There are not many redeeming features about travel on peak-hour public transport. In fact, the only saving grace the style bar can glean from the experience is the valuable research that can be done hiding out amongst the walking wounded as they pile onto station escalators and spill out into the daylight on their way to the towers beyond. (Where else in the civilized world do people entering and exiting the platforms have to use the same stairs and barriers? Crushing madness. But I digress).
The thing that strikes me the most, apart from the overwhelming sea of washed out and monotone colour palettes merging into one - pale grey, beige, black, blue and pink stripes so pale they almost do not warrant their names so close are they to white - is the fact that on an alarming 90% of commuters the clothes actually do not fit them properly.
Crumpled and clinging shirts hanging out over pants in an attempt to hide waistlines, but only succeeding in accentuating flesh that otherwise could be nicely camouflaged; Pants that are too tight, pulling in all the wrong places, and worse, that do not quite reach the ankles; stretched, sagging and pilling knits that leave a gap between the wearer’s top and bottom half, and so often in the same shade as their skin tone so that it is hard to see where their face ends and their body begins.
Now I am sure that you style bar aficionados are not even close to falling into this tragic worker bee category, but in case you do experience mild feelings of panic of a morning when faced with getting creative about your work gear, here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you along your merry way…
DO
- Plan ahead - why not work out what you are going to wear the night before? If for example it needs ironing you can get it out of the way before the late night news
- Invest in fresh basics once a year - well-cut singlets and tees can be a really smart modern combo with suit pants or skirts - if the colour is good and the fabric natural they are comfortable alternative to shirts which can be restrictive to sit down in for long periods and severely limit your styling options; PLUS they are a must have layering item for creating a smooth line over your bra and under your top layer (as discussed in Wardrobe Essentials Part 1 - The Singlet)
- Have a good quality cotton cardigan or woolen shawl for layering all year round - essential for when the bus or train is overly icy, and likewise supremely handy slung over your chair for those artic breezes that invariably spring up in the office of an afternoon
- If your work environment does not encourage colour in your work separates, express yourself in your accessories! Coloured shoes, scarves, cardigans and bags are the simplest way to spark up the sombre and give you the power dressing edge. Just look at Condoleezza Rice’s array of sexy stilettos that she travelled with when visiting Australia - the perfect example of a women in a top but conservative position showing her individual feminine side in the only way she can. Men do it through their ties, socks and cufflinks, so why not you too?
DON’T
- If it does not quite fit at the moment, don’t wear it. A shirt whose buttons are fighting to stay done up over your cleavage? Wear a singlet underneath and you can leave an extra button undone and breathe easy. Hot tip - not tucking your shirt in does not in fact make you look any slimmer. It just cuts you off at the hips shortening your torso and making you look less groomed. Unless it is purposely made that way and therefore it needs to be very fitted, ending before the hips and curved at the hem. And in a very good quality fabric.
- Wear all black all the time. It drains colour from the face and adds age, especially in unforgiving office lighting. Or wear it with a touch of colour to soften the harsh effect
- Getting a bit past it? Repair it or replace it. It’s that simple.
- No animal prints. It may be a jungle out there, but there is no place for them during daylight hours…
- Never be tempted to pull something out of the dirty clothes basket. That’s what planning ahead is for…
So I am embracing my undercover time in corporate officedom; shaking off the initial feelings of despair and angst that fighting through the crowds brings on so easily, I have decided to take a style bar approach and hope that you do too: lead by example, and be a beacon of light standing out from the maddening crowd in colour and innovative outfit combinations; let’s show them how it can be done with style!!
Let’s just hope someone is watching out from under the free newspaper and morning coffee…now bring on Casual Friday!!!
Rubi
