Pieces | alice louise's wonderland

Have you ever been invited to an event, job interview or party, and been completely baffled by the dress code, especially if its so vague? Imagine being invited for an interview at a company you know wear jeans and hoodies on a daily basis. Should you wear a smart outfit for the interview, or go in something more casual?

In this blog series, I’m aiming to bring you some simple ideas about how to adhere to vague dress code requests, for a variety of situations. Let me know what you would wear, and if you like these outfits you can link to my Polyvore for more of my boards!

First up is Workwear.

I’ve worked in a few different offices, but one thing has maintained throughout. The darker the colour of your clothes, the smarter it appears. I know it sounds strange, but imagine if you wore a bright pink summer dress. It would look very casual. But, if you wore the same dress in a dark purple, or even black, it would instantly look a lot smarter.

So many factors will affect your available fashion choices. Your offices code of conduct, how other people dress and the season will all factor in to what you can and can’t wear. But always remember to wear something which makes you feel comfortable. Just because every girl in the office is wearing sky scraper stilletos, it doesn’t mean you can’t crack out your little black flats. Stick to what works for you, but style it to look best for your new office environment.

A few things I’ve picked up are…

Hem lines.Whether it’s your trousers, chinos, pencil skirt or dress – make sure they are neat. Also, a general unwritten rule, is your skirt shouldn’t really come above your knees. A little prehistoric, I know, but it looks so much smarter when your dress covers your bum – especially in unpredictable British weather! A trick for longer looking lengths on black skirts is to wear thicker black tights. It’s creates the illusion of a slightly longer skirt. Just, fyi….
Trends Just because it’s in fashion right now, doesn’t mean you can’t wear it for the office. Wearing a peplum top over slim leg suit trousers looks chic, and teaming it with plain black pumps or heels can take your look up a notch.

Essentially, whilst each office is different, dress codes for workwear normally just want their employees to look presentable, and ready to meet customers. Messy hair and ripped jeans are normally big no-no’s, and some employers are even adding ‘No Leggings’ to their contracts to fit in with recent fashions.

Below is an idea I’ve put together for office wear. Let me know what you think, and if you would wear something similar! I’d love to see your ideas to, so if you have a Pinterest board or Polyvore account feel free to link it below.

A x

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