Work It!

First, enjoy this throwback which I am reminded of every time I say, hear, or read the words "Work It" http://tinyurl.com/ylbe434











And now, down to business. I work in the head office of a construction company which tends to be on the casual side of "business casual". I established rules for dressing with my team pretty quickly when I hire them and do a spring reminder about my personal rules for dressing in the office. I'll save that little bit of fantastic wit and wisdom for another post. Because my idea of dressing down is dark jeans and a jacket, I try to be flexible with varying styles while still maintaining a professional appearance. I want to be a good example while still being mindful of the other less formal departments in my company.

Every year, my girlfriend's and I take a road trip to shop and it has become a tradition that I bring along some sort of book relating to fashion tips, How Not To Look Old (yes, the actual name of a book), or how to study The Science of Sexy (also the actual name of a book).

One of my recent purchases was a book published in 2009 "Work It! Visual Therapy's Guide to Your Ultimate Career Wardrobe" by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo.

What intrigued me about the book was the fabulous suit on the cover AND the comprehensive quizzes to discover your colourtype, Styletype, Workplace style, and personal Baseline Workstyle. In fact, nearly 30 pages are dedicated to learning your personal profile for dressing. While not ideal for the driver, the other two of us had a blast matching eye and hair color to the charts and determining where are styles fit. Turns out I'm a Sexy Lady Director and the advice for me is to "Remember Demi Moore in Disclosure. . ." Good, sound advice!

The remainder of the book focuses on real women of different sizes, shapes, ethnicities, and personal profiles. The stylists amped up each woman's style and gave several outfit options. The book is laced with practical advice on shoes, jewellery, a must-have "career capsule", "wardrobe capsule" for each style, and interviews with and advice from women in hiring-authority positions.
It was a lot of fun to do the quizzes and flip through the "real women" section even though the paragraphs regarding each woman's makeover were not necessarily applicable. Work It! is fun, gives some good advice, is in full colour, and has interactive quizzes - all a big + for me! Like all the books we've read on our road trips; however, the advice needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Take the little "nuggets" that are applicable and use them. Don't worry about the rest.

My best "nugget"? Never wear pantyhose.