Dressing for Work

I’m lucky enough to have an amazing job where I can pretty much wear whatever I want. Not many people have that luxury. I spent all of the last week in baseball caps due to an illness – I like to wear hats when i’m sick. However, I do notice that when I dress down, I tend to be less productive and I feel like working less. It’s a very strange phenomenon.

I was going somewhere with this – A friend of mine asks me today, will you be my personal shopper? Well of course I would LOVE nothing more than to. My friend also works in the advertising industry, but his new title requires him to dress a little more professionally – unlike the rest of us!

This all got me thinking about dressing for work. I wanted to create a kind of guide for dressing this spring/summer whether you work at an ad agency, from home or at a bank – do those jobs still exist in this economy?

During my search for this perfect spring/summer guide, I came across this great piece on Elle.com showcasing 11 creative women and their daily work attire.

A few of my favourites are showcased below.

Anne Ziegler - Photographer and Alison Lewis - Fashion Designer

Besides these amazing women’s take on wordrobe for work, here are my top looks for work appropriate clothing for Spring/Summer 09.

I came up with what I thought were the four essential types of work attire: Corporate, business casual, artsy (aka advertising chic) and student.

Business Casual and Corporate attire from the BCBG SS 09 Collection

Above is my two favorite selections this season for Business Casual and Corporate, both from the spring/summer collection at BCBG.

Student and Artsy work attire from Gentle Fawn's spring/summer 09 Collection

Above are my two favorite looks for the Student and Artsy girls, both from the spring/summer collection at Gentle Fawn.

This season is a great time to put some colour in your wardrobe, especially if you normally shy away. I’ve chosen yellow and used it two different ways to show two looks that can be both corporate or business casual.

Photo Caption: Scarf – Alexander McQueen; Bracelet – Iosselliani; Ring – Loree Rodkin; Shoes – Givenchy; Purse – Chloé; Skirt and blouse – Dries Van Noten

Photo Caption: Scarf – Faliero Sarti; Cuff – Kenneth Jay Lane; Earrings – Citrine by the Stones; Purse and shoes – Christian Louboutin; Cardigan – Vince; Dress – Etro

Hope you like my picks! If you have any questions – feel free to comment.

Note: If you are going to use my selections, please provide a link back to my blog. I don’t mind you using it, as long as you source it!

-M