I read on Already Pretty that sleeveless dresses became the norm a few years ago in part because designers find them easier to design. (Apparently, designers think it’s hard to design an attractive sleeve that is not overly constricting.) Be that as it may, working women need at least a few dresses with sleeves, … Read more
Do you ever go to a party that warrants dressing up, but not too much? By that I mean festive and bright and not informal — but short of shine, sparkle and/or décolletage? Like a work party? However, a little testing revealed a major design flaw. A Confidence: I had originally … Read more
My clothes veer toward a dark palette for the winter months, but I don’t like to wear dark things everyday. There is a reason why bright colors are used to paint exteriors in the far northern climates like Greenland and Newfoundland. But what do you wear a bright colored sweater with on a … Read more
I promised you several weeks ago that I would lay before you the extraordinary virtues of red shoes. A pair of red shoes turns black separates (perfectly respectable clothes) into an outfit. (See this earlier post for an explanation of the taxonomy of dress.) This is the kind of outfit I put on … Read more
Many people have no trouble finding individual pieces of clothing that they like, but are unsure of what to wear with what [else]. I am planning a series of posts on this question (working title, This Goes with That!™) because there are a number of things to consider: colors (complementary, numbers, and placement), silhouette, … Read more
The Corporate Retreat. As hard as it may be to dress for work day-to-day under a perplexing Business Casual regime, the dress code becomes even more uncertain when work moves off-site. A few months ago, I published a revolutionary post on office pool parties and now I shall hold forth on retreats. … Read more
Continuing our CLE series, Directrice on Suits — which was largely initiated to prove to you that I do actually own proper suits and occasionally put them on my back — I give you . . . another suit. This is the suit I put on when I don’t want my clothes to be … Read more
A simple dress can be distinctive if the color stands out. In case you are interested in the necklace, here is a closer view. While I’ve had this for years, some variation of it (Figaro chain, Albion pendant) is still available from David Yurman. The stone in the pendant is smoky quartz, which I … Read more
A winter coat is a big investment and if you live in a climate where winter lasts a few months, ideally you will have more than one such coat. But everyone needs to start somewhere! So, if you (I) were going to buy one coat, what would it be? Before we unpack this … Read more
We’re moving into cooler temperatures in Washington, D.C., which means it’s time to start thinking about woolens: sweaters, scarves and jackets. In the early fall, a blazer that you can wear outside (with a scarf and gloves) and then keep on all day (inside) is handy. I have a couple a few some a … Read more