In honor of Liz Claiborne

Liz Claiborne died this week at age 78. Younger fashionistas probably bypass her designs at the department store, but we have the late LC to thank for bringing women's fashion into careerwear in the 1970s, which was previously dominated by a male-only focus. Did you know Liz Claiborne pioneered the concept of grouping all pieces of a collection together, instead of one entire section devoted to just sweaters or pants? Her vision was to help working women be able to assemble a professional wardrobe with ease and little running about a large department store.

Though I have found Liz Claiborne apparel too conservative and more than a little prosaic for my taste, here are a few well-priced options for work, in honor of her passing:

• This white lace dress works at the office with a cropped khaki jacket or as-is for a Vegas wedding
• This updated print jacket is well-proportioned and perfect with sage green pants
• This simple jersey top won't wrinkle in your suitcase
  

Paris Hilton appropriate for work?

Now that Paris Hilton is free, we can all resume life as normal. While I claim to only keep up on celebrity gossip for the sake of being able to converse about pop culture with business associates, I couldn't help but notice Paris's pristine outfit she wore while sprinting out of jail. The jacket, cami and dark wash jeans are an example of the perfect Casual Friday ensemble: modest, tailored and neat (though mere mortals and corporate drones might want to opt for slightly loose jeans.) Now, can anyone tell me who made that immaculate little blazer?

Update: TMZ.com has the goods: The Petro Zillia linen-blend jacket retails for a mere $448, but Cynthia Steffe offers similar designs for half that, and even less if you hit up Daffy's, Filene's Basement or Nordstrom Rack.

Sale at Tamara Handbags

My colleague and fellow blogger Sara passed along news of a sale on Tamara Handbags. Not only is the collection's creator a friend of hers, the totes are classics in black and brown and perfect for work. And did I mention this line has the best name EVER? Enter "June" in the discount box for an extra 15 percent off.

Stop Staring dresses: Not just for the lindy hop

My fiancé and I are getting married on October 6, and initially there was some fanciful talk of perhaps swing dancing at the reception. After all, we used to take lessons and do all sorts of wild moves my mother would never approve of. Which is ultimately what led us to back off a bit from the lindy hop– getting dropped squarely on your head will do that.

But then I eventually bought my wedding dress, which is lacy and full and in no way conducive to a helicopter spin toss. Still, I remember fondly the fabulous swing dresses I used to salvage from the local secondhand shop starting when I was 17. Then the Internet exploded and I found Stop Staring, a line of 40’s/50’s vintage reproductions sold via Daddyos.com (and other sites I haven’t bought from, including Baby Girl Boutique and Red Dress Shop.) I found these faux retro creations to be superior to actual vintage goods, which tend to deteriorate due to age at the most inconvenient times (such as during an underarm pass.)

What I came to realize years later is that swing dresses can be as perfect for the office as they are for the dance floor. With their tailored bodices, modest shapes and either very full or very fitted skirts, they add a quirky touch to your work wardrobe without going over the top, such as this red darling of a dress.

Stop Staring dresses run about $75-130. On the pricey side, yes, but fairly reasonable for a well-tailored multi-occasion dress. The fabrics are quality and designed to move (shocking for a swing dance garment, I know.) And so many of these creations look jaw-droppingly like Marc Jacobs' work.

For the office, make sure to pair a retro dress with modern accessories (think pointy pumps vs. round toes) to keep from looking like a lost chorus girl from a traveling My Fair Lady production. And steer clear of anything that is clearly meant for dance halls only.

How to wear white to work

Plenty of people in my household growing up wore white to work. My father is a pharmacist, so he always threw the long white lab coat over a shirt and tie. My mother, a nurse, sported the white scrubs look for years until her department relaxed and let the RNs wear trendy graphic scrubs, such as rainbows and barnyard animals.

Much to my parents’ disappointment, I get queasy at the sight of blood and pursued a career in corporate communications instead of medicine. Yet I too love the idea of wearing white to work. What better way to embrace summer than an all-white suit like this one from Spiegel?

This white dress (left) from Victoria’s Secret only needs a cobalt blue or cropped denim jacket to go to work. And these fabulously priced Diesel twill pants work for the office and the beach.

Some other considerations when going snow white to the office:

• Linen, though it embodies summer casual, looks rumpled after just a few hours. Avoid unless you are in a torrid love affair with your iron. Choose jersey or a cotton-poly blend for the freshest look past lunch.
• Black is slimming, all right. And guess what isn’t? Wear white only when the fit is superb and the tailoring looks like it was made just for you.
• Similarly, never wear skintight or sheer white garments.
• Pair with light, neutral accessories – or, a standout pair of green heels. Whatever you do, DON’T wear black shoes with white pants.
• Speaking of white pants, they are terrific, unless they’re a half-inch too long. A white cotton skirt or knee-length slim walking shorts won’t sweep up lasting reminders of your office’s floor.

Look for a special update next week, when my fiancé, Brian, wears white pants to his ultra-conservative office.

How to wear strapless to work without losing your shirt

Since the invention of dress codes, there’s been various lists floating around of What Not to Wear to Work. Typically things in this category include flip flops, tee shirts, and anything displaying more than a night on the town with Lindsey Lohan. Naturally, anything strapless would make the list in an instant. But I am here to argue that, yes, you can wear a strapless dress to work without inviting a visit from HR.

Take, for example, this BCBG dress I recently purchased (by way of eBay, of course.) While it’s primarily a party dress, the cotton voile fabric makes it good for day as well. That said, here are three ways you can get away with a strapless dress at work:

• Wear it with a cropped jacket that hits no lower than your natural waist. Depending on the formality of your office, a dark denim blazer can also work.
• Throw on a long cardigan. My preference is for the ones that chunky cable knit, with pockets and big wooden buttons. Make sure to cinch a wide belt over the entire sweater/dress combo to keep it from looking like a Coleman tent.
• Wear the dress over a tissue-thin sweater. This look works best if the dress is simple and fairly streamlined in design.

See, it can be done. And next week I’ll be discussing how to wear denim overalls with dignity to board meetings.

Right.

Macy's still a pariah in Chicago

Aw, poor Macy's. As everyone living somewhere other than in a cave knows, the nation's second-largest department store empire bought out the parent company of Marshall Field's, converting all former Field's locations to Macy's. Protestors waved signs, circulated online petitions and vowed never to shop at Macy's in Chicago. And....it might have worked.

Sales are sluggish at former Field's locations, and downright pitiful at the State Street location in Chicago. Granted, when it was Field's the store was barely limping along, but retail analysts agree almost universally that the name switch was disastrous. Since they and everyone else has stated an opinion on the matter, I feel like I must as well.

Aside from the differences in private label brands, the merchandise is much the same as it was in Macy's as it was at Field's. The contemporary floor remains largely unchanged, and the selection is comparable to what it was back in the days of hunter green. However, the clearances aren't nearly as impressive as they once were: At Field's you could count on delicious finds from Cynthia Steffe, Marc Jacobs and Nanette Lepore slashed to nearly 70 percent off. Now, walk through the third level and it's a maze of racks with the same unloved merchandise collecting dust for months.

The powers that be at Macy's recognize this and have announced they're stepping up coupons and discounts. That's great for consumers - but the other concern I have about Macy's the clearly comission-based staff that work the floor. I have found the associates to be quite helpful, offeirng to locate merchandise at other stores and finding me a fitting room. But when it comes time to check out, look out! How could I ever forget the time I went to purchase an item and after the sales clerk checked me out, had to re-ring the entire purchase because her coworker ran up and noted that she should receive credit for the transaction? They actually had to refund my credit card, have me sign for it and redo it. I missed my train and wrote a scathing email to the company, to which I never got a reply. I gave Macy's a chance to respond, but it didn't happen.

Macy's needs to do something exceptional to win over Chicago. My friend Alexis, a lifetime Chicagolander, refuses to set foot in there, even for Glamarama (for the record, I did go last year and it was fun.) She's not alone.

Libertine at Target coming soon

Check out the Budget Fashionista’s color commentary on the latest designer-for-the-masses line at Target, Libertine. She’s not expecting much from the line, but from the photos on Target’s website, I am. Yet therein lies the problem. This color blocked cardigan looks luscious on the web (though the last time I saw red and purple together was on Elaine from Seinfeld.)

But unfortunately, it’s often the case that an outfit that looks spectacular online turns out to be flimsy, see-through or just plain cheap-looking in person. I have found this to be the case with all of Target’s designer-led collections, though I remain eternally hopeful that one day the red bullseye will surprise me. For instance, this simple black and white dress is a passable alternative to this recent Theory “Robbins” dress. Especially when you consider the Target dress is $300 less.

Changes at $50 Suit

It's probably rather obvious, but I've officially changed the name of my blog to...

Business Fashionable.

$50 Suit was an okay name, but it didn't tell you much other than the price of one particular outfit in my closet. I was riding the 134 bus on the way to work a few weeks ago on a Friday and overheard one passenger telling another, "our firm is business casual, but we can wear jeans today." Business casual led me to Business Fashionable, and hence, the new name and URL, businessfashionable.com. I'll be playing around with the layout and design, so expect to see some subtle shifts on this site.

What do you think of my new blog name, Business Fashionable?
	Love it! So witty, you clever girl.
	Hate it! $50 Suit was way better.