Morning AFFers! (or afternoon, delete as applicable for your part of the world.)
I'm on holidays at the moment, which is why I'm hanging around here so much, but am back on the job in a fortnight and want to spice up my work wardrobe a bit. I'm getting too old to be able to pull off the oversized-band-t-shirt-and-jeans look without sending out unprofessional vibes.
It's essentially an office job, at the more casual end of the scale - the guys mainly wear polo shirts and jeans or slacks. There's no other women in the office doing my job, so I can't take my cues from them. Working in online media, I can also get away with looking a bit rock-chick - a skirt, tights and boots, for instance.
So, I've got myself a nice short haircut that doesn't look too bad even if I forget/can't comb it in the morning. I can't apply makeup and don't intend to learn, so they're just going to have to put up with my face the way it comes.
Is there ANY way to wear a T-shirt in such a way as it looks professional? Is a T-shirt with a denim A-line skirt, for instance, considered smarter than a T-shirt with jeans?
And should I leave it hanging out, or tuck it in, or do the tucked-in-but-hanging-over-slightly look? Mum insists the last way is 'correct', but Mum and fashion haven't been on speaking terms since 1962.
Or should I just forget about the T-shirts altogether and get myself a supply of blouses? If I've got a presentably dressy blouse, are jeans OK?
Blouses look good with jeans. I'd go for dress jeans if possible. Camo jeans or pedal pushers might be be okay with a plain blouse in white, cream or a toning colour eg. with green and khaki camo, you could wear a light green blouse.
No, I never wear make-up and have to wear open toed shoes as otherwise it feels as if my feet are suffocating. Mind you, it's possible to get some nice open toed shoes or good sandals.
hmmm. hate ironing, likes t-shirts.
It is more the cut and fit of the pants that matters. Unless you have a fantastic figure, jeans don't really look too good on older bodies. Even with jeans, there are styles that come and go. If you are wearing old style jeans, then you are not looking up to date. I would try some docker pants.
Jackets will make you look more professional unless you tend to get very hot wearing them.
The cut of the t-shirt does matter. You might need to get some more feminine style tops, even knit ones. I find most button up shirts too uncomfortable.
Thank you, everybody!
I shall leave the Rolling Stones T-shirts for days when I know it's just going to be me and a video editing suite, and make a little more effort on office days.
Having had a look in the shops, the fashion round here for blouse-type tops seems to be tunic cuts that come down to mid-thigh - which is nice, because they avoid the 'tuck/don't tuck' question I'm never quite sure about. Can you tell at school I was teased mercilessly for having my shirt in when it should have been out, or vice versa? I've developed tucking anxiety!
And on an off-topic note, being size 16 is annoying. The regular clothes come in sizes up to 14 and then the plus sizes start at 18! I'm going to have to either get my sewing machine working, or lose some weight...
My tummy is a bit too plump to tuck shirts in so I have them untucked. Depends on the make but I usually take a 14 or 16 top and 16 bottom but with some small makes, I have to go to size 18.
It's really annoying when there aren't many good clothes past a size 12 or 14. I can't wear jackets most of the year because it is just too hot up here. Even when it is winter, it is too hot inside to keep them on.
-Jackets over tee-shirts will make them look more professional.
-A tee over a long denim skirt is casual, but looks more professional than a tee with jeans.
-A (dark, suit-like) skirt and boots with a blouse looks much less casual, but with a tee it doesn't look "right". ...
Very simple sweaters are OK too, if you wear them with a nice skirt or dressy pants.
I agree with pretty much all of this, in fact, I was going to say it myself!
I'm not 100 per cent with you on the third point though. I think it can be okay to wear a t-shirt with a skirt and boots, but I'd say in a case like this, wear a plain t-shirt (i.e. not the Rolling Stones one), but wear a bold necklace, some chunky jewellery to dress it up a bit. Making a bit of an effort with accessories makes it look thought out and tied-together, not so casual.
It might be worthwhile seeing an image consultant. I had a session with a Colour Me Beautiful rep a few years ago and found it very helpful. Not that I followed every scrap of her advice, but having a set of rules and a colour chart to follow means I can walk into any shop and instantly zoom in on the "right" garnents. And when I say any shop, I mean anywhere from independent boutique to high street chain to charity shop. One thing I remember about the session was that the CMB consultant asked me to nominate a style icon and I chose Lady Helen Taylor. Who knows, maybe the cut-price designer jacket and skirt I subsequently bought at the Red Cross shop in Ebury Street, Belgravia are her cast-offs.
(Lady Helen's, not the image consultant's!)
Hi Ethel
I think tee-shirts are quite smart if you get the long-sleeve, scoop-neck or deep v-neck style (the high round neck looks too casual I think, and isn't veryt flattering either). Especially if you add a necklace as already suggested. They also need to be 'fitted' rather than loose, and that way they can be untucked.
In the UK, the tunic tops are very popular and can look really smart.
Also, if you can bear it, boots with a medium to highish heel also look smarter I think.
It is often the little details that give an overall 'smart' look. You can wear good jeans, highish boots, a white tee-shirt and a jacket, and with a necklace and a nice handbag you can go pretty much anywhere and look good.
I wood get some nice handbags, necklaces and some skinny scarves to dress up the fitted tee-shirts and jeans/skirt combo. Add a fitted, smart jacket and you'll look fabby!!
Have fun.
B
Yes, Australia uses the Celsius temperature scale.
Open-toed sandals don't have to look unprofessional if they are well-made and have some kind of feature like a gold buckle or discreet bow.
IMHO any kind of sandal looks better than footwear that reveals a cuffed, calloused heel every time the wearer takes a step. That's why I included two sports sandal makers (Naot and Teva) in my list of recommended brands. Just don't ever wear flip-flops to work (unless your workplace is a beach 
).
Here's hoping this has put an end to the digression about office relationships and temperatures!!
Open-toed sandals don't have to look unprofessional if they are well-made and have some kind of feature like a gold buckle or discreet bow.
IMHO any kind of sandal looks better than footwear that reveals a cuffed, calloused heel every time the wearer takes a step. That's why I included two sports sandal makers (Naot and Teva) in my list of recommended brands. Just don't ever wear flip-flops to work (unless your workplace is a beach ).
Here's hoping this has put an end to the digression about office relationships and temperatures!!
Just make sure your toe nails are well-looked after!
Nail varnish looks really smart, otherwise well-kept natural nails. I love polished toe nails, and I've even found teeny flower stickers to decorate :dance:
IMO nothing looks less smart than unkempt nails...
B
Or a huge bare cleavage
. If *I* find it distracting, what on earth does it do for people who find such things attractive?
And tops which aren't long enough to reach the skirt/trousers.
Don't get me started on 'hipster' styles...
And visible bra straps!
The heroine of Ashes to Ashes (BBC time-travelling drama set in 1981) often wears jumpers with wide necklines that always slip off one shoulder and reveal her bra strap. Had strapless bras not been invented then?
don't ever wear flip-flops to work (unless your workplace is a beach
).
On second thoughts, you might be able to get away with these "FitFlop" sandals. At least they're kind to your feet.
Everyone flips for the 'miraculous' FitFlop
Designed for women seeking toned legs without the gym, a humble sandal is now helping those with chronic back pain
By Ian Johnston
Independent on Sunday, 18 May 2008
At £90 a pair, the latest range of flip-flops might seem an unlikely summer bestseller. But, according to an adviser on biomechanics to UK Athletics, this is not simply beachwear: the FitFlop appears to be capable of performing miracles.
Despite the product being originally designed and marketed as a "vanity shoe" that would help body-conscious women to tone their bottoms and legs, stories of how people crippled with arthritis or back pain are suddenly able to walk again are flooding in, according to the manufacturers.
On Friday, the FitFlop gained influential public support from Oprah Winfrey when she named it as one of her summer favourites on her television talkshow in the US, while other celebrities including Hilary Swank, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Garner and Jessica Biel, have a pair. Jade Johnson, the Olympic long jumper who suffers from a painful foot condition, found she gained the same benefit from wearing them as exercises recommended by her physiotherapist.
The FitFlop is said to produce a similar effect to walking barefoot, but with a degree of shock absorption. This makes the muscles work harder, creating the toning effect.
But Dr Phil Graham-Smith, head of the directorate of sport at Salford University and a consultant biomechanist for UK Athletics, also believes they may make the body adjust its walk to ensure the knee is correctly aligned.
"We carried out some independent tests and they came out quite favourably," he said.
Dr Graham-Smith, who works with Britain's jumping athletics team, said Johnson had benefited from wearing FitFlops. "She suffers from plantar fasciitis, which causes pain in the heel. Her physio gives her drills like walking through sand to help strengthen the arch of the foot," he said.
"When she tries these on, she gets the same benefit as walking through sand and prefers using the FitFlops because, of all things, she has an allergy to sand."
Marcia Kilgore, founder of the FitFlop company, admitted they were initially designed for their cosmetic effect on the body.
"They were originally launched as a vanity shoe – you could walk and help tone your legs. But over and over again, we'd hear things like 'I've had a degenerative spine disease, haven't been off morphine, and all I have to do is put on a pair of FitFlops and suddenly I don't feel pain any more'," she said. "A lot of people with severe and chronic back pain have reported a vast improvement, an almost miraculous improvement on putting these things on."
The FitFlop was launched in May last year and has sold more than a million pairs, mostly in the US and UK. The basic style costs £36, but in keeping with this summer's trend, Roman sandal-style versions costing £90 have been introduced.