Work wear Keep it simple
You are just out of college, where you have been wearing torn jeans, t-shirts and sneakers like second skin. Suddenly, a major corporate house recruits you and you are the part of the ‘work’ brigade. It dawns on you that there is a work culture and a dress code that goes, hand in hand. Terms like power dressing pop into your head and you start closely examining the Louise Philippe, Reid & Taylor and Van Heusen adverts. Flipping through magazines, the concept of ‘Friday dressing’ emerges from the pages and you start to imagine yourself in chic Allen Solly semi formals.
But then, can you really carry of these clothes? After all, you don’t want to look like a mannequin in over-starched overalls, do you? Or worse still, spoil impressions when you are supposed to build a positive one.
Recently, fashion label Derby launched their ‘My first day at work’ collection, a new range of formal clothing aimed at young students recruited for their first job. This collection, comprising of formal shirts and trousers, targets young people in the age of 21 and 23 years.
It may be wise to move in slowly into office wear. Make the transition slowly. It goes without saying that clean and ironed clothes are a must. Start with semi formal shirts or kurtis. No frayed edges please and discard any ideas of donning an outfit with loud prints.
Girls can team up plain, sober kurtas with colorful stoles or scarves in contrasting colors. You need not wear business suit to make an impression. Guys can opt for monochromatic, striped or checked semi-formal shirts.
Dressing can never be confined to clothes alone. Accessories play an important role in making or breaking the look. Invest in a pair of good, formal shoes, ideally in black or brown because they match all outfits. A bag that teams up with your outfit is also necessary. You don’t have to burn a hole in your pocket buying an expensive leather one. Opt for a canvas one in shades of grey, black, brown or navy blue. Don’t get too stiff and formal with your clothes, as your age allows you to bend the rules a bit. Girls have another advantage here, as office wear need not be restricted to western wear.
Neat, elegant salwars can also be worn with panache. Formal wear now symbolizes a blend of the comfort of casual wear and elegance of the formal. For example, Scullers has a range of office wear for both men and women, which is professional without being too formal for comfort. The old adage ‘Clothes maketh a man or a woman’ might be true. But, at the end of the day, it’s your work that does the talking!!