STYLENDIPITY

The working woman is oft overlooked in the fashion world.

This is particularly the case in the professional industry, which is a male dominated sphere. Lawyers, accountants, financial planners –wearing a two-piece suit has become something of a rite of passage for us. Just take a look through the Law Society Journal or staff photos on company websites. Suits, suits and more suits!

I have been a lawyer for 11 years now and at times this career trajectory almost suppressed my love for fashion and style. Sure, it’s given me serious practice (excuse the pun) in dressing professionally, particularly when appearing in Court, but it started to feel like I was wearing a uniform. And I guess that’s sort of the point – to be anonymous, wary of change and to be a conformist.

But there are days where I wake up in the morning and feel like wearing a cool summer dress with a cardigan.

Thankfully, the rules of officewear are being rewritten. There is a revolutionary shift towards individuality, most notably in the more “conservative” professions.

Thanks to Gucci and Louis Vuitton’s recent collections, a clean shift dress (with a hint of tailoring) is all nouveau at the moment. You can wear a shift while still maintaining that professionalism and confidence that is expected of us.

Whatever profession you’re in, if you’re relatively conservative and concerned that you can’t convey authority or stability unless you’re wearing a business suit, try adorning a dress with a string of pearls and pearl stud earrings. Pearls may have a prim and dowdy reputation, but they are certainly a status statement.

Time and time again people ask me “what possess a lawyer to run a fashion blog on the side?” It’s quite simple really – while law stimulates me intellectually, fashion stimulates me aesthetically! It’s that famous balance.

Achieving that balance has inspired me to add a new dimension to my blog: “Corporate Wardrobe” (find it in “Categories“)

As of next year, intermittently throughout my blog, I will post a feature on how to achieve a corporate look that is both professional and fashionable.

Stay tuned 🙂