The classic business dress is a model made of dark natural fabric with light contrasting trim on the collar and cuffs. A straight, knee-length silhouette, lack of ornaments and unnecessary details, long straight sleeves and a boat neckline - a typical classic dress from the times of Mademoiselle Coco and the beginning of the era of women leaders.
How much has ideas about the appearance of a working lady changed in 2019? What is considered a sign of good and bad taste today? How to choose your shade and style?
You will find tips and tricks for shaping your style in our material.
Content:
Classic styles
The traditional wardrobe of a working lady took shape in the middle of the last century and since then has undergone many significant changes, but its main "taboos" remain unchanged:
- straight or fitted cut;
- lack of cutouts, asymmetry, flashy fittings;
- a ban on transparent materials and natural cotton fabric (blended fabrics based on cotton are allowed due to the hot season);
- full sleeve length or sleeve ¾;
- Sleeveless sheath dress must be complemented with a jacket.
Men's shoulders, straight cut, tweed and plaid are a thing of the past, as well as deliberately defiant, tight-fitting and cropped pieces.
Women over 40
Avoid overly revealing cuts in the skirt, neckline cutouts and tight-fitting cut:
- rely on the quality and color of the fabric: choose only expensive natural fabrics;
- cover the elbow and knee bends;
- add charm with precious metal jewelry.
Ladies over 40 years old can go to the classic color scheme with more saturated tones. Frivolous motives will not add respect to you in the eyes of your coworkers and subordinates.
“I do not know of a more reliable way for a woman to look older than the desire to appear younger with the help of clothes,” said Gabrielle Chanel, being in old age.
Extremely unsuccessful attempts to "rejuvenate with clothes" are made by ladies through short dresses with skirts flared in a doll style.
Streetwear elements, pajama inserts and lace will not bring you closer to young people - rather, they will make you a subject of ridicule in the eyes of young people for whom, in essence, you tried so hard.
Tips for plump and more
To adjust the full figure, the office style allows for A-line dresses, as well as products with a high waist and a thin strict strap.
Follow the basic rules when choosing an outfit:
- Do not use fabrics with a shiny or iridescent surface for sewing, give preference to calm matte colors.
- The suit should be chosen strictly according to the figure - a baggy outfit will not hide excess weight.
- Discard material with horizontal stripes.
- Properly executed drapery in the abdomen can visually correct the problem area.
Avoid oversized silhouettes, slanted hemlines, slits, and panels. Give up guipure and lace elements, inappropriate volume bows and lanterns. The figure should be carefully emphasized, but not exposed.
We advise pregnant women to choose a trapezoidal model made of natural fabric, a straight silhouette dress, a summer new thing with a high waistline or a wrap.
2019 Trends
In the summer, the pencil style, midi length, complex neckline and a peplum covering the hips returned to fashion.
Among young girls born at the beginning of the millennium, it is increasingly common inverted triangle shape... The peculiarity of this type: narrow hips, relatively wide shoulders and the absence of a well-defined waist line. The peplum, which covers the hips, which is topical in the new season, will help to correct the massive top.
The maximum length will be included this summer in all fashion catalogs of online stores. We advise ladies with curvy shapes to pay attention to elongated models made of cotton and viscose. Such dresses are also suitable for young ladies in institutions with a strict dress code.
New items for creating a business image
Another find for girls with narrow hips and problems in the abdomen was a "pencil" with a high waistline. The bottom edge of the garment should end under the knee or slightly above it, depending on the height. It is not recommended to use a thin belt at the waist in this case.
For correction a shape that resembles a triangle, a tulip dress will do. The 2019 models delight in the length of the outfit: knee-length skirts are no longer in fashion - the midi length and fitted silhouette are the hallmarks of an elegant style.
The fitted trapeze with a boat neckline, ¾ sleeves and contrasting cuffs remains the current style.
The best designer advice for ladies working with clients is that the dress should fit perfectly to the figure.
Don't chase fashion! Find the style that suits your body type, select high-quality natural fabric that keeps its shape well and seek help from the studio. A ready-made dress from a mass market store is not the best solution.
A dress made of dense fabric of a straight silhouette without sleeves, complemented by a shirt or blouse worn under the bottom, does not give up its positions. As a rule, sundresses themselves have a deep V or U-shaped neckline.
Prints, ornaments
Plaid and contrasting stripes leave their positions, as well as polka dots "in the style of Anfisa Chekhova." The trend is complex ornaments and geometric patterns in muted shades that do not contrast too much with the main background.
Introduced into fashion complex small geometric ornaments, consisting of inscribed and described rhombuses, squares and triangles in black and white.
How to choose a color
The easiest way to determine if the tone of the fabric matches your color type is to apply a piece of fabric to the neck and evaluate its contrast with the skin and hair.
Use a monosyllabic color scheme. For an office suit, it will be 1-4 colors. The work outfit tends to the minimum number of shades, if there are 4 of them, they should be practically similar in tone to each other.
Take the advice of an uninterested stranger to make sure you have the right color choice. Sometimes, a woman, without realizing it, may give preference to a color that does not suit her at all.
The main shades of business style, relevant, regardless of fashion trends:
- black;
- Brown;
- Gray;
- shades of beige;
- muted pastel shades;
- Navy blue.
For a lady whose skin and hair does not have a warm undertone, we recommend cold pastel shades, and for representatives of autumn and spring color types, we suggest choosing an outfit in emerald, mustard, burgundy, brown, sand and dark green tones.
More saturated classic colors: turquoise, crimson, emerald, red - it is permissible to use it if it is provided for by the dress code and corresponds to a special occasion.
Discreet ornaments are acceptable: check, vertical stripes, restrained floral pattern, houndstooth ornament.
What to wear with
In a modern office style, it is not customary to compensate for a neutral dress with a bright accessory.
remember a few important rules for the selection of jewelry:
- Jewelry should not draw attention to itself.They are worn in a minimum amount, jewelry is excluded.
- High quality watches are greatly appreciated.
- Minimal combinations of items are acceptable, such as earrings and a ring, or a small pendant and a thin bracelet.
Shoes
Platform and wedge shoes are excluded, as are ballet flats. A small steady heel or an elegant stiletto heel is welcome, no appliqués or accessories.
The shade is selected depending on the main outfit: standard beige and black pumps - must be present in a business wardrobe. White shoes are contraindicated for negotiations.
One of the goals of traditional wardrobe for women in leadership positions is to emphasize elegance and sense of taste. It was solved with the help of rich, complex shades: sand, emerald, crimson, aqua.
A restrained dress in dark tones was adorned with an exquisite accessory, brooch or attractive adornment. The business style differs from the classic in unsaturated shades, lack of contrasts and bright details.
Sandals are acceptable in the office dress code, but only in restrained flesh tones and with closed toes.
A bag
A small-sized rigid bag made of genuine leather is selected depending on the material from which the shoes are made. It is not necessary that the color of the bags matches the color of the shoes, but they should not differ in texture.
For example, beige leather shoes with a lacquered surface do not go well with a suede bag.
The quality of the bag, like its brand, speaks of the status of the owner and perfectly compensates for the discreet wardrobe. Leave leatherette products for the cold season. Pick up blackened, bronze or silver hardware. Gold buckles and chains are not acceptable.
The shape, size and length of the handles are chosen in accordance with the woman's physique, the purpose of the visit and the season. Massive dark bags with hard lines and dense skin will suit women-leaders in years, young girls are better off opting for more elegant options.
Tights
Tights are a prerequisite for any business woman, without exception. A formal dress and pumps must be complemented by nude tights of the minimum thickness, even in the summer.
Tights combined with sandals - mauvais ton. The color of the tights should not be discordant with shoes or a dress, otherwise it seems that the figure is cut by horizontal color transitions.
Tights should be free of patterns, ornaments and nets, and the tone of the flesh tone should match the skin tone.
Hair and makeup
A woman's composure and working mood should be evidenced by her neat natural manicure, day makeup, lipstick of a discreet shade, the absence of arrows a la Brigitte Bordeaux, false eyelashes and other "heavy artillery". Hair is collected in a bun, "snail" or regular tail.
Summer offers
Summer wardrobe is impressed by restrained pastel colors: beige, sand, ivory, milky, lilac-gray, gray-blue, golden and pale lilac. Dark tones are preferred for mature women.
Women's business style trends 2019:
- Wide fabric belts to match the pencil dress. The model is suitable for women with a well-defined waist line.
- Fold-over collars.
- Color contrast on the waist line of the dress.
- Stand-up collars, V-necklines.
- For sleeveless or ¾ length sleeves, boat neckline is preferred.
- "Pintucks" at the waist and neckline.
- Flounces sewn along the bottom edge of the skirt.
Use the same “taboos” as for the cold season, but choose lighter, natural, breathable fabrics for summer dresses.
Blends of cotton with silk, rayon, elastane or wool fibers are acceptable. In the office, it is not customary to wear things made of thin jersey, silk or viscose, as well as other fabrics through which parts of the body are visible.
In conclusion, we offer you several ideas that summarize all of the above: try to as objectively as possible assess the features of your physique, advantages and disadvantages, take into account your age, status and dress code that exists in the organization.
An inner feeling will tell you the right option when drawing up a working image. Do not chase after fashion, give preference to natural materials and do not spare money for sewing an office wardrobe.