As the role of women in the workplace has evolved and become accepted, the look of the female “power suit” has also morphed. Women’s business suits have come along way from the floppy bowed look when the concept was to mimic a traditional men’s suit as much as possible.

Now the traditional credence of buying a good quality basic suit has not been tossed aside. A well made, expertly tailor suit that fits you well is an excellent place to base a business wardrobe off of.  Any wardrobe staple should have total versatility and the most recent trends in women’s business wear really amplifies that.  Adding to your career wardrobe no longer demands that you buy a whole new suit with a full on matching blouse, the key is to add selectively and mix it up.

Mixing up your suit basics is also a great way to get many more looks from standard pieces. For example, take a khaki skirt suit and a black pants suit. You can easily double your possibilities by trading tops and bottoms. If you are able to trade out the matching shirts with each look, then you have 8 different outfits.  Now for every different shirt you add in, you have an additional four new outfits. Say one is just starting out and you have just the two suits and five shirts. It’s just a matter of simple math and well thought out purchases. If they all can go together, you have twenty different outfits. 

After that, you can selectively add additional pieces. A bright colored jacket that works with all the shirts, added to the basic closet above creates another 10 looks. By keeping the bottom piece of your suit in a more traditional, dark, or neutral color, your jacket can still maintain a professional and polished look. Try a fun pink or add in purple with black and gray to take advantage of one of this season’s hot color combinations.

Any suit, whether it is a more casual pants suit or a red on red power dress suit, can be modified simply by changing the look and feel of the shirt underneath.  A navy blue jacket over a classic starched white collared shirt has a completely different feel than a navy blue jacket over a black lacy camisole top.  A suit jacket can also look different with the very same shirt underneath depending on whether the shirt collar is out or tucked in over the lapels.

 There is no excuse to get  stuck in a rut with your women’s office suits.

Loehmann’s has a huge selection of new suits coming in this fall making it really easy to add a few new key pieces to your work wardrobe.   Even if polishing up your career closet was not on your budget, at prices 30% to 65% off, can you afford to not look great? 

Do you have all the business suits you need?

Then brush up your style with some new fashion career blouses.  Spend some time looking at your closet and then treat yourself to some fabulous new tops that will update your suits in a hot minute. Yes, Loehmann’s has a huge selection of fashionably forward colored blouses and knit tops, too.

Tags: Office Clothing, Trend alerts!, Women's Fashion by admin
1 Comment »

We imagine that you have heard about the political hoopla regarding the fact that the Republican National Committee spent nearly $150,000.00 on clothing for Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin and her family? The story broke first over on Politico and has been making waves ever since.

 Now the big deal is not about that she is wearing high quality designer clothing. Everyone seems to agree that she looks great and that she need to look the part of knowledge and authority. And really, it does seem like all the main candidates do wear expensive designer digs; that’s not the issue. We don’t even care that the RNC paid for it and or whether or not it all goes to charity should Sarah need to return to Alaska and her fuzzy parkas.

 It’s just that spending 150K on designer threads is not smart shopping! What were they thinking paying full price???

It’s just not necessary when you can get the same designer look for so much less at Loehmann’s!

 As Washington Post’s Robin Givhan writes; 

 ” How do you sell someone as a no-frills hockey mom who sold the state plane and fired the official cook and hunted her own moose meat, and then try to explain wardrobing her in clothes from Neiman Marcus — a store occasionally referred to by aggrieved, frugal shoppers as Needless Markup? ……..Any retail expert can tell you that part of being a good merchant is finding a way of speaking to who it is the customer believes herself to be. A smart retailer stands for something. And in our culture Neiman Marcus stands for “elite,” not for “Everyman.”

The fact is that even those of us that adore top name brands and fabulous clothing, know how to find a great deal at Loehmann’s. 

 Now the bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined total of $49,425.74, reports Politico. And that’s not all. There were also two major shopping sprees to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one in early September that rang up a staggering bill of $75,062.63. Payments in September were also made to Barney’s New York ($789.72), Bloomingdale’s New York ($5,102.71) and Macy’s in Minneapolis ($9,447.71).  

That’s a pretty hefty junk of change, and as shown by the Washington Post, just not needed at all. The Reliable Source’s Roxanne and Amy actually went shopping at both Neiman Marcus and Loehmann’s to find appropriate vice presidential clothing.  Dollar for dollar, it went like this:

 

In case you don’t feel like doing the math, that’s a savings of $11,526.82 by going to Loehmann’s.

 Want to know more? Follow these links:

Washington Post:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2008/10/rs-palin23.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102202187.html?nav=rss_politics  

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102301432_2.html   

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102401029.html  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102400631.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102303330.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/10/23/DI2008102301241.html

BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7685067.stm

LA Times; http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-palinshop23-2008oct23,0,5314359.story?track=rss:

WWD: http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/palins-fashiongate-1841561

The Atlantic: http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/republicans_disgusted_by_rnc_s.php

Politico: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14844.html

 

Tags: Fashion News, News, Office Clothing, Women's Fashion by admin
2 Comments »

Long gone are the days of the women’s classic work clothes consisting of the “power suit” and the floppy tie that women had to wear to the office. As women have made their mark on the workplace, fashion has made its mark as well. While dressing for work is different than getting ready to express your personal style at a party or dinner with friends, there are still some great must have clothing for the office this spring that can bring you high visibility at work.

Add some color: A tailored pants suit is still a great way to strut your stuff and be taken seriously at the same time. As always, a well made piece will last a life time and is a great fashion investment. Make sure both the jacket and pants fit well and are tailored to accentuate your body type. While the classic navy, black and gray suits won’t ever go out, a brightly colored suit can punch up your look without discrediting your office moves.

Office structure with the men’s style vest: This season, the structure of suits are flowing more of a traditional men’s look, which helps in a piece’s longevity. The classic tailoring of a men’s type cut pairs nicely with more feminine accesories and creates a nice juxtaposition to a sharp toed pump or a peep toed mule. If it’s not the time to make investment in a new suit, then pick up a man’s style vest or two. Vests are back with a vengeance and can perfectly accent last year’s blouse for fashion staying power. Think a modern Annie Hall; search your closet and look for new separates to pair up.

Staying Grounded in Neutral colors:

The neutral tones have continued staying power as well. Safari cut jackets in tones of khaki are one of this seasons must have. A safari type jacket is the perfect way to top an office dress and goes very nicely with some of the more tribal prints that are hot this year. Deeper toned tailored slacks pair up well with this seasons bights, as well, and provide a very necessary foundation for the hues of spring.

Layer up with a great new cardigan sweater: As the weather gets warmer outside, the temperature gets colder inside. Office air conditioning often makes spring and summer street wear feel like a holiday in Alaska. Layering office clothing is a perfect way to mitigate the sever fluxation in temperatures. This year the classic cardigan is all over, providing some very nice warmth to early sleeveless looks. The added benefit of a versatile sweater? Clothing that screams summer can now be worn through the spring and into the fall without making you break into a sweat.

Accessories are bigger and brighter than ever; Jewelry is on the rise and the sizes are still growing. Though the mantra now is “the bigger and chunkier the better”, it should not be overdone. One armful of complimentary chunky bracelets or a fabulous necklace, not both, is the key. Pair a statement making piece with a more subdued blouse or dress background to avoid visual confusion.

Belts, shoes, bags, and scarves cannot be forgotten either. Belts can still be nice thick; perfect for accenting a slim waste, or a tighter, slimmer bit of brighter color snaking through the tops of slacks. For spring look for bags reminiscent of cute 1960’s camera bags with long straps in bright colors. Shoes continue to be all about the sculptured heels and almost anything goes. From spike heels with odd designs, to oddly shaped wedges, the more unique the shoe, the better. A spring scarf is all about fabric, color and weight. Obviously warmth is not the main purpose when this spring’s hottest scarves are made of whisper thin chiffon. A scarf if a great way to mix in a floral, soften a tailored jacket and add a bit of color next to your face.

Keeping a varied mix between the classic office look and your own personal style promotes a winning combination that is bound for favorable reviews.

Tags: Office Clothing, Spring, Women's Fashion by admin
3 Comments »