five first runner-up and fan favorite. Fans loved her accessories and her bold use of color.  She recently launched her signature accessories collection at Dillard’s late last month.
The collection, priced from $12 for a pair of earrings to $159 for a horn-handled hobo handbag, features bold statement necklaces, earrings and handbags similar in style to her high-end designs but without the high-end prices!

You can find the Korto Momolu collection right here on Workchic.com.  Here are some of our faves below.  They will add some cheery color to your work wardrobe!

Korto Momolu Horn Linear Earrings
Korto Momolu North-South Satchel
Korto Momolu Seed-Bead Multirow Stretch Bracelet
Korto Momolu Horn & Stone Stretch Bracelet
Korto Momolu Horn & Stone Necklace
Korto Momolu Seed-Bead Multirow Necklace

Have a good weekend from Workchic.com!

Make a statement with Lucite jewelry this Spring whether clear or in subtle color.  These pieces can stand out on their own.  We found the following below that won’t break your budget! Just look at how Olivia Palermo layered a lucite chunky necklace with beaded bib necklace.  It brings her basic and neutral outfit to a whole new level of professional chic!  Images are courtesy of Google images.

We love how the sorbet colors will make a glamourous impact to any work wardrobe!

Kenneth Jay Lane Bead Lucite Chain
Korto Momolu Cluster Stretch Bracelet
Korto Momolu Cluster Necklace
Catherine Stein Acrylic Ribbon Necklace
Catherine Stein Shaky Earrings

Stay tuned for more Workchic Must Have Series!   If you want to suggest your wardrobe must have then leave a comment or email us at info@workchic.com.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Chic tops have maximum impact on your business casual style. We’ve found styles for less than $40 each that will wake up your work wardrobe for Spring.

Details that highlight your neckline bring attention to your face and layer nicely under blazers and cardigans. Chiffon Tips Top is soft with an abstract print on the pieced neckline. Available from The Limited for $34.50.  Banana Republic Silk tiered blouse is an artistic display of tiered silk layers creating beautiful dimension for $34.99.

Prints are an easy update. We took it a step further with a pleated neckline like this Printed Folded Neckline Top for $39.50.  While The Madison Stretch Shirt is a classic silhouette updated with an abstract floral print, currently on sale for $14.99.

The new LC Lauren Conrad collection from Kohls.com has a few pieces we love.  They are regularly under $40 but currently on sale for less than $25 each. Floral Peasant Top, $21.99, can be paired with charcoal trousers and wedges for a chic business casual look. Ivory Floral Top is how you do graphic prints in the office! Wear this style, also $21.99, with black pants and a cardigan in your favorite color.

Each of these tops will update your work wardrobe with style. They are high impact and low cost solutions to reveal your personal style within a business casual dress code.  Have fun selecting your new tops for Spring.  Look for pieces that you can easily layer under blazers when you need your look to be more professional. Happy Shopping!