Does Your Company's Dress Code Hinder Your Productivity?

While doing my morning Twitter reading, I came across this Fast Company article discussing the possibility of workplace dress codes are disrupting productivity.

My first thought before I read this article: Really?!

My thought after reading the article:  What a bunch of whiners. 

In my experience, when you take on a job you're told the dress code up front and there's been a time or two where I've had to sign documents that state the dress code was explained to me. Personally, I'm a fan of dress codes. I think it instills a feeling in me that says it's time to work so you can pay yo bills and buy cheap, useless but fun crap at Target. The clothes make the woman: a sheath or slacks with a blouse tell me, my manager, and my clients that I'm there to work; that I take my job seriously. I do have a casual Friday (well, Saturday) where I can wear jeans and while I enjoy the casual atmosphere that day, not much gets done. It's as if I've already checked out for the weekend.

While I do think some of the issues raised in the article are a bit nit-picky--such as the proper length of sideburns--at the same time I understand why a company makes such seemingly silly rules. People just don't seem to know how to dress for anything that isn't casual. I've even written about how people aren't being able to get jobs due to their interview outfits.

Here are some fashion violations I commonly see in downtown Charleston amongst the worker bees:

Capri pants | Really too casual for work, even for those businesses that are business casual. If you want a similar look, ankle or cropped pants give a more professional feel.

Mini skirts | I saw more mini skirts walking into offices on Capitol Street last week at 8:30 AM that I do at Saturday nights at the bar. At the shortest, skirt length should be around 3"-4" above your knee. 

Flip flops | I don't care how fancy they are, the materials, or the designer. Flip flops are meant for the pool or beach and not the office.

Leggings | Do I really need to explain this one? Also, leggings are not pants.

Denim | Any type, any color, any style is just not workplace suitable. 

I've worn uniforms for a majority of my life. I started wearing them in kindergarten and wore them until I graduated high school. I then wore them again after college for various jobs. Have I complained about wearing them? Sure. But I've never let my productivity nor my creativity be hampered by what I was wearing. All those who complain that a dress code hampers their ability to do their jobs fully are just looking for an excuse to hold themselves back.

The September List: What's Hot for Tops and Bottoms

Here's a quick roundup of what to look for when completing your fall wardrobe:

colorblock top  |  printed blazer  |  colorblock sweater  |  chain print top

As mentioned so many times before, black and white was seen all over the runway for all seasons this year. It's not going anywhere and this makes it so easy to work pieces you may have bought earlier in the year. Yes, you can continue to wear white after Labor Day! However, you do have to keep in mind the fabric of the clothing. Pack up the white gauze sundresses and maxi skirt, but keep out the white poplin blazer.

Adding a print, be it a floral or chain print (also known as a Gucci print or a "WTF kinda print is that?" print) can add a boost to your look. If you're eyeing a floral print, keep to a soft print to keep on trend. Graphic prints are best in black and white for this autumn.

The wonderful colorblock sweater is from J. Crew Factory. Never pay full price for things from J.Crew Factory. This sweater may be full price this week, but will be anywhere from 25%-40% off next week. I'd style this sweater over a chambray shirt with a flared skater skirt or knife pleat skirt in black. For the warmer part of fall, I'd wear penny loafers or moccasins with my Vera Bradley tote in my favorite patter, Chelsea Green. As it gets colder in November, I'd add burgundy or navy leather gloves, tights, and Bean Boots. I'd add a nice cognac clutch for a nice brunch look.

jodphurs  |  printed pant  | wide leg pant

Pants for this fall are super easy to wear and yet they pack serious style. Replace your leggings or skinny jeans with a pair of jodphurs. For those of you who didn't taking riding lessons as a kid, jodphurs are pants that are typically worn for English style horseback riding. Boots are the easiest pairing for jodphurs, just not the slouchy kind as they don't pair well with the sharp look. You could also wear booties in almost any style, as well as pointy-toe flats. I'd skip the basic round-toe cheapie flats from Target, they'll wreck the look. Add a fitted tee, bracelet stack or statement necklace (never both), and your look goes from one-step-above-Tinkerbell-PJ-pants to street-style photo worthy.

Think of your basic jeans-and-tee combo. Replace the jeans with a pair of printed pants and people will think you took hours to get ready that morning. People seem to be afraid of printed pants and there's really no reason to be. They'll wear long skirts with prints, but not pants? I love the abstract print on the Lela Rose pants but I also really like the floral jacquard on the J. Crew pants.

Yes, the wide leg pants look exactly like the slacks you buy for work. I love the Honor look because it's effortlessly chic. I'd wear my black wide leg pants, a black blouse, my white knee-length collarless blazer, and add a black belt to add waist definition. To finish it off I'd use my black Kate Spade dome bag and my black sort of suede-y heels.

While some of these fall trends may look scary or out of your comfort range, they're actually very easy to wear. If you want some advice on wearing any of these trends, how to accessorize them, need help finding something specific, don't hesitate to email me at wvfashionologist [at] gmail.com and I'll try my best to help.



The Naked Truth about the Naked 2 Palette

Once in a great while there's this one thing that takes over the beauty world by storm. Everyone from the models on the runway to housewives to Hollywood stars talk about how how wonderful this thing is.

The most recent thing is Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette. A collection of neutrals that are supposed to look good on everybody and for all occasions. A one-stop eyeshadow palette, if you will. At $50, it isn't cheap but when compared to similar palettes it's fairly priced. 

I skipped on the Naked 2 Palette for the longest time because I felt I already had most of the colors. However, I went though my makeup collection and realized that I didn't have as many neutrals as I thought I had. I had a Sephora gift card for $50 so I decided to take the plunge.

Head over to Temptalia for swatches

This was about two weeks ago, and it's the only eyeshadow I've been using. Here are my thoughts:

Naked 2 palette  |  Smashbox Photo Finish lid primer

Let me say this: Smashbox's Photo Finish lid primer is a life-changing product. I've had lid primers in the past and have sort of pooh-poohed them. This one has proven itself to be a makeup necessity and I'd give up my normal face primer before I'd give my lid primer. 

The Naked 2 palette is a huge disappointment for me. I wanted to love this eyeshadow something hard. I mean, just look at it. Even if you like more color in your shadows this is a seemingly amazing set of base shades. The initial love I had for Naked 2 was fleeting, when I discovered all the sparkle in the Chopper color (glittery copper shade) had migrated onto my cheeks. No problem, I thought, I'll just make sure to use my Smashbox lid primer. 

Even using my primer and attempting different applicators (the included brush or a foam applicator)  didn't make a difference. Within two hours of putting on any of the shimmery or glittery shades it was falling onto my cheeks. The colors were fading before I got home from work. 

This palette isn't worth $50 nor does it meet Urban Decay's usual standards.

When I returned it to Sephora, the saleswoman said I was the first one to ever return it because I didn't like it. She tried to sell me another lid primer, but when the Smashbox works on all my other eyeshadow including the cheap stuff from Target, it's not the lid primer's fault. 

Since I now have a $50 Sephora credit, here's some options I'm looking at:

Bobbi Brown's Navy & Nude eye palette if I want to stay with neutrals
Smashbox's Heat Wave palette for both some neutrals and some color

The Best & Worst of the 2013 Emmy Awards Looks

Let's start with the worst, shall we?

Lena  Heady in Alessandra Rich
It appears she's wearing Spanx under her sheer gown. And the white shoes?

January Jones in Givenchy
The bodice is too tight and the color washed her right out the door.

Zooey Deschanel in J. Mendel
I think my older sister wore this to prom in 1996. However, I am always underwhelmed by Deschanel's red carpet looks.

Lily Rabe in Vionnet
I think she was aiming for the dorm-room-toga-party look.

Zosia Marmet in Honor
Had the boob mask been different I actually would have liked this dress a lot.

Aubrey Plaza in Marios Schwab
Flowers, gems, lace, and the tape trim just isn't working together.

Jessica Pare in Oscar de la Renta
I like the skirt, I like the shoes, but it feels like this dress is missing the top.

The Okays:
Dresses that aren't bad, but aren't that great

Rose Byrne in Calvin Klein
Again, a late '90s prom dress. The fit and color are incredible, though.

Connie Britton in Naeem Khan
Gorgeous colors and embroidery yet it seems too heavy for her.

Kate Mara in J. Mendel
If anyone but Kate Mara was wearing this, I would have called it the worst dress of the night. On Kate, it's a good but not great dress.

Lena Dunham in Prada
Unlike everyone else, I really love this dress on Lena. There are some fit issues that kept it from going on my best dress list.

Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang.
I swear she wears the same dress to every red carpet event, just in a different color. Shake it a up bit, honey.

Mindy Kaling in Georges Chakra
I love the neckline, it just makes her look a lot shorter than she actually is.

Amy Poehler in Basel
Did birds land on her hips?

Kristen Connolly in Nicholas Oakwell
I love this dress to death. I just don't think it was formal enough for the Emmys.

Sarah Hyland in Carolina Herrera
The dress is beautiful, the makeup is not. This reminds me of what the self-described "goth girl" in my high school class wore to prom in 2002.

And now, the best dressed:

Anna Gunn in Romona Keveza
Beautiful fit, simple, and elegant. Perfection.

Mayim Bialik in Oliver Tolentino
Love the color, love the fit, love the styling, love the details. I just don't love the show (The Big Bang Theory is just so unfunny to me).

Kelly Osbourne in Jenny Packham
Beautiful draping, shape, and color.

Allison Williams in Ralph Lauren
Everything about her dress and look is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.

Allison Janney in Lorena Sarbu
You can be over 50 and still rock bright colors and and sexy shapes.

Michelle Dockery in Prada
Again, just a well-done look from dress to makeup to accessories.

And the best-dressed of the 2013 Emmys...

Robin Wright in Ralph Lauren
The fiercest look of the night, this is the only dress that I thought I haven't seen a variation of before. It's simple and yet daring all at once. This is a dress for the woman who gets things done. She doesn't have to worry about a train getting caught or dirty. If she needs to leave a party to go command the helm of a Navy warship off the coast of Somalia, she goes and does it because she doesn't have to worry about her dress.

 all photos from cache.daylife.com or getty images



The September List: Booties

 

 Fabienne | Keris Studded | Alena | Annabell

Kaelyn Suede | Porter | Lita | Sabe

Suede Bootie | Contrast Strap | Faux Snakeskin | Studded Bootie

There's a lot of trends that I see and tell myself, I should get in on that.
Last year, it was smoking loafers and booties. I kept looking at booties in particular, and I always passed on them because at the time I wore a uniform to work. I couldn't justify to myself spending a bit more than I normally would on shoes I might wear once or twice a month for a season.

However, now I only wear a uniform to one job so I can spend a little coin on shoes for work.
No matter your style or heel preference you can find a pair of booties that will work well with your wardrobe. Since they're more popular this year than they were last year, it's also a lot easier to find at a lower price point. The black flat booties marked $35 in the top row, and the the gray ones marked $30 in the second row are both from Target. Great style and a really great price.

The entire bottom row is from American Eagle Outfitters. AEO currently has one of the largest selections of booties I've seen. Any style you can think of, from simple and classic to rocker to something a bit more embellished, they have it. Want something with some sparkle? They have those, too. Their booties average around $70 but sign up for their emails to get notices for their generous sales they have pretty frequently.

A note about wearing booties with skirts/dresses: they can make your legs look short and stumpy. If you like to wear booties with a dress, look for ones that don't rise above the ankle. The first three booties in the top row are good examples of what to look for.

Personally, I'd love to have any of these booties. I'm currently leaning towards the brown suede booties on the bottom row and the black wedges in the first row. However, these are my absolutely favorite of all the booties I've seen, along with a great quote I came across:

 

 



An Illustrated Guide to a Fashion Blogger's Hair

I was ten when I was finally allowed to grow my hair long. Being the second youngest of six kids, my mother didn't have time to do our hair so we all had short hair until we were old enough to take care of it ourselves. I remember getting excited about having long hair and all the cute things I cold do with until I found out how much I hated having my hair down. I hated the feeling of it on the back of my neck and I especially hated having it in my eyes. So I just wore it in a ponytail through high school and into college.

 

I was a printing management major at WVU Tech, so I worked with and around printing presses and even a ponytail could get caught in a press roller. I then began my love affair with the topknot and ballerina bun (the difference is that a ballerina bun is on the back of the head and is very neat whereas topknots are best a tad messy).

 

I've worn my hair like that ever since 2004.

 

I was officially in a hair rut.

 

Now, I've cut my hair short off and on, but it was always just in a basic bob with no real style. It'd just grow back to how I had it originally and go back up into a topknot.

 

Earlier this year I started watching the Netflix series House of  Cards and fell in love Robin Wright's character Claire Underwood's neutral chic style. For the first time in my life, I started buying black clothes. I also fell in love with her hair:

 

 

So I went and got this amazing cut. It looks amazing and I truly love it and wish I had done it years ago. I hate that I thought I had to hang on to my long hair to look cute.

 

The only problem? I'm not fully convinced this is the best cut for my hair type. Due to it always being long and too heavy, it was always straight so I assumed that was just my hair's texture. The first morning I let my hair air dry, I noticed it start to do something funny. The hell, I thought?

My hair was curling. My hair has never been able to hold a curl.

So now my cut looks like this:

 

I also apparently have the same nose as Louis Griffin.

 

So I now have this wavy/curly mess to deal with, and honestly, I'm okay with it. I can style it to get it to look like Claire Underwood's, but most mornings I'm hitting snooze and don't have time to give my hair a proper styling. If I want to keep the waves, I'm going to have to cut the front some more to take out a lot of bulk. However, I lose the original cut I love.

 

What I do know is that no matter what, I'm keeping my hair short. I love that it's not in my face or on the back of my neck. It's more fitting for my lifestyle, which now include 70 hour work weeks. Did I mention my hair isn't in my face anymore?

The September Lists: Update Your Makeup

I wish that the day after Labor Day was really the first day of autumn. I'm looking forward to not dying from heat stroke on the drive home from Charleston everyday. Even though those wonderful fall temperatures may be a few weeks away, I can get in the autumn spirit with refreshing my makeup:

1| Naked 2 palette   2| Alchemie polish   3| Violet Streak palette

4| Style Eye-Con #7   5| Smokey Eye mascara    6| Enamored lacquer

7| After School Boy Blazer polish   8| 'Mad Men' Rich lipstick   9| Lipslicks lip balm

1. I know, I know, I'm the last person on the planet to get the Naked 2 palette. In my defense, I only held off on buying because I thought I already had most of the colors included in the palette. However, I just did a makeup purge only to find out, I didn't have most of the colors. Thanks to a $50 JC Penney's gift card I won at a raffle, I now include myself in the legions who worship this eyeshadow. My favorites: the slightly glitttery copper Chopper, the shimmery mushroom Pistol, and the shimmery griege Busted. However, everything in the set is pretty incredible.

2. Despite being a huge Chanel polish fan, the past few seasons have been hit or miss for me. However, this pine/mossy green caught my eye. If you're wondering how it compares to the other Chanel polish, Peridot, they're pretty different. Alchemie is just a pure green whereas Peridot has that beautiful green/gold duotone. 

3. Jason Wu did a collaboration with Lancome cosmetics and it's as wonderful as you can imagine. 

4. Marc Jacobs officially has his own makeup collection, available at Sephora. I like this palette, The Starlet, because I think it will add some color to the neutrals in my Naked 2 set.

5. I've been into Bobbi Brown after a makeover at one of her Nordstrom counters this past spring. I'm kicking myself for not getting her Navy & Nude collection over the summer because it was basically summer makeup perfection that would look wonderful year round. This mascara went with that collection and I have yet to read anything bad about it.

6. Also from the Marc Jacobs collection is this ultraviolet polish. This color is actually very popular in the fall collections so this is an affordable way to add it to your wardrobe.

7. Essie's fall collections are usually pretty legit but this fall's felt a bit off to me. However, this navy polish really stood out to me. At $8, it's more than affordable.

8. While looking for lipstick I came across this gorgeous pinkish-rose from the Mad Men collection by Estee Lauder that took inspiration from it's own 1960s collection. 

9. Oh lord, I had hundreds of Cover Girl's Lipslicks back in high school and college. Just like the days of old, they continue to give good color, a subtle sheen, and moisturizes. This is the cheapest on the list at around $5, but so far is my favorite purchase from this list. 

While these aren't all from a fall makeup collection, I picked them because I thought they were the most representative of fall looks from what I've seen on the runway and in the September issues (I got a hernia just from picking up the 900+ page issue of Vogue).  While it may be too warm to wear sweaters and sip pumpkin lattes, it's the right time to start shifting into the fall fashions.