Standing in front of my wardrobe this morning, freshly washed hair tightly wrapped up in a towel turban, I faced the age old question of 'what to wear?'... But today's answer had more than usual riding on it. There is a fine line between looking like you've made an effort and looking like you are trying waaaay to hard, and striking the balance is easier said than done.
For a day full of big meetings, two of which looked at odds next to one another in my diary (one being all fashion and fabulous, and the all bottom line business) I needed an outfit that could easily look as appropriate on corporate barbie as it could on fashion barbie. Alas! This is not a scene out of 'The Devil wears prada' and there is no Stanley Tucci character to escort me into a sample close full of designer label possibilities, so, my wardrobe would have to do...
Elegant heels or sophisticated ballet flats (a la Audrey), dark blue skinny jeans or a proper grown up tailored pair of what mom used to all 'slacks'... Decisions, decisions. Twenty minutes of ummmm-ing and aaah-ing later I had a bed covered in a pile of Maybe/Maybe not's, and an outfit. I ended up going with the advice of the Drill Sergeant (running partner and part-time style advisor) and wearing the exact same thing that the office gave multiple stamps of approval on last week.
It seems that a simple black dress (Marion & Lindie circa 2008), a pair of strappy wedges (the business lunch heel) and a classic pair of pearl studs (just the right amount of stepford wife) is a winning combo. I took a few minutes to waterproof myself (with all the rain we've been having it was the sensible thing to do), I scraped up my hair in an anti-frizz messy bun thingee, slicked on a generous amount of waterproof mascara (Maybelline's new Falsies Volum' Express is really good stuff) and gave myself a sweet smelling spritz of something with a French word in the title.
I was good to go... Ready to face my liquorish allsorts kind of a day with the type of confidence boost that comes from a heel that makes you strut. Of course, clothes don't maketh the woman, but when you're feeling a little out of your depth it sure does help to dress for success.
For a day full of big meetings, two of which looked at odds next to one another in my diary (one being all fashion and fabulous, and the all bottom line business) I needed an outfit that could easily look as appropriate on corporate barbie as it could on fashion barbie. Alas! This is not a scene out of 'The Devil wears prada' and there is no Stanley Tucci character to escort me into a sample close full of designer label possibilities, so, my wardrobe would have to do...
Elegant heels or sophisticated ballet flats (a la Audrey), dark blue skinny jeans or a proper grown up tailored pair of what mom used to all 'slacks'... Decisions, decisions. Twenty minutes of ummmm-ing and aaah-ing later I had a bed covered in a pile of Maybe/Maybe not's, and an outfit. I ended up going with the advice of the Drill Sergeant (running partner and part-time style advisor) and wearing the exact same thing that the office gave multiple stamps of approval on last week.
It seems that a simple black dress (Marion & Lindie circa 2008), a pair of strappy wedges (the business lunch heel) and a classic pair of pearl studs (just the right amount of stepford wife) is a winning combo. I took a few minutes to waterproof myself (with all the rain we've been having it was the sensible thing to do), I scraped up my hair in an anti-frizz messy bun thingee, slicked on a generous amount of waterproof mascara (Maybelline's new Falsies Volum' Express is really good stuff) and gave myself a sweet smelling spritz of something with a French word in the title.
I was good to go... Ready to face my liquorish allsorts kind of a day with the type of confidence boost that comes from a heel that makes you strut. Of course, clothes don't maketh the woman, but when you're feeling a little out of your depth it sure does help to dress for success.
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