Work Essentials. The sheath dress

Today I am launching a new monthly post, Work Essentials. I will cover those go to items that any woman in the corporate world MUST have in her closet and I am kicking it off with the sheath dress. 

I am finally starting my new job, the first since landing in London back in October, on Monday. Over the course of my interviewing I realized that only once did I reach for a suit. Every other interview, first, second or third, I defaulted to a sheath dress with a blazer. 

The sheath dress is a closet essential. Having a few basic ones, a black and a grey for example, are perfect for power dressing.  After that having a few others that are a bit more playful is a great way to round out your work wardrobe. One of my favorite of all time is a Mondrian-eque Kenneth Cole Reaction dress (on instagram here) that I got years ago from Nordstrom. The best part about a sheath dress is you only have to put one thing on and you are pretty much out the door.

All the dresses featured are from Nordstrom. Their online site is chock full of great finds at all price points, I highly recommend checking them out if you haven't.

ABS by Allen Schwartz $268, Alexia Admor $239, B44 Dressed by Bailey 44 $148, Adrianna Papell $138, BB Dakota $46.80, Cynthia Steffe $278, Narciso Rodriguez $995, Elie Tahari $398, Felicity and Coco $98, French Connection $88.80, Erdem $1,390, Halogen $118, Ivanka Trump $118, Halston Heritage $245, Ivanka Trump $148, Jill Jill Stuart $298, Jason Wu $2,990, Lela Rose $1,995, Marni $1,900, Narciso Rodriguez $995, St. John Collection $795, Cynthia Steffe $315, Mcginn $146.98, St. John Collection $895, T Tahari $94.80, Tadashi Shoji $226.80, Jones New York $119, Yigal Azrouel $1,095

Midi skirts at work

The time has come to work midi skirts into my work wardrobe.  The question about styling them for work is what has kept me from wearing the few that have already made their way into my closet. While the midi pencil skirts are a no brainer, in terms of styling, how do you take the full midi skirts and make them look professional rather than sock hop ready?

Instead of pairing a full skirt with a button down and tucking it in I prefer a simple sweater, like the J. Crew tippi, and an edgier shoe, like this. Or, I would wear a full skirt with a slightly more relaxed top (like the Club Monaco look above), like this J. Crew cropped sweater, and pair it with a classic pump to keep the look work and client ready.

Would love to see how you pair yours! 

Saloni via Net-a-Porter $550, Asos £32, Pink Tartan via Nordstrom $295, Club Monaco $139.50, Topshop via Nordstrom $96, Paul & Joe via Net-a-Porter $395, Asos Premium £50, Michael Van der Ham via Net-a-Porter $840, H&M $24.95, Need Supply $38, Michael Kors via Net-a-Porter $825, Asos £30, Tibi via Net-a-Porter $400, H&M $34.95, Asos £35, St. John's Collection via Nordstrom $495, Whistles via Asos £145 and Topshop via Nordstrom $96

Trending. See thru shoulders

See thru shoulders have been popping up here and there for a few seasons now. In the Fall 2014 shows they were still going strong, like here and here, from Rebecca Taylor. As we shift into spring, and want to show a little more skin, see thru shoulders are the perfect transitional wardrobe item. You can embrace spring without being so crazy as to expose your legs.

An added bonus is that you know we'll all still be sporting see thru shoulders into the fall and winter of 2014/15, if the Fall 2014 collections are any indication.

Row 1: The Kooples £145, Vince via Nordstrom $245, Need Supply $69 Row 2: Armani Collezioni via Nordstrom $495, Zara $59.90, The Kooples £160  Row 3: Halogen by Nordstrom $58,  Zara $69.90, Ann Taylor $69.99

VELVET. How to wear this trend to work

Velvet is everywhere right now. First it was crushed velvet that caught my attention, which is definitely NSFW, but lately I have been seeing some pieces that have been making me say hmm...and then I saw THIS

This top is exactly what I gravitate to when buying something 'on trend' for work. For those not so timeless pieces I want something that I can mix with my work wear as seamlessly as my weekend wear. Check out my take on work and weekend with this tank on Instagram here.

Basically this tank ticks all the boxes. Sadly for now & Other Stories only ships to a select few European countries and the UK.

If you are going to sport velvet at work mix it in in small doses, like the tank above, or keep the shape classic, like a blazer, like these...

Images in clockwise order: Asos, Theory via Bloomingdales, Rag & Bone via Net-a-Porter, Ted Baker via Nordstrom

And for your casual Friday's here are two pieces that I know I want for my own closet...I am already imaging how warm velvet skinnies will keep my legs warm on those cold winter days

Toothpick jeans in velvet from J. Crew, and velvet slippers from Asos