We’re going to spend lots of time discussing business casual dressing, but here’s a quick fix for those of you who want to spice things up right now. Most of these ideas can be interpreted appropriately for any quadrant of the Business Casual Context Model:

1. Think beyond black bootcut dress pants. Please! You have countless options if you’re open to them. Pinstripes, checks and false plains are a welcome change, not to mention colours like charcoal, shades of brown, ink blue, teal, eggplant, cream and white. Cigarette pants can look professional and so can a tailored pair of knee length walk shorts.
2. Wear dresses and skirts. After all, it’s these items that were created especially for women. Take advantage of it.
3. Add hose. You’ll be surprised at how much fun hosiery can be. A delicate polka dot, a daring diamond or a subtle floral design adds great dimension to an outfit.
4. Build in some colour. No need to stick to neutrals.
5. Choose blouses over knit tops and basic button down shirts. A soft blouse makes a clean, crisp and feminine change. Don’t think they’re frumpy. They’re fab.
6. Add boots and booties to the mix. Wear dressy knee-high boots with skirts and dresses and patent booties with pants. Wear booties with skirts and dresses if you dare.
7. Consider wearing tunics. They look sensational belted over straight leg pants or pencil skirts. And woven tunics get my vote over knit versions any day of the week.
8. Add belts. Transform a basic button-down shirt, cardigan or blazer with a skinny or wide waist- cinching belt.
9. Wear dressy flats if you can’t walk in heels. There’s nothing unprofessional about wearing dressy flat shoes, low wedges or heels an inch high.
10. Add a pin. Choose one that’s appropriate for your work environment and add interest to a jacket lapel or item of knitwear.
11. Wear (the right kind of) sleeveless items. Think impeccable sheath dresses, silk shell tops or blouses with built up shoulders, modest necklines and ample underarm coverage.
12. Add a scarf. They’ll bring instant life to an outfit tied using either a frivolous or an authoritarian knot.
13. Create interesting layers. Wear sleeveless blouses or knit tops over button-down shirts. Create colour and textural contrasts with camisoles. Add leggings to dressy skirt ensembles if you’re in a creative work environment.
14. Scrunch or roll up your jacket and shirt sleeves. It adds a relaxed element to a strict suiting blazer, and a textural element to a button down shirt.
15. Add cuff-links. Think of the fun you’ll derive from sporting vintage cuff links, and you could borrow hubby’s too.
16. Sport fabulous eyewear and a great watch. They are the most important accessories on your body, so if you’re not happy with them, get an update fast.

Hopefully we’ll see some of these in action on our forum. Can’t wait to see you post your outfits.

A few months ago we announced the Facebook fan page for YLF. At the time less than 50 people were fans, but just today that number reached 500! It is fun to see a few discussions happening on the fan page too.

Greg also set up a YLF Twitter account some time ago and it has 234 followers. For a while we had it automatically tweet when I posted a new blog entry, but it has been neglected since April last year. To be honest I don’t really get the whole Twitter thing, but hopefully it becomes clear after I start doing regular tweets. Recently the American Dialect Society made “tweet” word of the year for 2009, so I had better get it together.

Are you an active Twitter user, and if so, what do you like about it? And what kind of things do you think I should tweet for YLF?

Turquoise is going to be huge for Spring, but that doesn’t mean you have to sport the colour as a clothing item. Of course, you don’t need sport turquoise at all if you don’t fancy the shade. But if you like turquoise, consider wearing the colour as an accessory instead of a clothing piece. Turquoise jewelry gets my number one vote.

Classic, earthy jewelry that incorporates the turquoise gem stone has been around forever and it’s available every season. But I’m digging turquoise jewelry with a difference. Beads made of glass, lucite or resin, leather cuffs and wrap bracelets. These modern and vintage turquoise pieces have piqued my interest and they’ll probably make my “must haves” list for Spring/Summer 2010.

The turquoise necklace is in the YLF store and on my wish list. Pop it over a simple white top with jeans and a pair of dressy flats or heels and you’ve made a crisp, clean and strong statement. Easy and effective.

I dig Michelle Obama’s sense of style. It’s chic, strong, sensible and unexpected. America’s First Lady has put a sense of fashion back into politics, and it’s a breath of fresh air for style crazed people like me. When I think of Mrs. O’s style, I think of a statuesque, fit woman wearing a flawless designer sheath dress with dazzling jewelry, OR, a pair of casual slacks, flats and J. Crew cardigan.

Andrew Bolton, the curator of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute puts it well:

“What is compelling about Mrs. Obama’s style is how she wears both high fashion and low fashion – it’s modern, democratic and above all, American”.

We were kindly sent a copy of Mary Tomer’s great coffee table book, Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy, and we’d love you to review it. All you need to do is share your views on Mrs O’s style in the comments below. If you win we will send you the book and ask you to write a review on the YLF forum.

Note that you need to be a signed up YLF member (with a profile picture) in order to participate. We will pick the winner using a random number generator. Entries to the competition close Wednesday 13th January at midnight, Pacific Standard Time.

To recap, here are the things you need to do to be eligible for the giveaway:

1. Sign up as a YLF member if you haven’t done so already
2. Ensure that you have a profile picture
3. Write a comment below (while logged in!) on Mrs. O’s style
4. Do this all by midnight on Wednesday, and…
5. Be prepared to write a short review on the book for the YLF forum

Can’t wait to hear your comments.