In the era of "all-mighty" women, success "feminine-style" is rarely single-tracked. Colleagues, husband, children, girlfriends we strive to admiration, appreciation and respect among so many people and try to be successful in so many ways, that when it comes to our look, it better be perfect.
My next character Katya is exactly the woman who is both old enough to know what she wants from life and energetic enough to go after it. She is a successful business woman, a wife and a mother of a beautiful teenage daughter and that is all at the age of .., trust me, quite young for all these life achievements. Obviously, with so many tasks to manage and parts to play you just cannot afford spending one hour tet-a-tet with your closet deciding what to wear in the morning, neither can you let your lame outfit ruin your self-confidence as well as your spirit for the rest of the day.
Let's get started!
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Katya challenged me with pulling together a new wardrobe, where each and every piece has first of all to be comfortable, which is obviously a "must" for a business woman but not always synonymous to beauty and allure. A part from that clothes should be easily dressed up and down depending on the agenda of the day and,bien sur, be flattery, elegant and appropriate for business environment without compromising femininity and style.
Et voila
When I first met Katya she was wearing the timeless classics - a little black dress. And, yes, it might be the safest way to go, no matter where you are going, but if you never take a risk to challenge your look, how do you know that that was your best one? So this is our alternative to the LBD - LPD - a little pastel dress. Why not if you have gorgeous pale complexion and slim shape?! And, to add some character to the pastels, you can always couple it with some bold vivid color - like this emerald green coat. This look is perfect for the evening, as well as it might be appropriate for the day, and mostly important it is wearable.
Katya is wearing Cos crepe dress, Cos wool coat, Cos necklace and Pumps.
There are different definitions of office elegance, and this is one of them. You can look feminine, sexy but still smart and appropriate if you pull it together the right way. You can't change the business dress code, you cannot break the rules by showing up in some chunky sweater and a pair of jeans to the office, but you still can work your own way out of it. The pencil skirt does not always have to be in black wool and the the shirt might come not only in white cotton.
Cos crepe blouse, H&M necklace, H&M leather skirt (my favourite)
I have a confession to make - I am absolutely jealous about this blazer/tuxedo. This style has been interpreted a lot recently - a black tux as a response to cocktail dress, dressed up and down with a pair of classic black trouser or worn-out denim. And I was looking for an ideal tuxedo for Katya, and could not even expect I will find something like that.
On Katya: Cos crepe blazer, Anne Fontaine white shirt, 7 For All Man Kind jeans and Paul Green suede booties
I call this look - a Sunday look. How do you like to dress on Sunday? Easy, cosy, comfortable but still with a slightest hint on chic and elegance - a-la parisiene. Parisians are just born with this talent to look effortlessly chic, whereas we, non-Parisians, are allowed to master it on Sundays. A pair of black skinnies, classic striped blazer (which looks absolutely classic and smart on any other day of the week) and of course your favourite knitted scarf or better woven one, or both of them worn together. And straight to Le Pain Quotidien to start your beautiful Sunday morning!
Katya is wearing Massimo Dutti NYI blazer and wool scarf, Cos blouse, skinny jeans and Orb pendant necklace, Eric Bompard cashmere gloves and Clarks suede boots.
This look is very bold and charismatic. I would recommend to dress this way if you definitely want to set the leadership roles in your environment. It is first of all black and white contrast, which leave no room for compromise and communicates explicitly that you know exactly which way to go. Besides, the combination of fabrics is also very daring and extravagant in a way: chiffon mixed with leather and wool. So if you have a strong message, you better start communicating it through your style.
On Katya: Cos Leather skirt and wool coat, Anne Fontaine shirt, Leather Boots
