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A dress is the simplest possible wardrobe piece you can own. A really great dress can stand on its own or be worn with a jacket or sweater or shawl; you can change your shoes or your accessories and change your entire look. A great dress can take you from day to evening, and from work to weekend.
If you will primarily be wearing your dress(es) to the office, there are a few rules to keep in mind. Avoid anything very low cut (a deep V neck can be worn for day with a pretty camisole underneath) or very short. The best hem length is just below the knee; when you sit down, the hem will sit just above the knee. Anything shorter and you will be showing clients all your assets. If you get my drift. By the same token, steer clear of dresses that require complicated undergarments; it’s not professional to spend your day hiking up your strapless bra. As a general rule, if the dress requires strapless lingerie, it is probably not office appropriate.
So how do you know what dress IS appropriate for your office? As a rule, you can’t go wrong with a classic wrap or shirtdress, in a basic neutral. However, you can ALSO choose a shirtdress or wrap in a color or pattern; the more conservative style of the dress will balance out the color and pattern.
If you’re going from day to evening, feel free to wear a dressier dress, but look for something that you could wear with a jacket or sweater for the work day, particularly if you choose a sleeveless style. Finally, a more feminine silhouette in a neutral color is a nice bridge from day to evening.
Classiques Entier shirtdress, $198.00
BCBG Max Azria shirt dress, $180.00
Maggie London print matte jersey dress, $98.00
David Meister print matte jersey dress, $308.00
Jones New York Collection silk dress, $159.00
Michael by Michael Kors silk dress, $159.50
Max and Cleo poplin dress, $118.00
All dresses available at Nordstrom.com.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 19th, 2007 at 9:08 am and is filed under dresses, basics. 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.
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June 19th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Great post, thank you Susan!
Is a dress appropriate on days when you have client meetings?
Also, this is a loaded question, perhaps for one of your future posts but I often get approached by my friends on outfits to wear to an interview, especially if it’s in the summer and the firm has business casual dress code. I always suggest to my friends to wear a suit. However, what’s the etiquette for multiple rounds of interview? Do you still wear a suit every time or can you wear dress/slacks in later rounds to adjust to the culture of the place where you are interviewing at? Many thanks.
June 19th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
I think that in most professions, a dress is fine for a client meeting. If your workplace–or your client–is more conservative, then opt for a more conservative dress (say a basic black or navy wrap dress) and a closed-toed shoe. If you are in a more casual field or office, a print dress, or one with lots of color, would be just fine.
HOWEVER, if the dress (the print, the color, the length, etc) is going to distract the client from the work at hand, then choose something else. Cleavage is fine for after work, but not for the office; same goes for shorter hemlines or anything that shows a lot of leg. Frilly dresses can undermine your credibility. And of course, any dress that you are constantly fussing with is a big no.
The classic office dress is the Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress; if you work in a field that is still leaning toward the suit, this may be the dress to invest in.
And on Friday, we’ll talk about what to wear to an interview.
June 19th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Great tip- From my experience in summer shopping this year, H&M has some great work-appropriate dresses at can’t beat prices. I think dresses are fine for meetings- agree with your analysis though.
June 19th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Do you all want to know a secret? I have NEVER been to an H&M! We don’t have them in Oklahoma.
But! I will be in Chicago for a long weekend in July and I will probably spend most of it in the H&M store. Shopping for a dress, even!
June 19th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I’m so glad you are going to talk about what to wear in interviews this week.
I have applied for my dream job and hope to get an interview in the next few weeks. It’s been over six years since my last in-person interview (no dress code issues for phone interviews). The company at which I’m hoping to interview has both a business casual workplace and reduced summer hours (also “Hawaiian shirt Friday”).
I’m really struggling with what to wear - not to mention that after 2 babies all of my dressier work wear doesn’t currently fit, so I know if I get an interview I have go shopping.
One thing I was considering was a less expensive suit in a light khaki/beige fabric with something in a solid color underneath. I know a lot of the scientists/engineers wear khaki so I thought a suit in that color scheme might bridge the gap between dressing appropriately for an interview and standing out as someone who doesn’t belong.
Looking forward to your tips!
June 19th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
“Hawaiian shirt Friday” makes me nervous.
I think we’re looking at more than one post on What to Wear to the Interview, don’t you all? We’ll start on Friday with what to wear to the FIRST interview, and then move on next week to what else you need in your interview closet.
June 19th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I LOVE H&M. And have a friend in New York who is a crazy fashion hound with too much money to spend at places like Saks and Barneys. She regularly goes to H&M and looks great:) I did buy a dress there this year - I should take a pic and post it on our Flick pool. I am someone who has a hard time wearing dresses, but some of these look great, Susan!
June 19th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Yes you SHOULD post a picture to the Flickr pool, Nataly! Today!
Dresses can be tricky, which is a sad truth because the dress is SO EASY–one piece, some shoes, and off you go. It’s worth it to find the Right Dress, and to have it tailored if need be, because in a pinch, you have it to fall back on.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I have that Maggie London dress in Brown & Beige and I love it. It’s SO easy to wear.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
I love unsolicited testimonials. Thank you!
June 20th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
These are great. And H&M rocks!
PunditMom
June 20th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Oh how I long for those not-pumping days of being able to wear a dress!!
I’m still plugging away at the “what is in your closet” post from a while back…. but I’ve really gotten into it and -dare I say- I’ve been dressing quite cute lately… and it makes me feel SO GOOD.
Although I did break the rules and wear leather flip-flops to work today….
But THANK YOU for writing about all of this… it’s fun and it feels good.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:30 am
All right, ladies, the picture of my awesome H&M dress that I got for $25 is in our flickr pool, check it out. Susan, I think you should include the link to the pool with every post so that we can keep submitting:)
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:31 am
Nataly! You rock!
Who else wants to show us what you’re wearing? Come on . . .
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Long ago, when i was thinner, I had at least two nice shirt-dresses like the top two pix. Now I’m still short, but wide. Plump. and busty, too. Can such a dress work for me?
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Daisy, a shirtdress CAN work for a curvier figure, although a better bet might be a wrap dress, which will give your waist some good definition AND balance your hips and bust. The diagonal line of the wrap can be more flattering than the straight line of the shirtdress.
June 24th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Great post, Susan! I’m like Daisy, plump, but I’m tall.
One of the problems I’ve had with the wrap dresses is the neckline. It seems they ALL plunge too low. I’m a teacher in a Christian high school, and I’m uncomfortable wearing a neckline like that. Otherwise, I love the fit of those dresses when I try them on.
I have problems with camisoles - I can’t seem to find one that fits well, b/c my bust is kind of large. By the time my bust fills it out, it doesn’t really cover much more than whatever other top I have on!
Suggestions are appreciated… Thanks for sharing your brilliance!
July 4th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
i love h&m,
i live in England and have an interview in their Cambridge store in a few weeks.
should i wear h&m clothes? (i’m not talking head-to-toe h&m - just one key item)
or should i just stay away from it all together?
suggestions are appreciated!
July 6th, 2007 at 3:59 am
I am no expert - but I would say yes, I think it would be great if you wore something from H&M if you are interviewing there!
July 24th, 2007 at 5:00 am
[…] is right: a dress is the perfect solution for a day that will begin at the office and end with drinks and dinner. The […]