I came across this little blog called Career Fashion Blog which gives women tips on how to dress in the workplace. Sometimes I’m probably a little too opinionated on what is in style and what is really not (probably way too opinionated actually.) Instead of going with my opinion, I want to hear what you guys think. And by guys I mean girls and actually guys too- because we all know women just want to look nice for guys. I’m sure there are many other work fashion articles out there, even whole websites dedicated to this topic but today we are focusing in on the suggestions made on our friend Career Fashion Blog. Here goes..

Accessorizing Suits with Scarves

I’ve always avoided suits of any kind. Pant Suits, suit jackets, etc. So suites with scarves…ehh..yeah it could be a good idea if you’re going for this look:

Besides wearing them with suits, scarves are just really in right now. The whole “indie” or “hipster” scene loves the scarves, especially this one below.

But let’s keep it a little more classy. As the site says “We could show our appreciation for spring by accessorizing our work outfits with colorful pretty scarves.” I always like appreciating spring, summer, and all those colorful times of the year. “Adding a scarf can make a work outfit look less bare, and more put together.” What do you think?

T Shirts With a Work Outfit?

My first reaction is uhh No. But then I remembered all these “t-shirts” my mom had in her closet that weren’t actually t-shirts to me. They were shaped like t shirts but they were made out of silk and glittery stuff. She seemed to wear them under suits and tucked into pants. I like the advice Career Fashion gives. The potential work shirt should be made out of Silky or Flowy Materials and possibly have some design details.

That way you get this

instead of this:

How to Make Jeans Work For Work Clothes

Welll..I don’t know about this. I mean we all have casual fridays for jeans but can you pull off the dressy jean look? All of the real estate guys at my school always sported the dress shirts, jeans, and dress shoes. But for girls? I’ve seen girls in jeans and heels..and it can be cute? I like both of these outfits below..

But sorry Oprah, I don’t love this for work that much

This one is definitely a toss up for me. For most jobs, I think jeans are always a no, no matter how dressy them are. Career Fashion suggests “It all depends on what you wear WITH those jeans, rather than the jeans themselves. Here is a look that makes jeans work very well - wear the jeans with a crisp white blouse, a black suit jacket and a classic pearl necklace.” I think I will support that.

Sarah Palin In Red Power Suit

What are your thoughts on monochrome pant or skirt suits? I first saw this picture of Sarah Palin and thought oooh probably not for the all red. But then I found this lovely yellow pantsuit (not sure if it’s great for work though.)

So what do you think?

Is it bold to wear all one color in a suit form? Does it give you more power?

Edgy Pointy Toe Business Shoes

This is another one where I am on the fence. I can appreciate a small point on a shoe. I don’t personally wear them myself because I refuse to wear anything that makes my feet hurt or tempts me to kick someone when they make me mad. But really pointy shoes like these?

Career Fashion says “Add some pizzazz to your business suit with edgy shoes. Don’t be shy. Be original. Seek out some shoes with some flash, and wear them with your professional attire. These animal pointy toe shoes will make your work outfit anything but boring…Some days we have to wear some spice.”

Definite No’s for me:

Accessorizing with Leopard

I’m not against all animal prints or even leopard!! Just these accessories maybe.

Definite Yes for me:

A Good White Blouse

Every girl needs a good white blouse they can throw on under anything. Wear with a skirt, under a sweater or dress. This is the one they’re selling on the Career Fashion Blog:

Not really my thing, but if you want one- buy it HERE

This is one I suggest from J Crew

Buy it HERE.

So now I want your opinion. What to do you think? To recap:
Scarves. Good for work?
Are T Shirts professional enough?
Can you dress up jeans?
Are pointy toed shoes still in?
And monochrome suits..are they too much or just really cool.

And if there are any specific lady fashions you don’t particularly enjoy.. well tell us about them in a nice way below.

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Is your office desk buried under mounds of clutter? Do you have trouble finding your phone when it rings?? Are you STILL looking for that half slice of pizza you were eating for lunch 3 days ago?? OK, that’s just nasty! Reorganizing your desk can give you peace of mind, allow you to find things you’re looking for more quickly, and make a good impression on the people who see your work area, such as your boss, customers, and other employees. You will be more productive and will benefit from having a tidy and attractive workspace, as you can better focus on your work without so many visual distractions. Even if your desk looks like the above, all hope isn’t lost! Here are a few tips:

Step 1: Clear it Out! Pull everything (except perhaps very large items, such as computers or printers) off and out of your desk.

Step 2. Scrub It! Now you can clean your desk! Get out the Pledge and glass cleaner and wipe down your desk and drawers, including all the nooks and crannies (what WAS that gunk in the back of the drawer?). Amazing the things you find back there, isn’t it!

Step 3. Sort It! Sort through your things and group similar items together, i.e. office equipment (pencils/pens, paper clips, rubber bands, post-it notes, white out, staplers) accessories, filing materials, paperwork, knick knacks (framed pictures, work awards, etc.)

Step 4. Keep or Toss? Keep a recycle bin and garbage can nearby to get rid of things - especially paperwork - you don’t need. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help determine what to keep and what to TOSS. Is the item an unnecessary duplicate? If the answer is “Yes,” toss it! Is the item current and relevant to my work? If the answer is “No,” toss it! How often will I need to use or refer to this item? If “Never,” toss it! Does this item add anything to other information on hand? If “No,” toss it! Don’t forget to recycle!

Step 5. Strategize! Now it is time to define a place for everything. In doing this, follow two principles: the Frequency-of-Use Rule and the Grouping/Separating Rule.

Frequency-of-Use Rule: Items should be placed according to how frequently you need to access them. Items that are accessed quite frequently (i.e., on a daily basis) should be placed within immediate reach/view, while things that are used less often (i.e., weekly, monthly, or yearly) should be placed further away so that they do not interfere with your daily work. So first, think about what items you need most at your fingertips – i.e. telephone, rolodex, calendars and planners, frequently-accessed reference materials, staplers, pens, etc.  - and place these items in easy-to-access places in, on, or above your desk. Items that you use fairly frequently, but not every day should be placed either in desk drawers, filing cabinets near your desk, or shelving above or near your desk.

Grouping/Separating Rule: Similar items should be placed together, while dissimilar items should be separated from each other. For example, put similar items together, such as paper clips, and separate them from dissimilar items, such as pencils.

Step 6. Organize! Store items in storage areas and containers designed to accommodate them. Action items can be stored on your desktop in single or multiple stacking paper trays. Store supplies like paper clips, rubber bands, pencils/pens, scratch paper, Post it, and white-out in desktop supply caddies or drawer divider trays designed to organize such items. Arrange the items you need for clear viewing under a clear desk pad or in an orderly fashion on a tackable board over your desk.

Step 7. Nix the Knickknacks! If you can bear it, try and keep the number of knickknacks to a minimum (you don’t need five pictures of your kids), and place them in areas on or above your desk that will not interfere with your work.

Step 8. Make Your Work Area More Functional! Obviously you need to leave some clear space on your desktop for writing purposes and to give your desk a tidy appearance. Make use of the numerous office organizing products on the market - e.g., paper trays, drawer divider trays, computer disk holders, desktop supply caddies, shelf dividers, etc. Don’t be afraid to purchase something or ask your boss to purchase something for you if it will help you get more organized.

Once you’ve organized your desk, keep it that way! To maintain your new found tidiness, make an immediate decision about what to do with each item that comes across your desk. Resist the temptation of saying to yourself, “I’ll just put it here for now.” If you keep files in your desk, make appointments with yourself to go through them several times per year to discard outdated material (again, don’t forget to recycle!) Try to put things back in their proper places as soon as you are done using them. Straighten up your desk at the end of each workday. It only takes about five or ten minutes and it is much easier to clean up a day’s worth of mess than a week, month, or year’s worth.

HAPPY ORGANIZING!

[via www.thecluttercoach.com]

View these Hall-of-Shamers

Clean At Last!

There Now, Doesn’t That Feel Good!

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Let’s all remember to eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day. Especially ones with writing on them by Sarah King. She makes fruit look real good.

So after you eat your fruit, you can drink as many of these as you want:

Sorry, I promise I will start blogging about more legit things tomorrow. But if Diet Coke with Bacon really exists let me know.

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Monday mornings are always interesting. Either you stayed out late all weekend and your exhausted or your weekend just wasn’t long enough and you wake up wishing you had done more of that! Anyways, here are some geeky products, perfect to brighten your day.

The Shouting Vase

[via Japan Trend Shops]

This might be needed when you start going through your inbox. Did your coworker forget to do something that he or she said he would? Did you forget to do something? Or did you just stub your toe which added to how crappy your morning already was. This is the perfect outlet for that rage.

The USB Owl

[via Japan Trend Shops]

Not your normal flash drive here. Smile a little bit with your own USB Owl. Comes in 4 colors and can be changed to three modes: active, slow, and sleepy. Might cheer you up when you plug this guy in.

Black Tissues

[via InventorSpot]

Yeah we sell Kleenex on our site, but black tissues? I imagine you went out in the cold a lot this weekend and now are stuck with the never ending runny nose. Combat that runny nose in style.

KeyThing

[via YankoDesign]

There is nothing I hate more than running at the door in the morning and thinking, did I grab my keys? Trying to retrace my steps in my mind along with digging through my purse until I finally hear that jingle. This little fixture is genius. All you do is shove your key in one of the slots! No more trying to untangle your keys from others keys on the same hook. Or dropping all the keys off the hook and waking everyone up.

 Ivo Vos Toaster and Drach and Ganchrow Warming Plate

[via RegisterHardware]

These ones we’ll have to dream about. Plans for the toaster that shoots toast at a 42 degree angle and a warming plate that can cook an egg have not been announced yet. But couldn’t life get exciting? The toaster alone could provide your entire office with entertainment. We’ll let you know if we hear about it actually being made and sold.

As always, if your short on good ole office supplies, head to Shoplet.com. Free Shipping on orders over 45 bucks.

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Now don’t be offended. As a blonde myself, I think I’m allowed to poke fun at my own kind.

This is the Keyboard for Blondes or Blonde Board for short. Besides the vibrant girly color, check out the key names:  No! (Esc Key), WARNING! size XXL letters (Caps lock), Yes I want it! (Enter), and many variations of “useless” keys. The Function keys are apparently completely useless since none of them held on to any description. Maybe this truly is a more efficient keyboard. You know immediately which keys to disregard when all you do is update your status on Facebook. I really did want to pat myself on the back when I noticed the “Very Smart Blonde Button.” I use that one all the time. Along with Oops! and the Eraser.

Make sure to check out their website, it’s hysterical.

https://www.keyboardforblondes.com

Some of the top ten reasons to have one include:

Parison Hilton doesn’t have one
Matches your lipstick
Excuse for a cute guy in the office to talk to you (really?)
Even better, Excuse for a cute girl in the office to talk to you! Not sure girls would think this keyboard was comical or cute if a boy had it. That would be beyond funny, kind of to the point of scary.

Tagline: When we got in touch with our inner blondes …It was fun! 

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