Would you wear it to work? Repeat outfit

You know you’re in a rut when you look in your closet and see this:

They say the eye can only retain the memory of a color for a few seconds, though I clearly have defied that law, having successfully bought three sweaters in the same shade of grape jam purple. You could justify this behavior by pointing out that no two are exactly alike: there’s a v-neck, a turtleneck and…another v-neck, one is cashmere, one merino wool, the other…cashmere.

So you can’t justify this. The challenge thus becomes to avoid wearing the same shade several days in a row, albeit on a totally different garment. Which brings us to today’s Would Your Wear it to Work question:

Would you wear the same outfit you wore last week to work?
	Yes – no one’s ever noticed.
	No – you only think no one notices.

Adventures on Michigan Avenue: The Marshall's Fashion Police

I am continually amazed by the strange things I see on Michigan Avenue. Usually it’s a grad student discoing for coins or Brooke Shields posing for the paparazzi outside of Cartier, but not this time. Late last week a man with a bull horn piloting a motorized cart was warning pedestrians about the Marshall’s Fashion Police. Sure enough, two faux law enforcement officers were a step behind him, writing tickets left and right to “victims of high-priced fashion.” (Apparantly a similar campaign in Boston netted 125,000 citations.) They were accompanied by a small parade of models who waved to passerby.

As a consultant with a PR firm, I can appreciate this publicity stunt. It got my attention and made me snicker, if for no other reason than the sheer inventiveness of it all. But will it get me inside a Marshall’s to find great work clothes for pennies? Most likely only if I’m walking past and a strong magnetic force sucks me inside. Yes, one of the sidewalk-tromping models was sporting the most fetching red dress, but I prefer TJ Maxx to Marshall’s any day (unless I’m shopping for my fiancé, as we scored a fabulous Michael Kors suit there that made its first appearance at last year’s Glamarama.) Although both stores are part of the same parent company, I find the selection at TJ Maxx to be better edited and more current.

But I have to hand it to you, Marshall’s: you nearly got me to sprain my neck with that double-take on Michigan.

Beware the loud suit

Every season photos from Fashion Week flood the internet, images of waifish teenages stomping down the runway in sometimes downright inane ensembles. Now, obviously runway looks are not meant to translate directly to business (or any facet of real life) attire. They're meant to be inspirational, outlandish outfits from which you pull details into your everyday wardrobe.

For example, each season, designers always feature at least one sarcasm-inducing suit that no one would ever wear in a real boardroom or client meeting. You know the kind I mean: Both top and bottom are usually plaid, floral or otherwise covered in a matching pattern, with exaggerated lapels and strange pleats that balloon out like a Coleman tent in a hurricane.

Rest assured, no one actually wears these clown outfits to work. But many a 9-t0-5 fashionista has successfully pulled either the top or bottom from a particularly loud ensemble and paired with a more subdued other half, taking the whole look from costume to couture. It's important to do this, or else you will end up with this El Matador look from Theory:

Truth be told, either the jacket or pants would be just fine if paired with a non-matching piece. But with so many cropped appendages going on, the look screams "Ole!"

If, however, you're enticed by this outfit (or simply craving sangria), the entire suit is currently selling at Filene's Basement for less than $200.

Open weave earrings for so much less

I opened the May issue of Lucky magazine to find page 191 depicting bright shiny images of open weave gold jewelry. Beautiful, delicate finds these are. And, in true Lucky fashion, egregiously expensive.

You could spend $256 for these exquisite earrings. Or, for $7, you could have these gold-tone leaf beauties from Kohls:

The mark of quality: Buying clothes that look pricey

I am always skeptical of any brand, store or establishment that promotes "Quality!" in its name. Example: We Serve Quality Hot Dogs" or "Made of 100 % High Quality Polyurethane." In truly premium brands, quality is inherent and there's no need to convince the buyer by putting it in your slogan or description. Can you see a Diane von Fursterberg wrap dress hanging on the rack at Bloomie's with a yellow "Quality Garment" tag stapled to it?

So, when it comes to good work clothes, what makes a top-notch garment? Is it the rarity of the fabric (as in cashmere), the volume of material used (one-ply vs. two), or the construction of the item (fitted vs. boxy)?

All of the above. Here’s my humble assessment of what makes a garment look expensive:

• Shaping. On off-the-rack items, look for princess and other seams that tailor the item to your physique. This typically does make the piece more expensive than your shaped-with-a-box-cutter apparel from those teen stores. More seams mean a more complex pattern was used in production, which indicate more pieces of fabric and thus a heftier price tag.
• A superb fit, no matter how it’s achieved. Even cheap clothes that are precisely altered will have lasting appeal.
• Details. The way an item is finished (contrasting thread for the hem, glass or wooden buttons instead of plastic, embroidery) denote its quality.
• Knife-sharp front pleats on pants. I don’t know anyone that loves ironing, but it’s a necessary evil, like toilet paper.

On the flip side, what makes an item look cheap:

• Thin material. Specifically, if you can see through it and you’re not supposed to.
• Shiny polyester. Silk and silk charmeuse look much better than reflection-grade poly. Leave the sheen to Charlie and Martin.
• Acrylic. Read my vitriolic post on this loathsome material here.
• Shoes made from inflexible manmade materials. Payless has some lovely designer-inspired looks, but many are made from PVC or “leather-like” materials. It’s a great value for the money, but - apologies to my vegan friends – cheap manmade materials can look tacky and don’t always stretch like leather, thus never fully breaking in and instead creasing across the instep.
• A bad fit. Even Marc Jacobs will look chintzy if he’s puckering across your chest.
• Clothes made with an obvious amount of Lycra. This is especially true of shrink-wrapping tops and those LEI jeans. Save super stretch for the elliptical machine.
  Black fabric that is faded to the point of charcoal. If it’s machine washable, restore it back to its original dark glory with black dye.

Have a cocktail at work

My first day on the job at a PR firm was March 4, 2006. It was also the first time I enjoyed an alcoholic beverage while on the job. The firm had just a major award, and after an address from the Chicago offices lead, employees milled around sipping mimosas at 9 in the morning. I was awestruck. My old employer, a traditional Midwestern manufacturing company, never served liquor during work hours, much less before its workforce was fully awake. (Once they experimented with sparkling grape juice to toast a great quarter at a town hall meeting. Employees caught on quickly.)

I know I’m one of the lucky ones. The closest most 9-to-5ers get is to drinking on the job is a cool, refreshing cocktail…ring.

Cocktail rings are one of the fastest, easiest and (here comes my favorite!) cheapest routes to instant office fashion. Drab Ann Taylor suit? Head to Nordstrom Rack for some faux amethyst bling and no one will dare call you conservative to your face. And the best part is, it’s okay for that bling to cost $15. No one expects a rock that hefty to be real (unless you live above the 900 N Michigan shops, in which case, can I move in?) Big, chunky glass stones in bright colors are perfect for the office and easily transition to evening. Check out

DIY fashion: Reinventing boring clothes

When you’re bored with your clothes and too broke to buy anything new, don’t despair – do it yourself! It takes little skill or artistic vision; I know many un-crafty people who’ve dressed up dull garments. (This is true even of the least craftiest person I’ve ever known, a woman who once sewed her own corduroy jumper but neglected to match up the fabric correctly, which led to one side of the dress with corduroy wale going up-down and left-right on the other.) With some needle and thread and a quick trip to the fabric store, you can:

• Replace boring buttons on a cardigan. For less than $10, you can get any number of novel buttons from Michael’s, Joann Crafts or Hobby Lobby. Look for buttons made of horn, shell, or those with a military influence. Just make sure the buttons are about the same size as those you’re taking off, or else you’ll never be unbuttoning that sucker again. Believe me, I know.
• Sew a patterned grosgrain ribbon onto the inner placket of a cardigan or polo shirt.
  You can also add ribbon or lace trim around the cuffs; this is a little more difficult so you might enlist your tailor’s help.
• Hem up those dress pants that are too long to be worn with your new flats or that would look better as capris. You can use hem tape and an iron to do this without sewing a thing – you just cut, place the tape on the inside of the hem and iron to the desired length. Click here for detailed instructions.
• Add some scattered crystals or rhinestones to a dull top. Yes, they still make the Bejeweler.

The height of chapeaux fashion at the Kentucky Derby

Last weekend a Ford Expedition full of mid-20-something’s headed down to the Kentucky Derby. Although we camped out in the muddy, messy infield, the women in our group classed it up with “Elegant Hats” (that’s what it said on the tag) bought at a Wal-Mart on the way down. The question now is, what in God’s name do I do with a pink straw topper sheathed in volumes of cheap tulle? My options are:

• Slice off the rose decoration and give as a Mother’s Day surprise
• Repurpose the tulle as a darling miniskirt
• Fashion the wide brim into trim for a homemade handbag
• Save the whole thing as equipment for a spur-of-the-moment game of Frisbee
• Wear it to work and become the laughingstock of the Chicago PR world

Putting the little black dress on trial

Every materialistic fashion mag (you know, the ones you mock in public but secretly adore) devotes a multi-page spread each quarter to the Little Black Dress and its inherent greatness. How it is appropriate for every occasion. Matches a thousand pairs of shoes. Slims the hips. Prevents nuclear war.

Now, I have a great black dress (left), rescued from the final days of the Michigan Avenue Lord and Taylor store closing for $40, and I do love it. But the blanket advice that “you must own an LBD to fulfill your civic duty” rubs me the wrong way. Let’s examine the arguments for and against the quintessential wardrobe staple:

The defense says:

• A black dress will appear clean for a long time, even if you know it’s not.
• It can be worn anywhere, anytime (unless it’s January in Chicago, in which case you’re better off with the snowsuit from A Christmas Story.)
• It packs well into your suitcase and will not wrinkle, no matter how many times you wad it into your shoe.
• It goes with everything, except orange and kelly green
• It slims and camouflages a multitude of sins, including that danish earlier this morning.

The prosecution says:

• A black dress attracts lint like rabid shoppers to a Vanity Fair outlet.
• Black is not, as you may have heard, universally flattering. It can make you look old or tired by emphasizing dark circles or a sallow appearance.
• It is swiftly cut down by dandruff or cheap deodorant.
• It’s roasty toasty when the sun is shining.

I say, ladies and gentleman of the jury, wear whatever color of dress you want. A white or ivory dress is a refreshing alternative to somber winter hues and matches tan, blue, red or green shoes beautifully. Green, by the way, is the “new neutral” and such a dress works with just as many colors.

The verdict: Black is fine. But so is every other color if you like it and it looks good on you. Even puce.

A bag with a view, part 2

Not long ago I blogged about the clear plastic trend emerging on all sorts of accessories: We’ve got see-through bags, transparent ballet flats; heck, my sources tell me translucent thongs are on the horizon. (I lie.) I featured the Furla Boarding Bag, which, at $450 a pop, is a lot for a bag that doesn’t obscure the most intimate of contents in your purse. But if you crave the see-through look this season, try this $25 tote from Victoria’s Secret.

Flat-out fabulous: New shoes for spring

My colleague Sara recently blogged about the marvels of flat shoes, which have become the saving grace of professional urban women with a long daily walk from the train or bus. For a long time, the only flats out there were canvas, plain and ugly. Now, they’re available in myriad colors, styles and price points. Take, for example, Sara’s pair of Tory Burch Reva ballet flats:

Adorable for sure, but at $200 a pop, you’d better have an awfully long commute to justify them. On the other foot, however, are these close imitation Fleur flats from Jeffrey Campbell, which aren’t cheap at $70 but not quite as wallet-emptying:



Another great style for this spring are the Seychelles Social Climber shoes. I love these not only for their zippy patent leather finish and rainbow of slightly shocking colors, but for the way they so expertly mimic heels. They sound like pumps (you know, click, click) and they look like pumps from the front. Yet they won’t leave you wheezing with pain after the trek to the office.