As winter days make the working week seem bleak, these simple ways to spice up your work wardrobe will help you face Monday mornings with a spring in your step. My seven simple style tips will help you make the right impression when you walk into the office, as well as looking on trend for a sneaky date after work or a coffee with the girls at lunch. I hope you enjoy all of these ways to spice up your work wardrobe!
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1. Tart It up
My absolute favorite trend for fall 2013 tops my list of ways to spice up your work wardrobe – tartan. Tartan is a bold print, but don’t be put off! With its many colours and styles tartan is the perfect pattern to show your style at work. You can go bold with the classic red tartan or perhaps a more subtle navy shade? The colour variations are endless. You don’t have to stick to the classic tartan skirt, as autumn brings key pieces from fit-and-flare dresses and cigarette trousers to chiffon blouses and androgynous blazers. Still think it’s too much for you? Why not play it safe with tartan lined jackets and cardigans?
2. Parisian Perfection
The capitol of fashion is the perfect place to look to when it comes to spicing up your work wardrobe, specifically, the scarf. The addition of a scarf adds a touch of luxury to any outfit. Now, I don’t mean the wonderful warm scarf your aunt gave you for Christmas, go for a pashmina type scarf. The wide material will allow you to layer and fold the scarf to add texture and volume as well as a touch of colour. You can use it to add a vibrancy to your LBD or to bring some European flare to any work outfit.
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3. Gothic Glamour
Another trend that is perfect for work and play is the leather look. This trend is everywhere at the moment, and for good reason. It’s sexy, chic and bold. Leather-look panels on a simple pencil skirt will add subtle sex appeal but, more importantly it exudes confidence and sophistication. Leather-look trims on blouses and blazers give a simple outfit edge which will help you feel more confident in that meeting with your boss.
4. Now You See Me
The chiffon or sheer blouse is perfect for turning heads at the office. Of course, discretion is key so pair it with a fitted vest – you want to turn heads for the RIGHT reasons. The selection of blouses is endless and you can find any colour for your taste. Personally I like rich, dark tones such as wine or holly-green for the winter months and lighter and brighter colours for spring and summer. To really make a statement, pair with a pencil skirt and heels or play it safe with slim-fit trousers and a chunky heeled boot.
5. Match Point
A good friend of mine has inspired this next tip for spicing up your work wardrobe – match your nails to your lipstick. Polished nails and a perfect pucker show class and sophistication as well as classic elegance. If you’re confident enough, the classic combo is, of course, red. A woman who can pull off a red lip and red nails is a woman who isn’t afraid to be noticed or to have her voice heard. Although red might not be everyone’s go to colour, there are many shades of pink and neutral tones that will suit every pallet and personality. This tip is one that will never go out of style and you can co-ordinate your colours with any outfit!
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6. Is It a Man’s World?
Many women believe that to be seen on a level playing field as their male colleagues, their femininity must be sacrificed. I whole-heartedly contest this view. Don’t try to dress like a man, you’re a woman and you know how to work it. The classic pencil dress, the waterfall blazer, the ankle grazer trousers with killer heels all show femininity and confidence which make a statement about your professionalism. Spice up your work wardrobe with key dresses within your comfort zone which you can pair with a plethora of accessories (see all the points above!).
7. Channel Your Inner Coco
Finally, if in doubt turn to the first lady of fashion, Coco Chanel. The only fashion designer to be found on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th Century, Coco is credited with embracing female beauty in its true form and liberating fashion from the "corseted silhouette" and all its constricting connotations. For these reasons as well as many others, her style is one to inspire your work wardrobe. Her classic pairing of black and white, bold black lines and chic pearls will forever be a statement of elegance and professionalism. She taught us to dress for ourselves and this should be applied to our work wardrobes.
Spicing up your work wardrobe should be fun. We spend so many of our waking hours by a desk, on the phone, in a meeting , that it becomes easy to be lost in the monotony . Keep hold of your style and yourself and incorporate it into your work wardrobe. In the words of Ms. Chanel herself, "fashion is made to become unfashionable," so don’t be afraid to have fun with your work wardrobe, as long as you enjoy your fashion it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks! Which of these tips are you using this fall, and how are you using them?