I’m sure I’m not the only woman interested in fashion who has worked in a conservative office environment.  Have any of you noticed the peculiar dearth of fashion guidance on the subject of what we can wear to to work? Certain websites and magazines who shall remain nameless (*cough*Lucky!*cough*) are continually proffering “office appropriate” outfits, but really?  Those outfits might be office appropriate if you’re 22 and work at a fashion magazine, but not so much if you work in an accounting office or at a Fortune 500 company.

That’s really a shame, because “conservative” does not have to mean boring.  Even those of us who know we shouldn’t be wearing 4″ peeptoe heels and bare shoulders in to the office have options. Now, if you’re an attorney and are going to court, you know perfectly well you need to wear a suit, and it probably needs to not have ruffles and certainly needs to not be pink.  I’m not talking about those kinds of situations.  Sometimes, yes, you need to be boring.  (Although for those situations, I recommend checking out Theory, J. Crew, or Banana Republic.  They offer suits with a cut much more modern than the average suit you’re likely to find in your local Macy’s or Filene’s.)  For the regular day in the office, on the other hand, the vast majority of us can get a little more interesting without crossing the line of appropriate business attire.  Yes, actual appropriate business attire, wearable by women over 25.

In my opinion, if you’re not in the arts or the fashion industry, the key to looking businesslike and fashionable at the same time is sticking close to the classics without feeling chained to them.  Super-slouchy, oversized layers?  Great for your casual wear, but if you want to look like the boss and work in an office full of white men, fitted and structured are the way to go.

One of my favorite designers along those lines is Rebecca Taylor.  She makes great if pricey feminine riffs on basic work wear, adding rosettes, ruffles, and kick-pleats to jackets and pencil skirts that remain businesslike while leaving boring behind.

Nanette Lepore also makes gorgeous workwear; every season her line includes an assortment of feminine blazers that hearken back to the lines of the 40s and 50s.

If you’re feeling a little more edgy and a little less girly, the offerings from ADAM may appeal to you:

Even if you don’t have a ton of money to spend on your work wardrobe or don’t want to get too adventurous, you can still spice things up just by picking up a blouse or two with some interesting embellishments or a vivid color to layer under a jacket.  A few that I liked:

The moral of the story?  Don’t give up just because you have a dress code, ladies.  Fashion is still well within reach.

I’d love to hear any other suggestions people have!

Tags: Adam, Banana Republic, business attire, Fashion, J Crew, Nanette Lepore, Rebecca Taylor, Theory

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 7:35 am and is filed under Pint of Lagerfeld. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.