In some situations, wearing business casual skirts and dresses in the workplace has drawbacks. Several reasons were mentioned by readers in their comments on a recent post about business casual beyond skirts and dresses:

“A skirt says: Hey, I´m a woman!! Sometimes that´s not the message you want to send in a professional environment.”

“For me, my limited wearing of skirts/dresses is about fitting into an environmental norm. I live in an area where many men still feel that woman should not be in position of high authority — and often it feels as though wearing a skirt/dress draws attention to the fact that I am a female, which distracts them from focusing on the point I am making or the work that I am doing.”

“I struggle with looking professional in skirts/dresses. I don’t *try* to look sexy, but my curves just always do.”

“I’ve been wearing dresses more frequently lately, but I’ve also been getting unwanted attention from men more frequently as well. Maybe this is one of the reasons women sometimes feel more comfortable in pants? I feel feminine and pretty in a dress, but I do have to put up with more stares, honks, “compliments” from strange men, and so on.”

“I do agree with previous posters that skirts and dresses make you stand out more as a woman if you work in a male-dominated field (like I do, in technology.)”

“In a science world women just do not wear skirts and dresses. Ever. Anything feminine totally undermines your credibility.”

“Some girls in the office wear the trendiest skirts and dresses, but I just don’t think it’s professional.”

“Last time you brought this up, I mentioned that I work in tech, and that wearing skirts or a dress is so huge a divergence from the office wear norm that I might as well be wearing a prom gown.”

I found these comments very interesting. And I’m familiar with the territory. I dress clients who work in male dominated fields like technology, science and engineering, and who will wear skirts and dresses to work without giving it a second thought. They are completely comfortable wearing ultra feminine clothing items and standing out as a woman. But I also dress clients who feel that they won’t be taken seriously by their peers and superiors when they wear skirts and dresses. So we build a work wardrobe around dress slacks and trouser jeans instead.

As someone who has only ever worked in the dressy and creative fashion industry, I never had to think about whether I would be taken more seriously in a pair of slacks. As long as I look trendy, professional and modest, I’m free to wear what I like.

Do you think that women can be taken seriously when they wear skirts and dresses in male dominated professions? If the answer is no, to what extent do you rebel against the environmental norm and stand your feminine ground? Or is it best to stick to slacks so that you’re dressed more like your male peers.

Today is sandal day on YLF! This strappy sandal style is less trendy and more casual than the styles I posted earlier this morning, but just as fab.  If, like me, you prefer less strain on the balls of your feet when you wear heels, the two and half inch on this little darling might be the answer.

It’s no secret that I’m a Clarks fan. The British brand holds my attention because it usually offers great foot bed comfort, a sturdy sole and heel, and pretty good arch support. At times, the styles can look quite dowdy. But there are always hip and cool options within each collection, with this season being no exception.

The Country Meadow Wedge Sandal is simple, casual, versatile and delicious. Soft leather and a walkable two and a half inch wedge heel make it a practical and comfortable hot weather solution for skirts, walk shorts and dresses. I’ve seen all the colours and they are equally lovely, but the raspberry probably gets my top vote. At $90 the wedge sandal isn’t cheap, but Clarks make a long-lasting, good quality shoe and unfortunately that comes at a price. Available in sizes 5 to 12, do yourself a favor and try them on. There is no substitute for happy feet.

Comfy is relative here, because you will still need to arch your foot fairly severely in these three to four inch heeled sandals. If heels of this magnitude are not an option, then look away. But if you’re happy sporting this heel height, then get your feet into these strappy sandals as soon as possible. Arched feet aside, I was much impressed with the comfort levels around the foot. The sandals are soft, supple, fairly stable and cushioning. Surprisingly, no strap digging or rubbing as I walked them through their paces in stores.

Here are some detailed impressions. From left to right:

• Sofft “Vanessa”: This cage heeled style is not to be confused with the “Rachelle”, which looks very similar. The Rachelle isn’t nearly as comfortable because the patent leather is hard and it immediately started rubbing against my skin. The ankle strap on the Vanessa is also below the ankle bone, which added to my comfort levels.
• Clarks “Raasas”: I adore the chunky stacked heel and wider straps of this style. It’s my favourite of the three because it’s the most comfortable and stable. Love the steel blue shade you see above, but the burnt orange is just as fab. I really like seeing chunky strappy shoes under shorter hemlines – this sandal fits the bill perfectly.
• Franco Sarto “Tazer”: This sandal is exclusive to Nordstrom and is especially pretty in earthy stone. In my opinion, it’s the most elegant and feminine of the three styles.

These heels are too high for my my fussy feet, but in all other respects the comfort is quite exceptional. Which of the styles above appeals to you?

I know it’s painfully early to think about next season’s Autumn and Winter trends when we’ve barely got our heads around the forecast for Spring. But having just seen Fall designer collections at Fashion Week, it’s fresh in my mind.

Here’s a taste of what’s in store for us 6 months down the line.

• Booties, booties, booties and more booties: Still “the” footwear item to wear with skirts, dresses and tapered pants. I have four pairs of booties and I’m on the lookout for more.
• Leggings, leggings, leggings and more leggings: There is no end in sight.
• Strong shoulders: Lots of shoulder pads, voluminous shoulder treatments, ruffled shoulder details and extended shoulder lines. If you have dainty shoulders like I do, you’ll be all over this trend.
• Tuxedo jackets: This is on my shopping list right now. Fab with jeans and just as fab over formal attire.
• Red and Purple combinations: From the brightest tomato with lavender, to the deepest burgundies mixed with eggplant. I’ll be adding bright purple to my wardrobe and mixing it with tomato red right way.
• Blue: In all its forms, from pastels, azure and cobalt to the richest of ink.
• Black and white: Not quite sure what’s happening to tan and beige later this year, but black and white is still strong.
• Chartreuse: Yay! I adore this shade of green.
• Longer and roomier skirts: A welcome change to the abundance of pencil skirts. I’m still a pencil skirt gal at heart, but it’s time for A-line options.
• Sequins: They’re big every season, yet I see few people wearing the look. Wonder if this year will be different.
• Silver mixed with gold: Yup. It’s cool to mix metals.
• Tonal coloured tights: Tights in very muted sea greens, maroons and teal blues were all over the runway and worn in extremely monochromatic outfit combinations. I like coloured tights worn this way, especially when they match the colour of your booties or boots.

In some cases (e.g. booties) the trends are a repeat and you can scour the current sales to find items that fit the bill way in advance of the next Autumn and Winter season. You can also be an early fashion adopter by starting to wear some of the other trends right away (e.g. new colour combinations).