[work wear wednesday] my work attire commandments

Dressing for work can be tricky. Plain and simple. Work appropriate style can vary on work environment and industry but one misconception is attire should vary depending on your professional level. And I wholeheartedly disagree. As a young professional, it is easy to try to buy clothes for the weekend you can make work in the office. Does the highest-level female in your office do that too? No, she doesn't. And neither should you. Since this can be a fine balance and a work in progress for most (myself included!), I've decided to do a little series of work wear tips so we can all tackle work wear together. And because in a past life, I worked in HR, I'll probably pepper in some resume/cover letter/interview tips because I can't help it.

Let's start with my five commandments:

This means your upper back, thigh, cleavage and toes (with the exception of peep toe shoes). No one in your office needs to see that. Toes are a hot topic in my office and often up to debate. I'm of the mind that you get 4 exposed toes -2 for each peep and they had better be pedicured. I've gotten feedback that is harsh and "ain't nobody got time for that" to which I have nothing to say. A rarity for me..

Casual Friday is not a day to slop it up or an excuse to sleep in. Casual Friday is a day to impress. Wear your favorite blazer with your best fitting jeans. Throw in a statement necklace to show some personal style while still being professionally polished. Nothing with a hood will do.

Come ON. If you have thick hair and cant dry it all, dry the top enough and pull it back to disguise the rest of your wet hair. If your gym doesn't have hair dryers, invest in a travel size one like this hot tools one. Wet hair will always look unpolished. aka the opposite of how you want to look every day.

If I had a credo, this would be it. This commandment applies to outside the work place as well. Just make sure things FIT. Dress for fit not vanity size.

On top of producing your high quality work, show that you're committed to growth and professionalism every day by dressing appropriately. That female boss of yours rock blazers every day?? You best haul yo self down to Banana Republic next time they have one of their 40% off sales and invest in one of their wool blazers. The one from Forever isn't going to cut it anymore. You can thank me next time you run into her awkwardly in the kitchen....

*aaaaand I'm hopping off my super betchy soapbox now. See ya next Wednesday!*