Pretending to be a professional

I had another day today where I had to look more on the business side of business casual.  My office is business casual, but depending on what practice group you're in, some of it's more business and some of it is heavy on the casual (stuff that I would really only wear on weekends).  And then there's some that no matter what, they will wear a suit.  Even when working on Saturdays.  These are the old school attorneys.

Cream ruffle color blazer (LOFT, old); blue diagonal tiered shell (Ann Taylor Factory); black pencil skirt (J. Crew Factory); pumps (J. Crew Mona in Graphite Turtle via eBay.  I really want the tortoise ones); necklace (ILY Couture)

Particularly since I look so young and am so short, I often have a hard time being taken seriously.  I am often mistaken for an intern instead of an attorney.  Up until a few years ago, I still got carded for Rated R movies.  So, I feel like I have to dress more professionally than some of my other, young colleagues to be taken seriously.  Yes, I could wear black and suits and gray every day, but I think that would kill me.  And yes, some days I am definitely more on the casual side, but I'm doing my best to find that balance between my personal style and having a professional style.  Let's face it-- "business" is not known for being stylish.  Happiness at Mid-life asked this question today: how do you make a work outfit more "you."  It's definitely one I think about a lot and one that my friends ask me about a lot.  As an overall answer, my risks come in color and pattern, not in cut.  You've got to play by some rules, but you can update others.  The more rules you play by, the more liberty you have with stretching others.  While all offices are different, when I dress for work in the morning, here's what I generally do:

1.  When possible, dress in threes.  I used to work at a retail clothing store, and one of our basic rules of thumb was to make sure you had three pieces of clothing on.  Anyone can throw on a t-shirt and jeans, but it's that essential "third piece" that makes clothes look like an outfit (for the record, a dress counts as two -- a skirt and a top).  The third piece can be a scarf or statement necklaces for casual days, but for my professional days, I try to make it a cardigan or a jacket.  Jackets read more professional than cardigans, so I save those for the days when I'm meeting a client or will be around other attorneys who aren't from our office.  I haven't worn a jacket to work in a while -- mostly because today it was 98 degrees.  It was HOT.

2.  No bare shoulders.  A lot of the women attorneys I work with, young and old, wear bare shoulders.  Because they're a little further along in their careers, I feel like they have a bit more license; however, even their sleeveless pieces are fairly conservative and generally black.  I haven't braved the sleeveless thing yet, but I may try it if this heatwave keeps on up.  In most large law firms, this is a definite no no.  Know your office. Plus, I don't really like my arms, so I try not to bare them.

3.  Closed toe, closed back shoes.  This is another "know your office" kind of rule.  Some offices are probably okay with peep toes or sling backs.  My office may be one of them.  Nevertheless, I haven't noticed many of either.  I definitely haven't seen any peep toe sling backs or heeled sandals at the office.  I just bought a pair of Zara heels.  I haven't decided if these are work appropriate, but I may brave them on Fridays or if I'm wearing slacks.

Every now and again, I wear peep toes, but I try to avoid them.  I was once told by a female attorney a long time ago that if she ever saw a woman wearing peep toes, she always thought that attorney wanted to marry a lawyer, not be one.  I realize rules have changed and this is no longer the case, but it stuck with me.

Notice how I don't say anything about color.  If the shape of the shoe is conservative, I feel like I've earned my points and can go crazy with color.

4.  Shoes should have hidden platforms of no more than an inch.  I have a pair of nude pumps with a visable 1/2 inch platform. I actually don't know why I bought them.  I got sort of convinced by the friend I was with and her mother that it was okay.  It probably is, but I still regret it.  If it were a higher platform, I probably would not have bought them.  I really feel strongly about not having huge platforms. I'm really short, so I feel like I get away with it a little more, but platform shoes read just a bit to casual and weekend to me.  They don't feel professional at all.  Do you ever see Michelle Obama or Kate Middleton wearing 2 inch platform heels?  No.  You don't.  Kate wears some high heels, and some do have a platform, but if you notice, none of them are more than an inch and they're always hidden.  This is a rule that feel really strongly about, and from here on out will never break it.

Ann Taylor hidden platform perfect pump -- these are high and may not be appropriate for everyone, but notice the closed toe, closed back, and the hidden platform.  These shoes are in a regular rotation.  I also think that because they're black (as opposed to hot pink), I can get away the higher heel.

4.  Try to avoid pink.  This is a tough one for me since I love pink.  However, I think it reads as a very girly and young color, two things I'm trying to avoid.  I still wear it when I feel like it, but I definitely don't wear it every day.  There was this girl in law school that only wore pink.  We called her the pink smurf.  Everything about her was pink -- sweaters, laptop cover, key protector, phone, shoes.  Everything was in slightly different shade.  I get that it's her signature color, but it was hard to take her seriously.  When I feel like I've been on my best behavior or I know I won't really be seeing anyone, I give myself license to wear pink.  And on Fridays.  I'm about to break the rule tomorrow since tomorrow I'll be wearing pink.

I have a fabulous pair of hot pink pumps, but I haven't worn them yet. I probably won't for a long, long while.  They're very Barbie.  If I wear them to work, they'll be with pants so I can tone them down a little.  The overall shape of these are very similar to the black Ann Taylor's above, but because the shape of the shoe is not conservative with the high platform, I don't think I've necessarily earned the right to wear the hot pink.

5.  Never underestimate the power of a good accessory.  I love wearing statement necklaces to beef up an otherwise boring outfit.  I think this is what makes things a bit more modern and stylish.  I often thing of statement necklaces as my completer third piece.  I love wearing loads of colors at once, but this color block trend (that I lurv) is hard to wear for work.  So, my deference to the trend I hope lasts forever is bringing it in in my accessories.  For instance, on the weekends, I wouldn't hesitate to wear a bright neon yellow top with a cobalt skirt.  I really couldn't do that in the office, no matter how conservative the actual pieces are.  To make it work appropriate, I brought in that cobalt blue, then a dash of the neon yellow, and toned it all down with neutrals.  The more bright the color, the more neutrals you need.

6.  Break a few rules.  These are the rules I try to stick by, but I definitely break them a lot.  Sometimes I just get sick of following the rules.

In general, I think that if took a black and white picture of me, I'd probably be among the more conservatively dressed.  It's definitely the bright colors that take me out of that realm.  I'm from the South, and noone would bat an eyelash at the bright colors.  Now that I'm slightly more north, people notice.  However, the cuts of everything I wear generally is not flashy.