Four Trends for Your Work Wardrobe

Contributed by the editors of Corporette.com

Much of corporate clothing is based on styles that never go out of fashion — the perfect black suit, a strand of beautiful Mikimoto pearls, the soft cashmere twinset — and we do our best to advise our readers to invest in those items. In fact, in a recent poll on our site our readers said they would avoid all of the “trends” that most other fashion sites are advising readers to wear this season. So we’re not going to tell you to wear a slouchy boyfriend blazer over your skin-colored jumpsuit while clomping around in platform heels. But we will tell you about some of the milder trends that are a great way to update your working wardrobe.

The shawl cardigan: This look is available in a variety of price points, and is a great way to update your summer wardrobe if, like us, you spend it shivering in an over-air-conditioned office. Our pick: this longsleeve pointed front cardigan from Smitten, with just a hint of an empire waist for a more flattering look. It’s available at CoutureCandy.com for $102 (with sale code 20Day).

The boyfriend cardigan: Can you tell we spend a lot of time in air-conditioning? This is another great look that’s on the trendier side, but can easily be adapted to a working wardrobe. This look skims the body, hitting past the hips. We would wear this look with pencil skirts or sheath dresses. Our pick: the ballet sleeve four-button cardigan from Banana Republic, priced at $79. IMAGE LINK:

The North/South tote: The briefcase bag for women will always be in style, but we’ve been seeing more and more North/South totes available on the market. These can be worn over the shoulder (and are different from the “shopper” totes that were more popular a while ago). We’d suggest trying it in a fun color, like this crisp green tote from Tory Burch, available at Saks.com for $535.

Gray accessories: Gray shoes, gray tights, gray bags — they’re everywhere — and they’re an extremely versatile addition to a wardrobe, whether you dress in neutrals or bold colors. We suggest the Marc by Marc Jacobs Posh Turnlock Hobo, available at Zappos.com for $428.

Today’s guest post is by the editors of Corporette, a fashion and lifestyle blog for women lawyers, bankers, MBAs, consultants, and otherwise overachieving chicks. They work in conservative environments and need to look professional, but want to look fashionable.