Style Staple: The Blazer

The style staple you can wear 7 days a week for all different occasions is the ever so versatile blazer. As a professional, a blazer is must have for the workplace. Whether you work in a formal setting or more casual environment, it's always good to have at least one blazer in your closet for meetings, interviews, and last minute events.

(This is the outfit I wore when presenting my Master's thesis. Dress pants, pumps, a simple white blouse and traditional black blazer created the perfect professional look.)

A lot of people have the misconception that blazers are only for professional events. Think again! You can get away with wear a blazer every day of the week if you wanted. There are so many different ways to style a blazer from a casual day running errands, to a sporting event, to date night, to drinks with your friends, to a holiday party. The options are endless.

(A casual outfit I wore of loose fitting pants, a simple white t-shirt and fitted blazer. Follow me on Instagram for details of this look.)

You can't go wrong with jeans, a V-shaped t-shirt and fitted blazer. It's comfy, casual, and always trendy. Stick with flats or boots for an everyday look. To add some pizazz, I'd opt for pumps or wedges. It dresses the look up while still keeping to casual.

(One of my favorite outfits for a casual night out with friends - capris, a white t-shirt, blazer, and cute sandals)

Blazers layered over dresses are another one of my go-to styles. Cardigans can get boring. Pairing a dress with a blazer spices up your wardrobe. Casual dresses pair nicely with collarless blazers, while more sophisticated dresses look better with traditional blazers. If you're wearing a simple one color dress, the blazer can be the focal point of the outfit. Try a patterned blazer like floral or stripes or a brightly colored blazer to make the dress pop.

In the warmer months, a blazer and shorts or capris are my favorite look! Cropped blazers tend to be more popular in the summer, but personally, I'm not a fan. That look is a bit juvenile to me. I recommend a boyfriend fitted blazer with shorts. Layered it over an embellished tank top and you've got an effortlessly chic outfit. Here's my thing with blazers and skirts; don't do it! The flare of the blazer and flowiness of a skirt create a frumpy silhouette on any frame.

Up your blazer game! I just saw Forever 21 is having a sale on all their blazers offering 21% off select styles. All my blazers are from Forever 21 and I find them to be great quality for the price. Here's a few of my favorite blazers on sale now.

 Blazer 1  //  Blazer 2  //  Blazer 3  //  Blazer 4

Blazer 5  //  Blazer 6  //  Blazer 7  //  Blazer 8

The Blue Door Boutique

The Blue Door Boutique is a trendy shop for contemporary ladies apparel and accessories. The prices are super affordable and trends are current with the fashion industry.

"The goal of this site is to give you the same feel and service of shopping in a small boutique, but doing so from your desk, couch or even on-the-go. We receive new merchandise EVERYDAY and show those items being worn by REAL women working right here in the store (no models or mannequins)!"

- The Blue Door Boutique

 

This quaint boutique offers styling assistance which includes help making a decision or with sizing. Through their "Chat with a Stylist" feature in the bottom right hand corner of the web page or by sending an e-mail, one of their stylists will get back to you within 24 hours. A little long if you need to make a quick decision about clothing for an upcoming event or an impulse buy, but keep in mind, this is all through the Internet. 24 hours is a pretty fast turnaround period for a response. Below are the stylists featured on The Blue Door Boutique web page to assist customers. 



Marlena, Sally, Stacy, Amber, Laura, Ashley

What makes this boutique stand out to me if the selection of work-appropriate attire. There are so many blouses, dresses, slacks, and skirts that are modest enough for a day in the office, yet trendy enough to wear on a date or girl's night out. You know what that means.....LESS MONEY AND TIME YOU HAVE TO SPEND!

Versatility is one thing to always keep in mind when purchasing clothes. Is this appropriate for work? Would this make a great impression on a date? Can I go casual in this to lunch with friends? If you can answer yes to these questions about an article of clothing then it's a must have.

Kelly's Top BDB Picks

 

What else do I love about this shop? The shipping policy because it's definitely not hard to reach the free shipping minimum and even if you don't, the flat rate price is very reasonable.

 

 

 

I encourage the fashion forward working women to give this site a look at and add to all your social media favorites.

 

Facebook 

Instagram

Twitter

 Pinterest

 

Already a fan? Show your support by buying one of these "I LIKE BD" shirts for $15.

Lauren Conrad's Spring Collection at Kohl's

The Fashion Minute's favorite reality star turned author and designer, Lauren Conrad, has incorporated all of spring's hottest trends in her soon-to-be released collection available exclusively at Kohl's. The items pictured below will be available in February and March.

Floral prints, flowy tops, vibrant colors, bold stripes, polka dots, and LC's signature blazers made the final cut in her affordable and trendy clothing line.

Why is this so great for us? It's only available at Kohl's which means if you have a Kohl's Card, you save a minimum of 15% on EVERY purchase in addition to price reductions!

My favorites are the white blazer which every girl should own, polka dot silk shorts, and floral demin. What do you think of LC's spring collection?

LC by Lauren Conrad at Kohl's

Lauren Conrad's Style Advice for Working Girls

I head into New York quite often and the outfits I see on some women going to work is just atrocious. One of the fashion capitals of the world and you'd think that people would know how to dress when going into a place of work, ha, well think again. It's not just in New York, I see it everywhere. Friends going on interviews with low cut shirts, see-through blouses, or short skirts. Are you cringing as you read this because you've made some of these mistakes?

I stumbled across this article by Lauren Conrad which couldn't explain proper work attire better no matter your job.

 

 

 

 

 

Work It: 9 to 5 Style

9/1/2011
by Lauren Conrad

Work attire is a tricky subject. While there are a few general rules of thumb for office dressing, it really depends on where you work. Different environments call for different ensembles. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll decode what’s appropriate for a variety of workplace settings in a new blog series called, Dress Coding. For now, I’ll provide you with some general tips on dressing for work.

If you’re new to the working world, I should warn you: Beware of the fashion police otherwise known as “Human Resources” and your fellow co-workers. Committing an at-work fashion faux pas is a legitimate offense. Just because you didn’t get the pink slip for your crime (crime = teal tube top) doesn’t mean you’re getting away with it (it = teal tub top)... Wearing the wrong threads has the potential to distort your image as a valued employee and may even prevent you from getting ahead. If Wendy Worker sports tight skirts, sheer blouses and routinely puts her “girls” on display at work, her co-workers may have a difficult time taking her (and her wacko wardrobe) seriously. Therefore, as with all occasions, dress for success—and mean it, especially when you’re on the clock!

Even though all work environments have different rules as to what is and isn’t okay to wear, the following commandments cover most of the general dos and don’ts of dressing for work:

• Thou shalt never let your outfit outshine your work. (Yes, creatives and fashionistas, this applies to you as well!)
• Thou shalt abstain from clothing with obnoxious logos. (Besides Bebe logo tops being so 1999, no one wants a walking billboard in their office.)
• You shall avoid all sexy and revealing clothing. Never show more than 1 inch of cleavage or wear a skirt that skims your bum. For most offices, skirts that hit more than 3 or 4 inches above the knee are considered inappropriate (If you want to wear shorter skirts, or even dress shorts, pair them with opaque tights to temper the higher hemline). Also, no tank tops unless you have something layered over it to cover your shoulders.
• Thou shalt not wear any ripped, torn, or sloppy clothing. This includes anything that can be worn to the gym or the beach (gym shoes and flip-flops etc.).
• Thou shalt dress like my female boss. If you do not have a female boss, emulate the highest-ranking female in your company. This doesn’t mean steal her style. Rather, base your office attire on what she considers appropriate. Is she casual? Always dresses to the nines? Take a cue from the people in positions you aspire to have someday. They don’t say, “dress the part” for no reason.
• You shall always dress to impress—even on “casual Fridays.” Don’t let casual Fridays fool you. Jeans may be okay, but that old tee reserved for lazy Sundays and those hot pink flip-flops are just not going to cut it… Casual Friday attire should be based on your weekly work wear, but taken down a few notches.
• Thou shalt not don underwear as outerwear. Ever. This is pretty self-explanatory…  
• You shall always use your best judgment. Consider your work environment and dress accordingly. Anything you can wear to a club should never step foot in an office. If you’re unsure about an outfit, it’s best to err on the side of caution and go with something else.

I hope you find these tips helpful! Stay tuned for my upcoming Dress Coding blogs where I’ll crack those mysterious office dress codes. First up, business formal work attire!

If you’re a working girl, what’s your work environment like and what’s your go-to office outfit?

XO Lauren

P.S. These rules apply to interns too!