Philosophy of Dressing for the Occasion

I am a firm believer in the philosophy of dressing for the occasion, whether its going to work or going to a gala event - make sure to dress for the occasion, but when you do, do it with a vengeance! Dress like you mean it, none of this sissy business. It's all about the attitude behind what you wear and how you present yourself.

Don't show up to work in sweat pants and a t-shirt, unless you work at a gym. If your work environment is business attire, dress business-like. This doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice your favourite patent leather pink heels for a matronly set of loafers; or that you should pair those patent pink heels with a halter either. Tone it down enough to evoke a sense of business without sacrificing your personal style. Think about throwing on a camisole under your halter and a jacket over top it all. Bring a cardigan to work with you and wear it when you take your jacket off. If you have a solid suit that you wear to work, nothing says that on days when you're not meeting with the major players that you can't wear those patent pink heels. It's all about balance.

Balance is key.

If your workplace is casual or you work from home, nothing says that you can't spice up your casual pieces with some funky-prints, or fun jackets with detailing. Buy a pair of fun flats to wear with your jeans or khakis. Try to throw your personal flare (I'm not talking about the movie Office Space here) into what you wear even if it is a casual working environment. If you work from home and you're comfortable staying in your PJ's all day long, hey more power to you! But if you are one of those like the rest of us, who feel sluggish and tired sitting around in PJ's, get dressed. Nothing says that when you work from home that you have to "look" like you're working from home.

But the main thing to remember is that confidence and attitude (not the bad kind) are key when dressing for any occasion. Stand tall, look fierce and whatever you do dress like you mean it. People respond to confident dressers, and it doesn't matter if your colleagues who should be dressing more for the occasion don't - what matters is that you do! Whether it's dressing for the office, the weekend, the red carpet event, when you dress make sure that you dress for yourself and not for others, stay true, don't compromise, but most of all look the part. When you look the part, you feel the part and that is where your confidence will shine.