Category Archives: dress code

Daily Outfit: Semi-Cocktail, Semi-Business Dress Code

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Sarah Ward

After deciding to attend my first Girl Power Hour cocktail networking event in Seattle, I had no idea what to wear. Yeah. Image consultants deal with that, too. I tweeted my girl Kat Kim who was going to be moderating the panel what the dress code was. She suggested semi-cocktail, semi-business. That I could do! So here’s what I came up with.

Before I left for the event, I tweeted a photo of my outfit on Instagram with the #fitfab hashtag. When I went to introduce myself to Darnell Sue, Girl Power Hour’s founder, she recognized me from the photo I posted. Social media really does open the door to making connections with people.

clane gessel photography girl power hour

Girl Power Hour. Photo: Clane Gessel Photography

The Girl Power Hour theme was Fit and Fabulous and the panel had some fantastic things to say. One of my biggest takeaways was to deconstruct your craving. Ask yourself what that craving is really about. Do you need that food or do you really need a hug? Then act on the root cause of it. Check out more Fit and Fabulous takeaways here.

girl power hour with dorothy inez clane gessel photography

DorothyInez, makeup artist, and I at Girl Power Hour. Photo: Clane Gessel Photography

What would you wear for a semi-cocktail, semi-business dress code?

Posted in dress code, personal style, professional image, what i wore | Tagged clane gessel photography, daily outfit blog seattle, girl power hour, networking event seattle | 2 Comments

Why Wearing Miniskirts to the Office is a Bad Career Choice

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Sarah Ward

Photo: Bobs Photography

This week while chatting with a good friend, she told me how her office recently hired an attractive woman. On her first day at the office, the skirt she wore left little to the imagination. Not surprisingly, office flirting ensued.

Class, why is wearing miniskirt to the office a bad career choice?

When a woman is establishing herself as a professional in her field and a valued asset to the team, the more skin she shows, the less authoritative she becomes. In other words, when a woman shows off her body in the workplace, she gives away her visual authority. It becomes distracting and diminishes any contributions she is trying to make.

Wouldn’t you prefer to be known as a respected team member who brings value to the workplace rather than a pretty face that stirs things up at the office?

Bottom line, ladies: if you want to be respected in the workplace, save the miniskirt for after hours.

(By Sarah Ward and Judith Rasband)

Posted in career, dress code, professional image | Tagged career tip, professional attire | Leave a comment

Un-Casual Friday

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Sarah Ward

Who says Friday is just for jeans and T-shirts?

This is Tracey. A few weeks ago, I saw him dressed sharp in a crisp black button-down shirt, a matching tie, and black dress pants and shoes. When I asked him if he was going anywhere special that night, he simply replied, “It’s un-casual Friday.”

Un-Casual Friday? I was floored. Brilliant!

Now that it’s Friday again, I’m inspired to do the same.

Are you willing to go against the norm and participate in un-casual Friday? Or will you be donning your T-shirt and jeans instead?

Copyright 2010 Cable Car Couture. All Rights Reserved.

Posted in dress code, he's got style | Tagged un-casual friday | Leave a comment

Business Casual: Are Jeans Work Appropriate?

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Sarah Ward

Jeans and Blazer by My Style Pill on Flickr

Over the last several decades, the business casual revolution has been brewing. In today’s relaxed work climate, business casual can be confusing without a properly defined dress code and often leads to questions like this:

Are Jeans Work Appropriate?

Determining whether jeans are work appropriate will depend on your work environment. If you work in a creative or technical field with a business casual atmosphere, you’ll be more likely to be able to wear jeans at the office than if you work in an executive law firm, for example.

That said, not all jeans are created equal. Consider the various styles of jeans on the marketplace that may not bode so well with HR due to their distracting nature…