Fashion Faux Pas

Alas, gentle reader, the temperature gauge is rising with the hemlines. The landscape is filled with unfortunate fashion choices with the advent of the warmer weather.

In corporate America, it is time for a few gentle reminders for the summer wardrobe in the workplace.  If the following rules are followed, Admin Gal can promise a Spring and Summer season free of disaster.

1. Skirts - I see London, I see France.... If you can't bend over without exposing everything, don't wear it!  Admin Gal is appalled at the articles of clothing that are mistakenly called skirts that can show up at the workplace.  According to the majority of corporate dress codes, women should be covered from their waist to 2 inches above their knees.
2. Blouses & Tops - Just because the temperature is rising doesn't mean the décolletage should be lowered.  The workplace is not a brothel.  It is a place of business.  It is better to leave things to the imagination.
3. Short Shorts - There is no professional environment where short shorts are appropriate work attire.  Daisy Duke wasn't a really person, she existed only in comics.  That's where those shorts should stay.
4. Overall Clingy-ness - While many of us work hard to maintain our physical fitness, properly fitted clothing is much more attractive than ill fitted clothing.  Clothing should not reveal every lump, bump or unmentionables.  Leave something to the imagination.  
5. KNOW YOUR CORPORATE DRESS CODE

Here's to a summer season without a fashion disaster!

Dressing for the Winter Weather

Well, certainly, my dear, I do not expect you to wear your best shoes, including high heels in this weather, especially when you have to walk the sidewalks of Richmond.  However, there is a certain decorum when you reach the office.

Please, wear hiking boots, big gloves, floppy hat – whatever it takes to keep the wind/rain/sleet/crap falling from the sky.  But when you get here – please be prepared to dress according to your work standards.  Change out of those big honking boots, brush your hair and get to work.  Yes, we all know it is snowing outside …

(Courtesy of Katherine N.)

Summertime Dress Blues

The workplace, not for the fashion faint of heart

It's that time again!  The sun is shining, the mercury is rising, the winter time blues are being banished like a bad memory.  We all rejoice in the return of the consistent sunshine of Spring and Summer.
With this felicitous change brings a change in wardrobe in the workplace.  Hems rise, toes come out of hiding and shirts seem to have less yardage.
So here are some simple rules to follow as we enter the warmer months in the work environment:

1. If you think you are going to sweat, don't forget the deodorant.  More importantly, DO NOT increase the amount of your favorite perfume or cologne to combat your BO.  Your co-workers will rise in revolt and hose you down until you stinketh not!
2. Let's talk about hemlines.  Most companies have a summertime dress code, inevitable people will try to find a way around it.  Frankly, a simple rule to follow is if you can't bend down without showing the world your privates, the skirt or shorts are too short!
3. Cleavage.  Let's talk about cleavage.  As the mercury rises the décolletage seems to dip.  Showing too much skin, leaving little to the imagination.  Intimate apparel should never show when you are in a professional environment!  Cover up ladies!  Use a shrug, sweater, shawl, or, I don't know, and actual blouse that buttons.

Summer is a time to be cool and refreshing in most everything you do.  This can be done with class and elegance with your wardrobe.  Be aware of your company's dress code and stick to it.
What every you do, don't show your privates to the boss!  If you do, your summer will surely be blue.

Dress Code or How Not to Dress Like a Pop Tart

The summer has drawn to a close.  People have once more started covering their bodies with more layers of clothing in order to accommodate the wildly fluctuating temperatures of the fall.  HOWEVER...
That doesn't mean that some people do not try to keep summer alive.  The sad, sad truth is that companies need to put forth some sort of dress codes. If only to educate the clueless.
This summer my eyes have been assaulted with cleavage baring tops on people where more fabric is a necessity not a fashion statement.  Skirts that with a stiff wind or an inappropriate bend the world would be privy to their privates.  More knarly, sparkly flip-flops that were stinky bio-hazards that did not belong in a corporate environment.  All of the above a direct violation of the company's dress code.

People.  I am not the fashion police.  I'm sure that people look at me and say I could desperately use a make over.  But when I leave the house in the morning, I know that no fashion catastophe will happen.  All my bits and parts will stay properly covered and never see the light of day so that my co-workers will wish never had happened.

The advice of a good friend follows :   Folks – put a mirror in your foyer – one last look before you leave for work, doesn’t hurt.  If you have to question to yourself whether or not something is appropriate, it probably isn’t!