Q. I love to wear the latest trends but I work at a law firm I have to look professional, so flimsy feminine styles just don’t work. Does a woman have to choose between style and authority?
A. Judging from the most recent series of The Apprentice, the issue of what to wear in a corporate environment still remains a sticky issue for many women. While the men, even the youngest, looked at ease in their suits, the women often seemed to struggle with the sort of clothes that they clearly felt were necessary to emphasise their business acumen.
Perhaps because women’s' suits haven't been particularly fashionable for the last few years, their choice was more restricted and at times they appeared to be itching to incorporate some sense of individuality and flair into their working wardrobes.
Casual dress codes have now become so widespread that it's easy to forget that there are professions -law, finance, politics, - when corporate work attire needs to be heeded – and that usually means a suit.
It’s important to understand that fashion has little to do with dressing for the office. Women all over Ireland stand in front of their wardrobes, in the morning with the classic dilemma running through their heads: I haven't got a thing to wear. It could be amended more accurately to: I haven't got an appropriate thing to wear.
It would be fair to say that Vogue magazine must bring tears of frustration to most working women's eyes. Right now, the cool fashion crowd are getting into tiny body con dresses worn with strappy bondage heels and chandelier earrings. Would you want to wear that facing Bill Cullen the boardroom? If you did – you could be fired.
In business looking the part is everything, but is it possible to wear a suit and look modern? You can make a suit look great by opting for an up-to-date silhouette and careful selection of accessories. The good news is that tailoring is coming back, so there’s a wide range of choice to be had on the high street.
Choose your colour - black, navy, dark brown or even purple. A suit doesn't mean a business suit; it means a combination - a bottom with a matching top. Without that you'll never have an outfit, you’ll always just have trousers and a shirt, or a skirt and jumper but never an outfit.
If you don't buy a jacket at the time, you'll end up with hundreds of trousers without a single jacket to match. So buy the jacket, and if you can afford it, buy the skirt to go with it as well so that you have the building blocks of a wardrobe.
With five different tops you've already got a whole number of permutations, and if you want indulge your fashion – and express a little bit more of your personality – all you have to do is jazz it up with a new top, funky shoes or accessories.
Follow a few simple rules and you can manage to create a fashionable – and functional working wardrobe, which strikes the perfect balance between style and authority. Problem solved.
