Friday, June 29, 2007

How to look feminine in the office

Office wear can be very masculine with your main building blocks being suits, shirts and pencil skirts and pumps. The key to a more feminine and versatile office appearance lies in contrasting the severity of your tailored pieces with feminine elements.

Choose flowing tops in stead of fitted shirts or simply add a dangly strand of pearls for a more ladylike appearance.

An easy way to create variety in your career wardrobe is by mixing and matching suit jackets, trousers and skirts.

Here are a few tips to get that office wardrobe looking ultra-feminine:
• When buying black, look for tailored jackets with decorative inner linings - like a pretty colour, or a textured fabric. It adds feminine sophistication to an otherwise very classic black jacket.

• To avoid blouses and skirts from looking too masculine, create a softer look by choosing a flowing fabric like chiffon or georgette.

• Delicate details like lace and classic soft colours like salmon or nude will tone down the severity of a very structured suit.

• Choose cardigans with pearly instead of plain buttons.

• Select shoes with a pretty buckle or trim for a more feminine feel.

• Make it interesting by mixing tops and bottoms from different suits. For example, wear a fitted jacket with a wide, 50s-style skirt as an alternative to tailored pants, or combine your white suit jacket with navy suit pinstripe pants.

• Coats are also ideal for the office: soften the military lines by wearing a dainty floral-print dress or camisole underneath.

• A tie is a great fashion accessory for the office, but with a shirt it can look very masculine. Try wearing it as a belt with your trousers or with a t-shirt under your jacket, more like a scarf.

Retha Jurgens is Fashion Editor for health and wellness magazine, Shape.

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