“I always wanted to live a man’s life in a woman’s body.” That quote is something Diane von Furstenberg has said before, so it’s somewhat surprising she hasn’t explored men’s suiting much in the past.
Her key piece is of course the wrap dress but there was no shortage of feminine details on this collection. We loved the use of pinstripes, tweed, and much anticipated use of pop colors! This collection definitely didn’t disappoint and we look forward to incorporating some of these pieces into our work wardrobe!
Here are three selected pieces from the collection. All images are courtesy of Style.com.
What is not hard to resist about these charcoal pinstripe pants and purple ruffle blouse? It is the perfect blend of feminine and masculine. Mix and match with other pieces in your wardrobe!
Loving this gold and black drop waist satin dress! Throw on a jacket for the office and remove for a night out on the town!
The chiffon rosettes on this otherwise simple double breasted jacket is totally unexpected and adds a feminine touch to a basic item in your wardrobe!
You don’t have to wait until Fall to experience the DVF collection. We found these coveted Spring items right on Workchic.com!
Fashion week may be over this week but stay tuned as we translate the runway looks into office appropriate attire!
We are loving how Grey has become the chic neutral of the Fall season-whether it is pale grey, gunmetal or silvery grey- you can mix and match with all of your key items in your work wardrobe. It pairs with black, navy, camel, and red to name a few colors. We found the following work appropriate items from The Limited. All items are under $75!
We found the next girl on the streets on New York City. The question of the week is..are leggings considered pants? Are they acceptable to wear to the office?
FYI..this wasn’t a workout outfit. We think those clothes are in the blue bag.
We would love to hear your thoughts! If you have a photo of a workwear do or don’t, please send to info@workchic.com.
Last week we brought you a photo of an outfit that was somewhat questionable attire even for the most casual office. Here is the post in case you didn’t see it. Thank you for all your comments. To answer the most asked question-there was nothing under the bottom half of the shirt/dress!
This week we saw this woman leaving her office building. Now the question really comes down to this- does a cardigan (see on her arm) transform a short black dress (it was one shoulder by the way) to make it more office appropriate? How about a tote bag? Or is it still a short black dress that is not meant to be worn to the office? You’ll see what we mean in the photo below:
We would love to hear your thoughts! Also if you have spotted a workchic outfit do or don’t in your city, please email us the pics with your comments at info@workchic.com.
Last week we posted a video, Workchic Style Series, showing you how to incorporate vintage dresses into your work wardrobe. This week we want to elaborate on the fit and styling of wearing jackets with dresses. Proportion is key. Wearing longer jackets without structure will drown out your shape. Instead look for jackets that hit at the waist or hip. Three quarter sleeves are great in the summer, and princess seams add shape and contour to your look.
Blue polka dots are fun, but we found a dress with a similar shape in a modern medallion pattern. The key to making this look business casual is all black accessories, from the shoes to the jacket we have you covered. The details on this jacket are exquisite. The three quarter sleeves are set on with origami folding at the shoulder. It will hit at the waist and can be worn open showing off a belted waist. While the style comes with it’s own belt we recommend swapping it with a black one. This keeps the look streamlined and chic for the office.
The original vintage dress has a Diane von Furstenberg appeal, so we found an original DVF to redo the look. The jacket we selected only has one button and small lapels so it can easily worn open with the dress collar over the jacket. Like the original our second dress choice can be worn on it’s own to a business casual office, adding a jacket just makes it even more professional. Two tones peep to pumps are stylish without detracting from the dress and muted aqua accessories added an unexpected punch of color.
This red zebra print dress was a great vintage find for summer. You can recreate the feeling of this look with an ikat print dress. We went with a more modern empire waist instead of a drop waist for our redo, but we kept the hobo bag and Mary-Jane’s. Finish off the look with a denim jacket to make it work appropriate. This style will hit right at your hip, taming the full skirt of the dress. Double princess seams and bloused sleeves are flattering and feminine. This is a heavy print so we kept the accessories neutral and to a minimum, earrings are enough jewelry for this look.
For our last look the original dress is very chic in black and white. We updated it with some color for our redo. The look gets much more professional with a classic white blazer. This style has darts and hits at the hip for a tailored look over the loose silhouette of the dress. Black pointed toe pumps are sophisticated and a rolling bag makes toting your laptop a breeze. Finish the look with a light silver necklace and bracelet.
You can easily create sophisticated and professional looks with fun printed dresses by simply adding the right jacket. We know boyfriend jackets popped back up in the market, but keep those to wear with your denim. The cut is key over a dress. You can see that all our examples utilize shorter styles and can be worn open so that you don’t loose the details of the dress. Have fun shopping and recreating your own Workchic looks.
To get you started, here are a few more vintage inspired dresses from www.ModCloth.com. Plus get 10% Off Vintage Fashion by entering code “Affiliate10″ on any order at ModCloth!
We just debuted our first Workchic style series video on Youtube this week! Our first series shows how you can incorporate vintage into your everyday work attire. With the help of our friend, Malie, who happens to own The Vintage Shopping Guide- we demonstrated how you can take a vintage dress and transform into your own modern look. Stay tuned for more of our WorkchicTV series that show how you can shop your own closet and create your own Workchic style!
To shop vintage near you, check out VintageShoppingGuide.com for store listings. Plus read blog articles dedicated to vintage and find events in your area.
We have received lots of comments from our readers stating that they are very sensitive when it comes to their bust size. They want to know how to put the focus on them and not the “girls” when dressing for the office. Here are our suggestions to this very common fashion dilemma:
Cut of Shirt/Dresses/Sweater: A Bateau neck focuses on your collarbone area instead of your cleavage. A V-neck can be very flattering but remember it should hit about 1/2 an inch above your natural cleavage line. The cut is too low if the v-neck dips closer to your navel! Try to avoid Square and Scoop neck silhouettes since they tend to draw more attention to your cleavage area.
Color: Solids are best. Horizontal stripes are not ideal for your body type. They will make your chest appear wider and larger than it actually is. Keep the allover prints very simple.
Embellishment: Keep sequins, embroidery, or embellishment closer to your neckline or shoulder area. Patch or small pockets, extreme ruching or ruffles will only draw more attention to your bustline.
Emphasis: Play up your toned arms with a ruffle or bell sleeve. Get attention from those great pair of heels or earrings you just bought.
Here are some examples of the above that we found on http://shopbop.com.
Did anyone watch the new reality show “Stylista” on the CW channel. Listen it is no Project Runway but I just had to watch it. In case you have it in on Tivo here is a quick summary. Think Devil Meets Prada on a reality show. Eleven fashion mavens compete to win the coveted junior editorial job at Elle Magazine. In the meantime they experience the life of a fashion editorial assistant to Elle’s fashion news director, Anne Slowey.
Their first task of the day was to design a breakfast tray for Anne Slowey. Ok that was ridiculous. Then they split into teams and hit the local H&M to gather new outfits for a runway show. The team then had to prepare an editorial spread showcasing each of the team member’s outfits. Let’s face it..it’s fashion. You can push the envelope. However I liked how Anne and Joe Zee pointed out some the outfits-whether it be shoes, hats, gloves were not office appropriate! I must say it always pay off to be workchic! I don’t know about you but I personally think they made the wrong decision in letting the the first stylista, Arnaldo go. He played it safe in his outfits and still looked professional. There were others that looked far worse than he did. I guess they need the drama though after all it is a reality show!
