Graduation Outfit Ideas

I AM GRADUATING FROM MBA TOMORROW! WOOHOO

Either if you are a graduate or just attending a graduation here are some classy dresses to celebrate the occasion. All these dress can be found on http://www.asos.com/

One commute home - two amazing women

I live in Manhattan but I commute to Stamford CT for work. My commute is a good hour and 15 minutes each way and usually I'm so exhausted that I am sleeping or playing on my Ipad. Yesterday, however, I was overly alert and I noticed two amazing women. I just had to share.

The first was a woman in her mid-40s. She was wearing sky-high stilettos and she was carrying a very huge bag of food shopping home. What amazed me more than anything was that even though the bags were clearly heavy and the high heels had to have been very painful she was looked gorgeous, stylish and walked with the lightness of a feather.

 

The second woman was even more amazing. She was riding the subway with her baby. The baby had a big diaper accident and she had to change the baby right then and there! She was traveling alone with no stroller just the baby-bjorn. So this is what she did. She balanced the baby on her knees and proceeded to undress, clean and redress the baby with one hand. Somehow all this only took her 2 subway stops even though the baby was crying and the mess was pretty intense. The most impressive part was watching her face - she was so calm, so sweet to the baby. It would have been so easy for her to loose it, make the baby wait until she got out of the subway or to become embarrassed by her situation but she was none of those things. Cool as a cucumber - amazing!



I felt so empowered to be a woman after meeting these two amazing strangers and to all you multitaskers out there - remember that you are amazing!

So I disappeared there for a while

Sometimes this blogging thing reminds me of writing in my diary back when I was 7 or 8 years old. I would have a few weeks of consistent entries and then neglect my poor diary for months. The guilt I felt was terrible but I refused then and still refuse to write if I am lacking inspiration or desire. So there! I admit it! I just haven't felt like blogging. But this doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about my blog. In fact, I have been questioning if my current plan to blog solely about fashion at work  is the right strategy. There are so many other topics I want to discuss. I would love to provide my view points on the work-life balance, marriage, changing interests and feeling empowered as a woman.

I just finished reading an interview with DVF in the FT - a must read here.  It inspired me to focus broader, not just on fashion but on women in the work place. It isn't easy to balance wanting to be a respected professional, a loving and understanding wife, an attentive daughter and sister and for some of us a smart, fun and responsible mommy. DVF is doing it, why can't you and I?

I hope you will find my new direction a better one and I also hope that you spread the word about my little blog ...

Please send me your thought and comments, topics that you want to explore and I will join in the exploration with you!

Casual Friday! Send me your pictures

I sit at a desk for 10 hours a day so natuarally I can't be out and about snapping up pictures of perfectly dressed worker bees. That's why I count on your lovely emails and pictures for some of my sources. Here is my friend Anna. I love the stripes and the laid-back outfits. Perfect for the casual Friday.

We all have these in our closet: flats, skinny jeans, skinny belt and botton down. Love it!

Lighten up...Let the sunshine in!

The combo of yellow, white and gray has been a favorite of mine for everything from bedroom colors to art work to outfits. Here are a few versions of the color combo that will work great for work.

All images are from Pinterest...

Lazy outfit days... meet The Scarf

So your day starts out something like this...

Your alarm didn't go off and you wake up 30 minutes late - you should be out of the house by now!

Naturally you didn't plan or lay out your outfit last night and now are staring at your closet in panic.

You grab the basics  - black skirt, white top (or whatever your basic is...)

You know your outfit is as bland and boring as they come but you just don't have time for anything fancy...

Today is the day the silk scarf becomes your best friend: wear it long, or tied as long as you wear it - it is the easiest way to add interest to any outfit. Here are some of my favorites from Pinterest...



Bullish on the Female CEO...

Yesterday we got the news that Avon named Sherilyn McCoy as the new CEO. She will have her hands full and has a lot to prove.

The news got me thinking about successful business woman that are worth studying, copying and admiring. Here are my top 3 choices:

#1: For breaking the glass ceiling in a financial firm (Not an easy feat):

Beth E. Mooney Chairman and CEO of Key Corp

#2: For her strong and positive personality, her bravery and her optomism:

Arianna Huffington: CEO and Founder of Huffington Post

#3: For her ability to market herself and her magazine (through TV and other media) and for her perfect business fashion sense:

Joanna Cole Editor in Chief of Marie Clarie

Its all in the wrist...

Some of my favorite bloggers pile on many bracelets and watches together like this:


I love the look but when I tried to copy this style  it was veyr uncomfortable to type on the keyboard and also I sounded like a janitor walking with a ton of keys in his pocket. So I decided to find an alternative solution that looks like this:  

Each peices is soft and flexible so it makes a lot less noise and makes it easier to type. Here is how to put it together. Start twith these:
#1. your favorite watch

#2: a pearl bracelet

#3 a flexible gold bracelet

#4: a flexible silver bracelet

Here is how the piling on process looks:





Its a short week and Easter is almost here...

While I don't celebrate Easter I won't pass up an opportunity to enjoy a day off (even though for me its actaully a half day :( darn that Employment Report). Anyway, last week one of my friends at work wore this Spring/Easter inspired outfit and I love how its still very professional with a great pop of color!

One pop of color is probably all a work outfit can handle but I also love that Mackensie "funkyed it up" with gray booties!

I Vanna, I Vanna...Ivanka be a Powerful Women!

Ivanka Trump is a brilliant business woman! Sure, she isn't a Wall Street girl but she manages so many impressive businesses (hotels, clothing, jewelry) that we will let her join our club ;). There are three things that Ivanka always does and they make her look powerful and beautiful.

First of all,  her hair is always beautifully styled and make up is minimal:

Second, she knows her body and since she is curvy she is almost always in a solid color dresses with a cinched in waist.

Third, She is always work appropriate with skirt lengths that are to the knees



and the best part is that now you can wear designes inspired by the business mogul herself at Lord and Taylor (i'm going to check it out tonight!) 

You Don't Have to be the CEO to have a Personal Shopper

A Wall Street Girl's week can look something like this:

Monday through Friday:
Wake up: 5am
Shower/dress/commute: 5-6am
Work, Work, Work 6:30am - 6:30pm
After work: 7-12pm
          Dinner with clients or
          The gym or
          Study for CFA or
          Go to MBA class

Point is? Well the point is that there isn't must time for shopping and while I love spending my Saturday accomplishing this...

You might not always have the chance to do that. So I recommend using the personal shoppers at your favorite stores to help make your life so must easier. I was in Michael Kors on Saturday and ended up with a bag full of perfect work wear (nude pumps, navy wrap dresses and tweed jackets!) all thats to the amazing eye of the personal shopper there. Only thing I had to do was be willing to try things on! Anyway long story short is she got my number and will call me with sales and new collections. I lot of my favorite places to shop have this service for free and I recommend you use it!

*Bloomingdales

*JCrew

*Lord and Taylor

*Michael Kors

*BCBG

and so many more!!!!

Vintage in a Fast Market

The business world changes so quickly and we always focus on the future but when it comes to dressing up I love wearing something vintage everyday. It makes me feel special and usually helps me feel unique.

I never leave the house without my 1960's watch from Geneva that I purchased at a flea market in Paris (I also secretly love that it looks like a David Yurman design!

Also I am lucky to be the only granddaughter to both sets of grandparents so naturally I get a lot of the family jewels. My grandparents have passed on so many valuable lessons to me and I love that wearing a ring that my great grandmother used to wear helps me remember to stay true to who I am and where I come from!

With Mad Man fever in full swing, I was determined to find a work bag in the style. Instead of buying a new bag. I found this beautiful 1950's Lancel bag on etsy.com add bought it from a little shop in the South of France. How cool is that (oh and you can bargain on etsy - just send a message to the seller!!) 

My oh-so-smart and business savvy husband thinks that showing pictures of beautiful Taylor will help me get more readers and I am all about taking advice so here she goes! 

Utah Baby!

I'm on vacation skiing in Utah. We just got over 30 inches of snow in the past 2 days and I am doing a lot of   this:


mixed with a little of jacuzzi and wine. Life is good! The mountain is covered in fluffy white snow and the skiers are all dressing it up with their colorful outfits. So many color inspirations from the slopes to come later this week. In the meantime, there is a lovely blogger here in Utah that I have been following for some time. She isn't on Wall Street but some of my favorite outfits of her's would fit right in.







Make sure to check out her blog http://www.thepinkpeonies.com!

Kill Them With Kindness in Mint!

Mint is the lastest hot color of the season. Figuring out how to wear mint on the weekend and on vacation is easy peesy. Figuring out how to wear it at work is more challenging. Here is what I'm thinking...

1. Stick to the classics in shape - pencil shirt, blouse and blazer
2. Keep all other colors neutral and blending in with the mint (nude, pale pink and white

Something like this:

http://www.lookbook.nu/

http://www.lookbook.nu/

Took me forever to find a mint skirt. Here is where to find the peices for the outfits above:

#1: White blouse with green detail: Tucker
#2: Beige Blazer Derek Lam
#3: Mint Skirt: http://www.asos.com/

Head in the Clouds...

I have flying on my mind today. My vacation is only a few days away and as I plan my outfit for the plane, I remembered a fellow passanger on a flight whose outfit was such perfection that I'm still mad at myself for not requesting to take her picture.

Last August, I was in Paris and by some amazing stroke of luck my flight was more than 2 days delayed (something about a hurricane in NYC that never came to fruition). Who doesn't want to get stuck in Paris?!?!? 

Anyway to make a long story shorter I was rebooked to a different flight and updated from coach to first class!  I had a seat that converted into a bed, a five-course breakfast meal and any other indulgence you can imagine.  In front of me sat the most fabulous French woman and her outfit was chic yet comfortable, simple yet completely unique.

Gray on gray on gray! Rich fabrics! Structured jacket with slouchy t-shirt and pants



Reiss





d-Squared




Zara

Oh man this doesn't even do it justice! She was so chic!