Dress in a lawyerly fashion

Le Smoking is the original "borrowed from the boys" look, created by Yves Saint Laurent in 1966.

These timeless tuxedos were exclusively worn by men with power until YSL came along. These have fallen out of favor daily wear even amongst the crème de la crème. Still, I think an attorney should not leave all the 3-piece suits or tuxedos for defendants... of course we ought to leave all of the polyester ones alone for the pimps.

I was a girl scout so I believe in always being prepared. As a teen, my "being prepared" motto covered having a nail repair kit in my purse (you never know when impromptu rock climbing or intensive shopping might chip your nail). Now I manipulate this motto into sartorial splendor: a lady must shop for clothes for occasions that may come up. Besides, if you buy it the occasion will come a la Field of Dreams.

Source: snapwidget.com via Fashion on Pinterest

   

I have heard that some law students go through their first year of law school without a suit. I think lawsuits--err, suits are just as important as laptops. Budget a quality suit into your loans. My first suggestion is Theory suiting. The quality is good, they offer free tailoring, and the cuts are classic. It is not at all that I am against cheaper clothing, as long as it is cheaper in price--not quality. I shop with longevity in mind so quality and classic looks are important to me. I will splurge on designer items but I definitely love well made affordable pieces and will not buy something just because it is designer if it is made of low quality. 

Have you bought a designer item that did not live up to your expected quality? 

  

Classic cap toe pumps

I came into law school ready to suit up at a moment's notice. I was 14 when I got my first suit because I was working in a professional environment. Since I was less than 100 pounds and just 5 feet tall, I had to get all my work clothes tailored. The fit of my professional attire looked so much better than my velour sweatsuits and made me feel so polished and grown up that I was immediately hooked. So it is hard for me to imagine not having even one suit in my wardrobe.

When did (or will) you get your first suit? 

See what this little charmer is wearing? The look is not only timeless but ageless too! 

A quality navy suit was a smart splurge for me because the pieces are versatile for work and casual attire, the color goes well with my natural or (spray) tanned skin, and the look is timeless. I feel the same way about all of the pieces in my look here. 

Outfit details:

YSL Le Smoking

Haute Hippie blouse

Banana Republic tank

Chanel heels

Rolex watch

Hermes Birkin

(Check out my other suit related posts: The interview suit, Get ready to suit up, Case: clothes; Bebe tweed suiting review, Keep it a boardroom not a bored room.

♥ Thanks for reading and supporting my blog! ♥

Fitting room fun with Madmen style

Review of Banana Republic's Spring 2012 Mad Men collection & sprinkles of J Crew

If you follow me on instagram you know I previewed this fit review post.

I'm obsessed with this pink color but unfortunately not with the cut and fit of this dress. 

Despite the petite sizing, this dress swallows me, making it more prom dress than work attire. Aside from the taffeta, the bow and princess shape (that hides cleavage making it good as business cocktail attire) does not a 'Betty' make on me.
               
Like last time (here) I think this dress is more fit for a bride's maid. Some alterations (like making the straps thinner or dropping the neck lower) could make this dress a great date night dress. The cost of alterations would be worth it for this 100% silk dress that is fully lined and reasonably priced at $150.

Here I am pulling at the extra material

If you liked the similar one from the last capsule collection but found it too big, this one (here) may be worth the try. The fit is smaller than last time (see here) but the length is still much longer than intended.
      
A better fit from this limited collection:

This dress can be also worn without the included sash belt. I am sorry that I was too excited about the polka dots to snap a picture without the belt. This stone wash color serves as a great canvas for silk scarves (as I've shown here, here, and here). The length of this dress is also much better than the one above.

These pants are a little on the absurdly tight side, especially to pull off as work attire for my body shape. I could have tried the 2P but I do not care for the length of these and they reminded me of the J Crew ones that I found more comfortable. If the fit were right, the color could be styled to be appropriate for some work environments. The key is to make this your only statement piece by pairing them with neutral tops and blazers: think creams, grays, and whites. Although a dark blue may be a tempting color blocking contrast, you likely need to keep that for your weekend looks. -If you are in the legal field, such a stark contrast draws too much (unprofessional) attention.

The flamingo pose

Pink "majesty" cigarette pants (here)

Size reference: 0P

     

Compare with JCrew:

 J Crew café capri (here)

Size reference 00 (instead of petite to keep this length)

J Crew minnie pant (here)  

Size reference: 00
Shoes: J Crew Valentina pumps (here)

Do you plan on wearing spring trends to work?

I hope this review is helpful to you. For you ladies who are on the thinner side, I suggest checking out Banana Republic's cigarette pants. I found the fit tighter than the usual equivalent size at BR. I heard that the collection is only being sold online and in stores until March 20th and although I find it hard to believe that they will pull unsold items from the shelves instead of leaving them to be sold, this likely means that once a size is sold out it will be hard to locate them again.

Personally, I took to the colors and fit at J Crew more. I am also interested in similar Ann Taylor ones (here and here).

By the way, you get 25% off of Banana Republic online through March 5th with purchase of $100+ with code BRMARCH25. 

♥ Thanks for reading and supporting my blog! ♥