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MONA LUCERO ROCKING A BLACK FAUX FUR SHRUG JACKET, BLACK T-SHIRT & VINTAGE NECKLACE.
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Friday, October 24, 2008

 Dressing Professionally in a Ski Resort Town
 Hi there!

I stumbled across your site and you look like just the person to give me a little help.

I work at a small family owned ski resort in Northern California, and I am trying very hard to change my wardrobe to reflect a more feminine me. I am part of upper management, and dress is VERY casual during the winter - mostly for functionality. I need some advice on moving away from hoodies, levi's and skate shoes, and more into a feminine, professional- yet still functional, youthful, and appropriate attire for work. I need to be able to tromp thorugh snow AND meet with prospective group sales leads and be an authoritative figure to my employees- all in a 12-14 hour time frame at work. Any advice you could give would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Ps love your site! congrats on all of your successes!


Hi, Strictly Cas(ual),

Sounds like it's cold weather if you're in a ski resort. It's easy to throw on casual clothes when it's cold. They're usually much more cozy than dressy ones. But if it's anything like ski resort towns in Colorado, you have to do a mixture of nice but not extremely dressy. I have found that layers can help in a couple of ways, keeping you warm and also creating flexibility.

In exchange for hoodies, I would try a longer length top, such as a long turtleneck or tunic. Sometimes people ask me what a tunic is exactly, so I will explain. They are tops whose length usually ends somewhere between a normal blouse length and your knees. It's kind of a very short dress, in other words. I recommend tunic lengths that are just below your hips. They are cozy and current and can be very flattering. You can also wear longer sweaters.

http://www.target.com/Tunics-Tops-Clothing-Women/b?ie=UTF8&node=193835011

As for the layering part, you can wear a crisp shirt or blouse under the sweater or tunic and wear it with nice dress pants. The pants need to be of a nicer fabric but you don't have to wear something too dressy. If you do, it will look aging. For warmth, you can wear leggings or tights underneath.

I usually categorize women into black accessory lovers or brown accessory lovers. Choose which type you like and accessorize and put together your wardrobe around that. Some people like myself, do both. One any given day, I choose either brown or black shoes and the outfit goes with it. This especially makes sense if you're going for a professional look. Of course, you could do red or purple or orange accessories, but then all of a sudden, your wardrobe will become very complex, high fashion, possibly eccentric and it sounds like you're going for simplicity.

But I digress.

How do you replace the Levi's? Tell yourself that you can never wear those Levi's unless it's after hours. If you truly want to make an impression, you have to look as good or better than the people you're selling to. Levi's are too run of the mill for daytime. Don't get me wrong - I love Levi's. So consider pants that are made of a heavy material like Levi's but in colors and a little more dressy. Here's a couple of examples:

http://www.7forallmankind.com/Bootcut_Trouser/pd/c/92/np/92/p/1999.html

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/pants/corduroy/PRDOVR~95823/95823.jsp

I love all the corduroy pants that J.Crew is doing by the way. If you find a style that looks great on you, get it in different colors. It will extend your wardrobe greatly.

Skate shoes are also a big no-no for business unless you're selling to skaters or snowboarders. You can look like them if you're selling to them. But if you're going for a more grown up appeal, try knee high boots with skirts and tights or leggings. You can also go for ankle boots with the same type of thing.   High boots or ankle boots will also add warmth. Since you say you may be sloshing through mud, choose a semi-dressy boot. Forget thin heels as they'll sink in the mud. You could choose up to about a 2" high heel but something thicker - you could do what I call a "horse-y" type of boot. I realize the boots below are very expensive but I think you can find something similar for much less...

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3132647&cp=1760782&ab=crosssell_3_3181087_3132647

These ankle boots from DSW are also cool.

http://www.dsw.com/dsw_shoes/catalog/product.jsp?index=62&category=dsw10cat120036&prodId=176794&brand=

You could go for a nice-looking denim skirt with it, too. But nothing faded, torn, fraying or distressed.

J Crew does it again with this great high-waisted pencil skirt.

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/skirts/pencil/PRDOVR~96120/96120.jsp

In fact, you can do a variety of pencil skirts - one in denim, one in black and maybe one in another color or print would be a good start.

To top it off, wear a cool jacket. The jacket could be in a heavy cotton twill or corduroy. You can be a little casual but don't let it get wrinkled or dirty after wearings, because then you'll be back to the look you're trying to avoid.

Look under coats and jackets, the Field Work Jacket in
www.anthropologie.com

this one is a classic:
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=22924&pid=419019

or this one is great:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=14729081&color=01

Scarves are really hot right now, so invest in a few scarves. You can go with brighter colors for fun or you could go with stripes. Be careful of prints when you're trying to look professional. People either love prints or hate them and they may be so distracted looking at the print you're wearing, that they may forget what you're talking about.

Still, something colorful can help you keep your spirits up and make it through the cold winter:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=cat1_gallery_12&listing_id=15659924

www.anthropologie.com  - check out the "Circle of Light" scarf.

http://www.teramasu.com/c=p1p8RLClcQ0b3ApEM6OlOgD0w/product/AASC1074-BLU-RD/Pashmina_Silk_Shawl_Blue_Red_and_Orange_Metallic.html

Plain black and white:

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=125986&CategoryID=8672&PageID=8671*1*24*-1*-1*1

Nice gloves are a good idea if it's that cold. Hats...be careful of hats as a salesperson...I get inundated by salespeople all the time and somehow hats are off-putting to me. I feel like the sales person has "something under their hat" maybe...Caps are too casual for business...Not sure why I think this because I love hats otherwise, but I would say if you need warmth on your head, wear a scarf and pull it down around your neck before you enter the place of business.

I hope this helps! Thanks for contacting us on Advice on Fashion and thank you for the nice comments.

Mona
12:31 pm edt          Comments

Leopard Print Bubble Dress...What shoes or boots should I wear?
Dear Advice on Fashion:

I got a leopard print bubble dress... what shoes or boots should I wear?

Dear Bubbles,

I would wear ankle boots, probably pointy or a "mod" square toe. You can wear it with black opaque tights or without any stockings. Consider wearing a different color besides black or brown, possibly red. patent leather would look great.

Thanks for contacting Advice on Fashion!
12:27 pm edt          Comments
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