with Susan Wagner
The Working Closet is your source for the best of what's hip and fresh in fashion and beauty. Susan Wagner keeps you up-to-date on trends and offers tips and tricks for making everything in your closet truly work for you.
You can also catch Susan over at Friday Playdate.
The midi skirt has an irresistible appeal; long enough to cover all your lady parts, but not so long that you’ll step on it or get tangled in it. If you’re looking for a chic skirt option for the office, the midi is it.
But the midi skirt can be difficult to wear — style it wrong and you’ll look like you’re on your way to the convent. Here are three simple ways to make a midi look hip.
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I love a little bling; I’m all about wearing sequins for the school drop and piling on the necklaces for a grocery store run. But I am baffled by the ongoing popularity of embellished jeans.
Unless you are an actual rodeo queen, you do not need all that going on behind you. And if you are an actual rodeo queen, I have to wonder if it’s really comfortable to ride a horse with your backside all bedazzled like that.
Let’s go in for a closer look, shall we?
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Categories: beyond 9 to 5, bottoms
This week, the Wall Street Journal is singing the praises of the shorts suit. “Traditionally, the word ’suit’ is a sad one for ladies, especially when uttered during the summer months,” writes Alexa Brazilian. “Conversely, shorts have always evoked ideas of vacation, heat and leisure. When brought together, they create an unexpected combination of crisp polish and playful sportiness that can be worn anywhere from the office to weekends in the country and formal evenings out.”
In other words, it’s time to get a shorts suit!
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It’s spring, and it’s time to think about freshening up your wardrobe. Sailor pants are a summer classic — but how do you style them?
Elizabeth and James Lucien Trousers, $225, Saks Fifth Avenue
“I would like to find a decent pair of khaki shorts that are not 3 inches long and super low rise, nor 1940’s style. Just something classic and simple,” writes Susanna. “I live in south Georgia so it’s already in the 80s here this year and I’m trying to spruce up the wardrobe a little, but in a stay at home mom with little kids sort of way.”
Paillette short, $148 at J. Crew. Insert eye roll here.
This week, I want your help answering a Very Pressing Question: is it really possible to dress up your shorts?
I have all sorts of issues with shorts. Most women (and men!) are wearing the wrong shorts — wrong size, wrong style, wrong fabric (no more denim shorts, I’m begging you all). But even a really great pair of shorts is still … a pair of shorts. They’re meant for casual wear, and the insistence on dressing them up drives me batty. It’s ok to have clothes that are just for the weekend! Really! You don’t need to wear your shorts to work!
In fact, I say steer clear of shorts for the office. Always.
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Lauren recently tried on a pair of cropped pants at Banana Republic “and they fit great,” she wrote, “but I didn’t get them because the length seemed weird. Like they’re supposed to be ‘flood’ length? They hit basically at the top of my ankle bone. How would I wear them so I don’t just look shorter?”
J. Crew Stretch Twill Minnie Pant, $79.50
Cropped skinny pants are a classic look — think Jean Seberg in “Breathless” or Audrey Hepburn in “Funny Face.” As minimalism makes a return to the runway, the skinny pant — sleek, slim, understated — is also back.
But how do you wear it?
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Categories: basics, bottoms, casual office, shoes
One of the most difficult wardrobe transitions you’ll ever make is the post-kids return to work. It’s a tough shift for a lot of reasons: your body has changed, for one thing, and your budget probably has, too. And for many of us, the return to work is a foray into a much more casual office environment than the one we left before the baby came home. All of this often means that our current everyday clothes are too casual, while our old work attire is too dressy — or just the wrong size and shape. And most of us don’t have the cash to start over with an entirely new wardrobe (and of course, if you’re still working to lose that last bit of baby weight, you may not want to buy a bunch of stuff that — hopefully — won’t fit in a year anyway).
So what should you invest in before you kiss the baby goodbye and head back to the office? Ideally, pieces that will work both with your current closet and on their own, and that can transition from work to weekend without missing a beat. Here are my five essentials for the back-to-work closet.
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Tod’s driving mocs , from $395. Old school, truly.
The easiest outfit ever is a pair of jeans, a basic tee, and pair of beautiful flats. But not every pair of flats works with every pair of pants; it’s all about balance and proportion.
So what goes with what?
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I bought a pair of boyfriend jeans this week; I was totally won over by the soft, comfortable fit. I’m typically a skinny jeans girl, and while I still love my skinny jeans (easy to dress up and dress down!) I needed something super casual, for football games and afternoons at the park with my kids.
Gap boyfriend destructed jeans, $59.50
Boyfriend jeans are a classic college girl look — so how do you wear them if your last day on a college campus was 20 years ago?
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