For women today, the world of style reaches beyond mere fashion or cosmetics. The fab-o-meter for the modern woman is often measured just as much by her career and family success.
A striking appearance and a flare for style will only enhance that credibility. Look at the trend surrounding us today, from presidential candidate to pop star, from CEO to CIA: Women now have a more opportunities to get ahead in traditionally male domains.
Since the corporate world is now filled with women, shouldn't business attire be more stylish? After all, women are more fashion conscious than men, it's in their nature to focus on aesthetics.
I can't help watching never-ending, guilty pleasure TV, which focuses on women. Probably because I secretly wish I could be part of the glamazon world; my dream is to be a super smart-powerful-sexy-successful cosmopolitan beauty. Can you blame me for having such a fantasy? Look at all those TV favorites: Show like Sex and the City, Cashmere Mafia, Lipstick Jungle, Gossip Girl and some typical others all tell tales of modern women of all ages intertwined with social urban myth.
Their characters have very strong looks and are dashingly beautiful, witty and smart. Even the housewives never look so gorgeous as in their desperation. They're head-to-toe stylish and have plenty of hot guys to choose from. Who doesn't want to project that kind of movie image into reality?
However, with this many role models, the fashion expectations for women today must be high. For casual occasions, meeting parents, cocktail parties or business meetings, women are expected to always look their best. But our corporate-fashion-police investigations often catch career women's style misdemeanors, which can lead to bigger disasters.
And no, I am not talking about corruption, abuse of office facilities, gossiping on messengers, backstabbing bitches, or tardiness. I'm talking about crimes violating the laws of projecting a professional image, which seriously need to be prosecuted in the style court.
With a huge selection of office wear to choose from, women sometimes cross the line between professional and personal wear at work. Here's the countdown of "The Working Girls' 10 Most Deadly Fashion Sins".
10. Fluffy friends parade
Ladies, leave your colorful, furry friends at home, or in your car, if you can't bear being separated from them for too long. The less they appear on your desk, chair, or computer, the less people will think you're a kindergartner trapped in a professional's body.
9. Unnecessary necklace of tags, USB devices and phones
I can't blame people who have an identification tag hanging around their neck, but sometimes the situation goes too far with strings of USB devices and even mobile phones carried this way. Hanging all your necessities around your neck is not an option for style practicality.
8. Trapped in the 80s
This includes all elements left over from this grotesque fashion period, such as the boxy jacket, heavy weight shoulder pads, thick rouge and eye shadow and too powerful 4711 essence in your perfume.
7. Contrasting colored *goggle-specs'
Wearing eyeglasses can make you look smarter. But if you think you can look cute with them as well, you're living in a cartoon world. Those thick and contrasting colored frames surely suit Velma, Daria and Edna, but not a real career girl.
6. Unflattering hair and hair accessories
Even waitresses in the food court can look sleek with their hair neatly tied in a bun. You certainly don't wish to appear any less, with untidy hair sprouting bobby pins, a scrunchy and over-accessorized hair bands, do you?
5. No make-up at all
I still value natural beauty in some women, but once, preparing for a Halloween party sometime ago, I heard my girl friends discussing what to wear. One was so indecisive, she got stung by the bitch who said bluntly, "Just go without make up". I was stunned. If it's an option for a Halloween costume, it's definitely not one for work!
4. Denim
No matter if it's a tailored jacket or slacks, denim remains the most forbidden material in the corporate world.
3. Happy jolly photo collage board
Displaying a few photos of our loved ones is fine, but you probably should have left that wide range of photo collages of you and your friends exposing "say cheese" expressions and making the "peace fingers" gesture back in high school.
2.'Blankmina' or blanket-pashmina
Over past fashion seasons, the pashmina has been a hit and remains popular today. Sadly these elegant garments are often misused to rug up in over-air-conditioned rooms, resulting in deconstructive amateur drapes on bodies creating a grunge look gone wrong.
1. Walking around in slippers
I know it can be tiring wearing heels all the time. You may sit and park your shoes under your desk so no one can notice, but the biggest, greatest, and yet the most common ridiculous mistake any career woman ever made is degrading the conservative look by walking around the office in slippers! Ewww!
Some of you may think these are just minor mistakes and the office dress code can easily be ignored.
But projecting a professional image is no joke in business. It extends our intelligence visually. Our look speaks volumes.
Looking good means projecting an image of who we are. Slippers do not suggest to people that you are a professional.
If your HR department can't handle your office's fashion criminals, then perhaps they need to assign a "corporate fashion punisher" to take these style cases to court. Whoever walks around in slippers will have their bare feet literally stepped on! How's that for a start?
-- Diaz
