Working Mom Summer Style Dressing Tips

Where and how we work has changed and continues to change.  Women owned businesses are on the rise (YES!!), office dress codes are becoming more relaxed (Also, YES!!) and finally workplace flexibility is now available in many companies (HECK YES!!!). But with all these changes there is more of a grey area when it comes to dressing for work. Will PJ’s fly when you work from home? What do entrepreneurs wear? What exactly is “business casual”? Then there is the struggle of how to dress without looking like a sweaty mess in the summer. The combination of these two uncertainties most definitely leaves you starting at your closet wondering what to wear.

Owner and Editor-in-chief of The Mogul Mom, Gabriella Ribeiro is a mom, multi-business owner, global traveler, marathon runner and so much more. She gets the working mom summer dressing struggle and I was so honored to be interviewed live on The Mogul Mom to discuss my tips and strategies on how Mamas can dress for it all. Here is a quick recap of our interview, for the entire video please scroll down to the end.

The Mom Who Works from Home

It's easy to just stay in PJ's all day but studies have shown that what you wear impacts your productivity. I wrote more in detail about this in a previous blog post as well. The key is to be comfortable AND polished. For example, pair a structured drawstring linen pant (the structure keeps it polished) with a colorful tunic- a pop of color is great mood booster!

The Mom Who Works in an Office

Summer can be a hard time to dress for because we want to be cool and casual but we need to be polished for work and other occasions. The keys to summer dressing in the office is to stick with natural fibers like cotton, wear lighter colors, wear looser, yet still structured, clothing and always carry a blazer or cardigan for air-conditioned offices.
For example, this cotton, light floral dress with a defined waist (for a polished look) and simple accessories are perfect for work and commuting in hot / humid weather. In the office pair it with a cardigan to keep warm in the air conditioning and mule slip on sandals. Heading out, take off the cardigan and switch into flat sandals.

The Mom Entrepreneur

Is there a mom entrepreneur dress code? Yes and No. No because there isn't an official handbook on what entrepreneurs should to wear. Yes, because entrepreneurs are their brand and what they wear should reflect that. The key for entrepreneurs is to let their clothing express who they are. Their clothes should represent them and their brand. As entrepreneurs we also wear many hats and it's likely you'll find an entrepreneur going from an investor meeting to rolling her sleeves up and getting down and dirty- so dressing for the unexpected is important.
One outfit suggestion is to pair black skinny jeans (or any jean leg of your choice) with a fun check ruffle top, a semi-structured chambray jacket and lantern earrings for when you have a meeting or doing a FB live video. Then take off the jacket and earrings when you’re working in the office or co-working space. 

The Mom Who Needs to Dress for Day to Night and Everything in Between (AKA- Every Mom)

Hey working moms! Raise your hand if your day goes a little something like this- Wake up early, make lunches, get the kids / you ready and out the door. You head directly to a meeting, work work work, then pick up / drop off the kiddos to various activities, home, dinner, and finally back out to a well-deserved mom's night out. With hectic days like this, who has time for outfit changes??!! Answer- no one.

Sure, layering is key when it comes to dressing for day to night and beyond- But, my secret summer styling weapon is- THE T-SHIRT! Swap out the hot office blouse for a cool and comfortable t-shirt. Choose one that has cotton / spandex or elastane blend. This helps give the t-shirt some stretch and helps keep its shape for a clean and polished look.

Work and meeting- Pair your tee with a skirt, blazer and scarf

Activity pick up / drop off- take off the scarf

Home / Dinner- take off the blazer

Mom's night out or date night- add a fun statement necklace

Your hectic day without an outfit change and staying cool and comfortable with a t-shirt. Here's to summer dressing!

The Interview

For more details please check out my interview below with Gabriella Ribeiro owner + editor-in-chief of The Mogul Mom. 

Wishing all you amazing working mamas a wonderful summer!

How to Wear Your Holiday Party Outfits All Year Round

The holiday decorations are down, or in my case some of the holiday decorations are down... The parties and family get-togethers are now fond memories. The excitement for shopping for the perfect holiday outfit is over. It’s January, and well, that’s that… And my friends, that fabulous holiday outfit that you spent weeks searching for; that same holiday outfit that you went a “tad bit” over your budget on buying; and yes, that holiday outfit that you had tailored for the perfect fit is now just lying there. It’s wanting to be worn but it’s January and you can’t possibly step out wearing all that glitz and glamour. Well, you actually can! There are ways you can still wear that holiday outfit, or pieces of it, without looking like you didn’t the memo that that holidays are over. Here are some of my stylist tips on how you can take your favorite holiday outfit items and wear them throughout the year.

That Sequin Item

Want to hear something great? Sequin is a big trend for Spring 2018 so go ahead and continue to sparkle and shine. You might be thinking that sure sequin is great for a night out, but can I really wear my sequin top or skirt to work? And the answer is, yes. The key here is to let the sequin item be the focal point of the outfit and not overwhelm it with too many accessories or other glittery items. For example, pair your sequin skirt with a pastel spring sweater, muted handbag, minimal accessories and pumps. The sweater and lack of accessories help soften the boldness of the sequin skirt leaving you with a fun spring office look. You can carry this over into the summer with a light tank top and into fall and winter with a darker colored lightweight sweater.

That Red Item

The color red is synonymous with anything festive. Sometimes it’s hard to think of wearing red when there isn’t a party to go to. But if this past fall has taught us anything about the color red it’s that it is a very powerful color and it can most definitely be worn any time of the year. As luck would have it, red continues to be a big color for spring. My stylist tip would be to embrace the color! If your style and personality lend itself to wearing an all red pantsuit then go for it. If you’re in middle and want to wear your red dress into spring, I’d say layer it with work pants and pumps. And if all you're looking for is to hold onto that comfy holiday red sweater for a little bit longer you can wear it with black ankle pants, a trendy plaid blazer and kitten heels.

That Velvet Item

Velvet is such a rich and luxurious fabric that it’s perfect for any special event. It can also be worn as an everyday outfit. Velvet is another item that continues into spring and beyond. With everyday silhouettes like velvet tees, pants and jumpsuits, incorporating this fabric into your outfit rotation just got a little bit easier. My stylist tip on wearing velvet for an everyday look is to keep it simple. Since velvet is such an opulent fabric you want to tone it down with the other pieces in your outfit. A velvet top could be paired with denim and flats. Or a velvet jumpsuit could be layered with a stripe tee or a white button-down shirt for work. Add just a few fun accessories for an easy look.

And those are just some ways to get more mileage out of your holiday clothing items. Now I’d love to hear from you, what are your favorite ways to incorporate your holiday clothes into your everyday wardrobes?

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year!

4 Prints (Other than Florals) to Wear this Summer

What’s the hottest print this summer? Florals! They work great for any personal style and body shape, they can easily pop an outfit and you can dress them up or down.

But as much as I love florals I have to admit, it’s a bit much this year. The last time I went shopping for a client I walked into a store (which shall remain unnamed) and I felt like I was about to have an allergy attack with the amount of flower prints I saw. Floral dresses, floral blouses, floral scarves- you get the picture. I had florals covered and I didn’t want to inundate my client’s closest with floral prints so I ventured out to find other prints. Low and behold, what do you know- I found fabulous “non-floral” prints!

Here are my top 4 prints that are not florals but are just as versatile, make a bold statement, can re-fresh an outfit, are trend right, and perfect for any personal style.  

GEOMETRIC PRINTS

If you’re looking to make a bold statement with your outfit choose a top, dress or pants with geometric prints. From triangles to squares to zig zags, these graphic prints can be found in soft muted colors and loud colors. But no matter the color these prints are eye-catching.

A-Line Dress from Modcloth

STRIPE PRINTS

I know- been there, done that … I agree, stripes are pretty much a staple now. So why is it on my list of different print ideas? Well, this year it’s not your same old horizontal, vertical, nautical stripe, instead rainbow and colorful stripes are the way to go for summer 2017. Pairing a rainbow stripe tee with a flare skirt gives an outfit fresh summer look.

Cross Over Stripe Top from Zara

FOOD PRINTS

Yup, you read that right- food prints. And pineapples are the food of choice. But if pineapples aren’t your thing don’t worry there are many other food prints to choose from- like veggies, ice cream, other fruits and so much more! These whimsical prints add fun to your outfit and hey, who doesn’t need a little fun in the summer. For summer Fridays at work pair a pineapple top with straight leg pants and pointy toe flats for a cool yet polished look.

Pineapple Top from J.Crew

GINGHAM PRINTS

Yes, you can wear gingham and not look like a picnic tablecloth because this year gingham is a little bit “grown up”. Designers have taken traditional silhouettes like straight pants, mid-length dresses or A-line skirts and incorporated a gingham print. Wear a gingham print skirt with a white button-down shirt for a classic look.

A-Line Skirt from Macy's

By adding in some items in these prints you'll be able to better diversify your closet and not feel like all you're wearing are florals...

What are your favorite non-floral prints?

What to Wear in Between Seasons

What do you wear when it's 20 days till Memorial Day, but it's freezing outside?! I recommend a lightweight cotton sweater - it's easy to wear, it's easy to layer and it's perfect for this transition time period when it's cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon...

Check out my video for how you can wear a lightweight cotton sweater in between seasons. 

What are some of your favorite transistion weather clothes?

Pretty In Pink??

Pantone named Pale Dogwood (Color # 13-1404 ) one of the top fashion colors for Spring 2017.Pale Dogwood by any other name is a version of “pink”.

For those of you that love pink you’re in luck because in addition to Pale Dogwood many shades of pink are in stores now, so I say stock up!

For those of you who see anything pink and run, I’d advise you to get some really good running shoes. As mentioned above, pink is everywhere and this trend is not showing any signs of “moving on”.

For those of you who longingly look at pink from a distance, who may slowly approach a pink blouse, even pick it up but then break into a sweat, drop it and run- I say, I get it. You may be thinking, “Will I look like a toddler in a pink dress?”, “Will I look like a Pepto Bismol bottle?”, “Will I look like I just can’t get over the Betty Draper look with pink lipstick?” “Pink, you’re an interesting color and I want to wear you, but….” If you’re stuck between the love and fear of pink- this post is for you.

Here are some tips on how to wear pink, without being “Pinkalicious”.

Add a pink accessory- When your outfit needs a boost of color add a little pink. Pair a pink colored accessory, such as a handbag, earrings, shoes, sunglasses, or a scarf with a navy or black suit, jeans, or even a tan blazer. Pink is quite versatile and matches well with many colors.

Add a Layering Piece- Take it step further and add a pink layering piece such as a sweater, cardigan or jacket to your ensemble.

Something less Pink- Take it 10 steps back. If all this is not floating your boat but you really, really, really want to add pink to your look, add a pop of pink nail lacquer. There are lots of fun pink polish shades and go from pale pink to shocking pink.

So, how will you be wearing pink this spring?

Like this post and want to share it with your friends? Click the "Share" button below!