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.
In shops there are loads of blouses with black jackets fitted into to it, which is probably okay for an office look. Also wear dark coloured jeans, and a black jacket over it, if you just want to wear t-shirt. Shops like "TopShop" and "Miss selfridge" usually do nice work clothes.
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
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
Apart from cracked heels, especially if there is black dirt in the cracks.
Oooh, yes! Eeewww!
Or skinny fit jeans on
anyone!
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?
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?
I definitely remember buying a strapless bra in 1985 to wear under the off-the-shoulder dress I borrowed from my SIL for the college summer ball...it was kept up by sort of vaguely sticky strips of something or other
And just to be pedantic...the heroine's perm is all wrong for the 80's, IMO. I had my hair permed 3 times in 1983, 1987 and 1988 and no one had that flick at the front with a perm...that's quite a 70's look that went with unpermed hair.
B (I'm so sad!)