<p>So- I’m good except for the conference rooms, and I will take a coat on occasion.</p>
<p>Ive been taking a class, from a woman who I assume is my age- she dresses in layers and is constantly buttoning or unbuttoning.
I have learned to dress in layers too, cause it seems colder inside than out.
And if the temp is right- the younger students in the class complain about the noise from the florescent lights. Funny- I can’t hear a thing.</p>
<p>I suppose I should have a style consultant- cause I am lusting after some thigh high boots <B hey my birthday is coming up next week ( although I will have to ask my husband how old I am- I don’t remember that sort of detail)</p>
<p>I opted for the latter, but did step into the office of our (well dressed female) managing partner to ask her if I looked okay. JEEZ!</p>
<p>So did they tell you everyone was wearing dresses incase you wanted to change to " fit in"? or did they tell you because they thought you * should* change to fit in.?</p>
<p>I don’t usually wear pants unless they are jeans- but I would hate to go home and change when everyone else was going from work, that is just silly.</p>
<p>I have one client who seems to only hire gorgeous well dressed people. Every time I go over there I feel like a toad, no matter what I am wearing. One time I went to a big meeting there and every other woman in the room was wearing a skirt and boots…upon my return to the office I went straight to zappos.com and ordered boots. (Haven’t seen the thigh highs, but I haven’t been to their office since it’s gotten cool.)</p>
<p>I don’t know. They probably felt sorry for me when I arrived in my slacks. But I’m quite a bit older than the other women who were there, so I’d have looked like the grandma of the group even in my dress.</p>
<p>Adding that dresses meant for evening are problematic anyway…I don’t really have any with high necklines and don’t feel very lawyerly with cleavage…I guess a cami under a dress would work.</p>
<p>missypie, too bad your clients are not in biotech. If you wore jeans without holes and a t-shirt that was not a freebie from Fisher Scientific or the like, you’d look very upscale among us lab rats. However, I have to say that my current coworkers dress very nicely for biotechies (khakis, cords, shirts with collars, etc.). Recently, we had a meeting with one of our IP attorneys, and the worst dressed person in the room was the lawyer. :)</p>
<p>And camies… They are the greatest invention in female clothing.</p>
<p>missypie, that is one irritating story. There are so many layers of presumption and coercion and peer pressure to it, I don’t even know where to begin, so I won’t. Unless you have a severe clothes problem, there is no reason for anyone to make that kind of call. The only reason I can think of is if it’s a black tie event and you are wearing jeans. Can you tell I can’t stand conformity? (And no, I am not a lawyer, so maybe I’m clueless.)</p>
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<p>Here among the young hipster set (and that’s most designers), this nerdy professor look is all the rage. My H and I crack up because he has an assortment of these kinds of clothes that he’s collected from the Salvation Army over the years (and he actually pulls it off), and we often see knock-offs advertised for hundreds of dollars. Yes, that would be a sage green cardigan for easily $500. One of my H’s favorites is a sweater vest with a turtleneck collar. It’s really funny looking on its own but looks great under a blazer.</p>
<p>Speaking of sweater vests, I’ve been meaning to mention it to you ladies, that they seem to be plentiful this season: they’re kind of long (usually hip length) and sleeveless with a cardigan type front. I love them. They add instant panache to an outfit (esp. combined with a scarf and boots, you can jazz up an old t-shirt and jeans), and cover up all kinds of sins. They go well with skirts too.</p>
<p>I inherited some skinny jeans from my daughter ( I think they either weren’t tight or low enough for her- not sure)- they are pretty comfortable though ( old navy) and I wanted to dress them up more than with my usual Converse.</p>
<p>I love boots- they are the best thing about fall/winter.
They don’t come untied ( usually- I have a propensity to step on my laces), it doesn’t show if your socks don’t match & they are comfortable.
Plus in the sloppy Seattle weather, they hold up better than shoes.</p>
<p>Dresses for evening are hard. They are usually sleeveless, and it seems like those big rooms are often very drafty. For a time I attended a lot of fundraisers ( oh shoot- I forgot I am volunteering to work one next weekend- a big auction :eek: does that mean I have to shave my legs?), and I always liked the ones that were a theme- it was a lot more fun to put a costume together, than to try and look glamourous and not spend all the money I had allocated for the fundraiser to do so.
;)</p>
<p>I am take a ceramic class and I can tell you that you lab rats would be upscale in a pottery studio! The teacher wears t-shirts that would not be fit for a rag and pants held together with duct tape.</p>
<p>Oh, I think the caller’s heart was in the right place. She’s a pretty young thing without a whole lot of responsiblity who had probably spent her week planning her outfit for the event, calling the other “girls” about it, etc. In one way I guess I should be glad that she considered me one of the “girls.” But there really isn’t a male equivalent unless it’s a call saying “we forgot to tell you it’s black tie.”</p>
<p>All these comments about keeping warm…well I have a question.
I’m going to a dinner tomorrow night…it’s on an outdoor patio and it might be a bit chilly. Our host told us ladies to bring a “wrap” and we should be just fine. Wrap? Do I need to go out and buy a shawl…like I wore at the prom years ago? Can’t I just bring a sweater or jacket? I’m feeling clueless here…help!</p>
<p>So now hosts are issuing wrap commandments? what is this world coming to??
Just kidding, I’m sure if you show up in an old fashioned sweater or jacket, you’ll still be allowed in.</p>
<p>I actually bought my first “wrap” this fall and it’s kind of convenient for those days that are maybe warm/maybe cold. You can cover your shoulders without committing to sleeves. Of course, that season lasts about a week here.
OK, as much fun as this thread is, I am going back to work.</p>
<p>toneranger, if you live in a climate where a pashmina can be handy more than once a year, go ahead and buy one. Scarves and pashminas were the “in” thing last year, and I don’t think they are going away this year.</p>
<p>I have several of the fake “pashminas”…the kind that are really soft rayon that you buy off the street in Paris for 5 euros…sometimes they are dresser scarves, sometimes I wear them around my neck with a coat, and sometimes they are shawls.</p>
<p>thanks for the suggestions on wraps. I walked into one store and all the wraps had big fringes. Is that the look? I always associated those things with old ladies so I’m having a hard time with this!</p>
<p>I have a boot fetish. Especially love this years’: lace ups, fringe, booties, mid calf. Only dislike over the knee but they look cute on the young, tall and thin.</p>
<p>The cool library where I work plays a big part with what I wear, which is often black or khaki pants with a polo shirt (short sleeve or three quarters) and a sweater or jacket. I have the one cubicle with the air blowing on me, but it’s often just right at different parts of the library so I’m always taking my sweater off and on. We’re pretty casual (if you don’t get paid much, it’s one of the perks!) so I can even wear capris and birkenstocks in the summer.</p>