Thursday, September 20, 2012

Casual Friday: Tread Lightly, My Friends

So, you're one of the lucky ones that gets to dress down on Fridays in the office...great!  But let's remember -- you're still at work.  Here are a few tips and ideas when it comes to dressing casual for Friday at work.

Ladies...

Three-piece rule!! Denim paired with ANY two peices on top will save you from looking "too casual" and feeling out of place.  Please, please, PLEASE, no tears in your jeans or holes anywhere in your clothes!  The darker the denim, the better.  Colored jeans are hot right now, so feel free to play with "safe" colors (blue, grey, brown, dark green, burgundy, mustard yellow) until you can get a feel of how fun you can get.  
Think: cardigans, scarves, blazers, button down shirts, basic tees, and chunky necklaces (yes, I said chunky necklaces!)  For footwear, start off with simple flats and venture as far out as a basic color pair of Tom's or boat shoes if your office environment is ok with it (running sneakers should stay in the gym bag).

The overall idea of casual Friday is to make you feel more comfortable before you start your weekend, but still keeping you focused on the fact that you are at work.  You don't want to be that girl that gets casual Friday taken away.  (I've seen it happen!)

Gents...

Keep it boat-house friendly.  Jeans and a tee shirt can send the wrong type of work vibes to your boss on any day!  If you would wear it to meet your spouse's parents on a weekend trip, more than likely, it's ok for work (unless your spouse's parents are the President and First Lady, or the like). 

Think: sweaters, polos, cardigans with a basic tee, leather footwear with or without laces, and stright leg jeans (again, no holes/rips/tears) or khaki pants or chinos.  NEVER EVER EVER GYM SNEAKERS!

Think about it like this, if you had to be called into an unplanned meeting on a Friday with the CEO of your company, would you be ok with how you look?  Your boss will think higher of you if you know how to keep your Friday casual as close to business-friendly as possible.

I hope my little tips help!!

Friday, September 14, 2012

From Online to In-store!!!

I know, I know...this is nothing new, right?? Wrong!

It seems that even though the economy is "tanking" or we are in a "recession" or whatever you want to call it, retail chains aren't swaying. So much that piperlime.com (a Gap, Inc. online only brand) opened its first physical-hands-on-try-on-merch store. And where else but good ol NYC!! They opened the boutique-esq store in the beating heart of the East Village. Although not as expansive a selection as the online store, it's pretty damn dead-on with the size of the venue.

I suppose this is a test-run to see how people catch on and also a way for those living in a bubble to discover the online store.

The one thing missing is menswear, which I really hope they begin to carry by Spring 2013. Guys, don't fret... piperlime.com is always open for your stylistic pleasure!!

Here's a little snapshot collection to entice you to shop the store!!