How do I dress like an "executive"??? - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

How do I dress like an "executive"???

kimlee

Veteran

I am editing my original post, because I have thought of a better way to frame my question.

The facts: I am a 26 year old executive in the healthcare environment. The office I work in has a dress code policy of "business casual". My coworkers (both below me, above me, and in similar positions) wear a variety of outifts. I have listed a few examples below:

A/P Coordinatior is in capris and a volumnious top
CFO (male) is in khakis and a polo
CEO is in chinos and a patterned 3/4 sleeve jacket
Another staff member is in bermuda shorts and a t-shirt.

I would like to look polished, professional, and pulled together while maintaing a youthful edge. Can you ladies suggest what pieces I should incorporate into my wardrobe? Do you have a favorite outfit from a YLF member that you think would work in my situation?

Many, many, many thanks.

Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from kimlee

rute

Veteran

Hi Kimlee!

I'm the marketing responsible in a company where the dress code is also business casual but I live in Portugal and I don't know if there are diferent interpretations of business casual. I use to buy suits and then use it as separate pieces: I can use the jacket with dark denin and classic shoe (with a high or medium heel shoe) and a feminine top and I can use the trousers with a white shirt and a nice cardigan. I usually avoid very bold jewelery and make-up.
Dresses are also an excelent ideia.
On casual Fridays I usually were jeans and t-shirt with sandals. I think that in your position I would avoid shorts and flip flops.

kimlee

Veteran

Rute - thanks for the tips. I have lots of suits (probably six) that I think I am going to try and break up....using the trouserse with shirts and cardigans. I have a few dresses that I could put into rotation.

What about skirts paired with cardigans? The weather here is quite warm during the summer and there are days where the thought of wearing pants is just unbearable?

Any you others have thoughts?

Vani

Veteran

I would definitely add some fun pencil skirts into the mix. You can pair them shirts, cardigans and blouses - dress up or dress down as need be. Also some versatile scarves, and for the days when you just don't feel like heels (like me today :-D), a pair of dressy flats.

rute

Veteran

I agree with Niva, pencil skirts are great, I use it a lot because I have the same problem here with the heat!
You can use in a more classical way (black pencil skirt and a white blouse and the use a colorful handbag to give color to the outfit).
or in a more funky way, for exemple, with a white pencil skirt:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/.....ryID=43331

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/.....ryID=43330

Chris

Read all of Angie's posts on smart casual - sometimes people interpret business casual as very casual (thus all the men in khakis and polos - boring!) and it throws us off.

Cardigans and skirts would be very professional (depending on fabrics and shoes). I would also try to get a great pair of trouser jeans for Fridays.
Mix up those suits and think of them as seperates, add some colored layering tops and you will be set.

kimlee

Veteran

Rute - I love both of the tops that you linked to... they will be on my birthday wish list for sure.

Chris - Thanks for the tips. I know that pencil skirts can be made professional based on the fabric. What are you thoughts on A-line skirts?

I should not that I am pretty pear as Angie terms it.

christie

I agree with Chris. Noting what the others are wearing, you may be able to get by with Smart Casual, especially if you wear trouser-style dark jeans. I normally wear day dresses, a cardigan, and heels. It is comfortable and casual and looks nice. But yet, I don't feel over-dressed or stuffy (as suits make me feel).

kimlee

Veteran

Thanks for the great info ladies! Do you have a favorite place to purchase your pencil skirts or cardi's? I live in a pretty rural area, so my shopping options are limited to - JC Penney's or the local Wal-mart. But thanks to the joys of the internet, I can find things I want, if I only knew where to look.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

J. Crew always has nice separates: pencil skirts and interesting jackets/blazers. Also, Banana Republic has nice quality things. Nordstroms, or Macy's sometimes. At a lower price point is New York and Company. They are generally good, a little hit or miss but worth a look. Express and the Limited, too (for nice blouses).

http://www.jcrew.com
http://www.bananarepublic.com
http://www.nordstrom.com
http://www.macys.com
http://www.newyorkandcompany.com
http://www.express.com
http://www.thelimited.com

shiny

Veteran

Jcrew and/or BR are the places to go if you want to look the part of the young, stylish, polished executive. Both have really nice suiting selections - investment pieces. Ann Taylor is another place you might try as well, although their clothes are aimed at a slightly older crowd.

One thing nobody mentioned is shoes and purses. As an executive, I recommend you invest in good quality for these, especially the shoes. It's a subtle but important detail, I think. A great shoe and quality purse can up level any outfit, and also add in some personal style to more classic basic pieces.

Likewise allocate a portion of your budget for scarves, necklaces, a great watch and other accessories. These don't necessarily have to be top dollar but they add a lot of personality and style.

Forgive me if you already know this, but I'd take care to dress modestly. Camis or higher necklines to cover cleavage, skirts at the knee and not too short, closed-toed shoes that aren't too high/too sexy. I think this is wise in the work force no matter what your age, but as a 26 year old executive, it's even more important.

How about your hair? A great haircut can go a long, long way towards up-leveling one's overall look. Or wearing long hair up in a nice, neat chignon. It's these little details that make a big difference, and which I tend to notice on our executives.

I also think that erring on the side of slightly dressier than everyone else is just fine. When I was your age, in my first management role, I looked about 13 (I'm very short and have a baby face) so I would dress up more formally than everyone else. If I didn't, I'd get confused for the secretary (this was back when we had secretaries, not admins!)

Anonymous

I'd add that you might look back at outfits worn by Patience, Sarbear (Sarah) and Ana for inspiration. I think they all shop at JCrew. My son's boss (male) suggests that he shop at Banana Republic. I think this would go for young women as well. If you post outfits, such as those you make from your suits, the ladies here will give you fabulous feedback on what works.

kimlee

Veteran

Shiny - You make some great points
! I definitely will be visting J. Crew and BR for a few investment pieces, and the supplementing my wardrobe with items for other places...as I need to stretch my clothing dollar as far as possible.

I have naturally curly hair, that if left to its own devices is wild. Therefore, I normally where my hair pulled back in a chignon.

Melody

Hi Kimlee! I am in a rural area too, and shop mostly on-line. Jcrew, Banana Republic, Macy's, & Nordstrom's have already been mentioned. I also like Boden USA (great details/patterns), Garnet Hill (great cardis), Eddie Bauer (love their no-iron button downs), & Dillard's (awesome shoe & bag selection). I'm in finance and wear suits and dresses most days.

You say you have several suits, so I'll go in the direction of tops. I try to distinguish my suits by adding tops with special details ... interesting patterns, rich colors, ruffles or pleats, luxe fabrics. In the summer, I ditch the suit jackets and mix in cropped &/or short-sleeve jackets and cardigans over my tops. I've had some basic tops in solid colors to fill in the holes, and now only buy a few distinctive pieces each season ... try to find blouses & sweaters I really love.

Today, I'm wearing a navy pencil skirt from jcrew with the cardigan in the link below. What I find special about the cardigan is that it's got a pattern, but it's not repeated all over:
http://www.stylefeeder.com/i/t.....d-Cardigan

I have the silk top below in purple and wear with gray herringbone trousers and a cropped black jacket. The pop of color is a nice contrast with the black & gray, and the ruffles add a feminine touch.
http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/.....e-Top.html

And also this spring I added a green silk top from Banana Republic ... it's pleated across the shoulders across the neckline. They don't have it available anymore or I'd post a link. It goes great with tan, brown, or navy pants. The special detail in the pleating has gotten me lots of compliments.

Banana Republic has some nice versatile pencil skirts out now.

I'd sign up for e-mail alerts from these places so you know when there's sales going on. I got all my suits from jcrew's end of season sales. Actually, I never buy anything on-line unless it's on sale.

Feels like I've been rambling, but that's my input! Happy shopping!

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I work in a business casual environment in healthcare too, and my style there is always polished and bright. I wear skirts, pants, dresses, and I combine them with cardigans, nice tops, unmatching jackets, etc. I do wear suits for high-level meetings, but more often than not even there a skirt/cardigan will do.

The way to achieve the polished look is to make sure you are properly accessorized and that everyhing goes together. Not matches, "goes". Jewelry, scarves, purse, shoes, etc -- these are just as important as your blouse.

If you are in an area without a lot of good stores, online is definitely the way to go. I also do a lot of shopping at Target and Kohls, for one-season tops, camisoles, hosiery, and casual wear. I've also found a lot of summer dresses from them this season.

Kyle

Veteran

Skirts, button down blouses (stretch for comfort), slacks, blazers and cardis, some scarves and great accessories, and a great wrap dress will get you started. Polished and professional, but with a modern edge. Not stodgy!

kimlee

Veteran

I reall appreciate all of the tips and suggestions. I have added several things to my "shopping list" and will be adding these pieces along and along. Today was our dress down day at the office. I wanted to try and put together something that was "smart causal". Did I get it right?

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide.....=snapfish/

I paired dark wash denim with a bright pink top and a 3/4 sleeve jacket. I kep my accesories to a minimum - just some silver earrings. Thoughts?

Chris

I like the way you thought it out and used color. I don't think of the shade of denim you were sporting as a dark was though.
Here's an idea of the dark wash from the Nicole Miller line at JCP (since you mentioned you have JCP near you) :
http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X.....atId=50434|50452|52099|67666
And a trouser jean:
http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X.....atId=50434|50438|51232

But, I think you off to a good start. A scarf or chunky necklace would tie it all together - you don't want youngish, cheap looking jewelry but something updated and to show you respect the details.
Does that make sense?

kimlee

Veteran

Chris - Thanks for the feedback and the links to the dark denim and the trousers. I am going shopping with my sister-in-law tomorrow at JCP, so I will have to check out those items. I am also going to look for some modern jewelry and a scarf or to so that I can tie my outfits together.

cyan45

wow, so many great tips!

kimlee, will you be wearing more skirts/dresses or slacks/trousers? this may
help narrow down your shopping list, at least for now.

idk if this is needed or not, but maybe you could post a full-length pic of yourself with jeans and a form fitting top so angie and the ladies can asses your body type? with this info, we can also help narrow down what KINDS of tops, jackets, skirts, trousers, sweaters, etc...you can look out for...and save you money in the long run!

for now, i'd suggest:

1) using angie's 'smart casual' formula with whatever you have (or will buy soon!)

http://youlookfab.com/2006/09/.....or-ladies/

2) trying out angie's tips for looking 'polished'

http://youlookfab.com/2006/07/27/perfect-polish-2/

http://youlookfab.com/2007/02/.....0-seconds/

fyi, don't worry if you have a tight budget--you can look 'executive' without
breaking the bank! i take cues from all the stores others have mentioned,
and, combined with angie's expertise, can recreate the look for much less.

at the end of the day, it is all about knowing your body, what works/what doesn't, and not being afraid to take risks/make mistakes!

best of luck. please keep us posted!!!

kimlee

Veteran

Cyan45 - I hadn't thought about posting a pic of myself to get feedback on my body type. I will try and do that this weekend. In regards to your other question, I live in South Georgia which is notroious for HOT summers, so in order to stay cool, I am thinking I will be wearing more skirts and dresses....and save the trousers for fall and winter.