There is much less written about women’s suiting than men’s given women have so many other choices for their work wardrobe. Even if suits are not your thing though, it is a good idea to have a suit for formal occasions and if not a suit, at least a solid blazer.

In men’s suiting there is a little bit of a division of blazers into the suit jacket (as formal and as fitting as it gets, made with matching pants), the blazer (no matching pants), and the sports jacket (with detailing and other more “casual” bells and whistles). But the rules galore that exist for men’s suiting (e.g. see this) are less a thing for women. Alas I will call all these jackets blazers for the purposes of this post, but note that there are different blazers for different occasions.

Continue reading “Blazers: Look for wool but not always”

Ottawa Moments from Winterlude

I cleared my schedule this weekend of work and volunteering obligations and it was suuuuuuuuch a treat to make time for my Ottawa family and friends. The festivities involved a staycation, food and variety of winterlude activities, providing ample opportunities for outfit changes, and you can find a photo summary of the latter below.

Outfit 1: 9 to 5 and beyond

Work often bleeds straight into personal engagements and having outfits that serve both purposes is essential. This Femme de Carriere combo has been one of my go-to’s for many a winter season.

Version 2

This Karl Lagerfeld dress is easily dressed down with a Betsy Johnson coat.

Outfit 2: Formal evening wear

For more formal celebrations, long dresses and heavier gowns are expected but for a bit of fun I went for long layers of tulle with this boutique 1861 number.

Outfit 3: Fun evening wear

Party dresses in winter are tricky and I tend to choose longer sleeves and versatile layers (easily added or removed) to stay warm. This Marciano party dress checked these boxes for me.

In the run-up to Valentine’s Day you may be trying to find the workwear pieces that will take you from the 9-to-5 into your vday or galentine’s evening engagements. Sales season is still on too so if you’re finding a dearth of selection, a number of brands have your back.

ZARA – Blush coloured suit

A decent blush suit is hard to come by but there is one in Zara’s new collection. There are no lapels on the blazer, creating more space for accessories to play. There is also a wide belt to sinch in the waist. Switching it out for a wide belt in a contrasting colour could be fun.

If blush is too subtle for you, there is always red, like this bold one from Banana Republic.

ANTHROPOLOGIE – Dresses for layering

Anthropologie is not my go-to for workwear but so much of their collection is unique and readily coordinated with other pieces. This textured red mini for instance can be layered with a blazer and tights for a smooth transition from work to play.

MASSIMO DUTTI – Sweaters

Cable knits that have structure and forn fitting arguably have a permanent place into the winter workwear wardrobe. This one is a charming colour and on sale.

AND then there are the shoes…

Both of these are by l’intervalle. In the winter, my inclination is always to go for boots and booties for good coverage.

As much as I am an advocate of building a work wardrobe on a bedrock of neutrals, patterns and unique colours throw in a bit of the unexpected. If you’re hesitant at all, just know that a black blazer brings it all down a notch… though a matching or contrasting one does the reverse.

This is, for instance, a bit of glen plaid layered with Chevron in Perth. You get the idea.

Here is a collection of patterns and colours on a backdrop of the landmarks around the Canadian capital.

Navy on Central Chambers

Stripes are nothing too out of the ordinary. And neither is navy. But navy stripes of differing widths plus peplum flaps are something a little different.

The iconic Central Chambers on Elgin Street was built in the early 1890s in the Queen Anne Revival style. It faces the National War Memorial at Confederation Square.

Windowpane on Connaught

Here is a red windowpane pattern on a warm toned neutral. I can’t do bold red stripes because they would make me look orange. But these stripes are thin and well spaced out.

This photo was taken in front of one of the many unused doorways of the historical Connaught building between Mackenzie Avenue and Sussex Drive. It is castle-like in the Tudor-Gothic style, and was designed by the architect also responsible for the buildings that house the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Canadian Mint.

Geometric on Byward Yellow

I have a number of geometric patterned pieces that I don’t even know how to describe. This is one of them. I had trouble tracking down this dress once it was out of stores because I forgot what search terms to use to find it. I thought maybe concentric rectangles was about right, if only there was a rectangle version of “concentric”.

Ottawa influencers know this yellow wall in the Byward market. It is nothing fancy. But it is yellow.

The struggle in wintry countries is that you need a whole separate work wardrobe and footwear collection for the season, which due to the expense, you may spend an entire part of your career building up. Here is a review of the different kinds of winter boots that I would consider staples.

Winter Ankle Boot

The winter ankle boot should be sturdy, either low / block-heeled or a wedge, with a sole meant to provide traction on ice and snow. It should be mostly waterproof, insulated, and actually meant for cold weather. (Inserting liners into fall boots may not do the trick.) This boot is supposed to be demure and downplay the fact that it is a winter boot at all. A boot like this goes with wide and straight leg work pants, tights, double the tights…

Over-the-knee Winter Boot

The over-the-knee winter boot is essential for layering. It allows you to forgo snowpants even in the biting wind and cold when doubling up on pants or tights doesn’t cut it. Hopefully it comes up to above the edge of your winter jacket for a desirable wind breaking effect, as this London Fog one does for me.

This boot again needs to be sturdy (you do not want to twist your ankles walking to meetings), insulated for the cold, and it is a bonus if the back side of the boots are made of a material that is easy to wipe down (slush, salt etc). They must not be slouchy as you don’t have time to constantly be pulling them up in a blizzard.

The Real Winter Boot

While living in Canada generally may require investing in the joan of arc Sorels at some point, it may be useful to have a winter boot for work that can get you through a foot of snow in -20 to -40 degree weather. These boots will be heavier and will come with traction. So you need enough arch and foot support so that you don’t hurt your feet.

Face freezing rain much? Consider crampons and avoid skating on the sidewalks.

There are more and more options for stylish choices in this department – look for form fitting structure, a little bit of detailing and unique designs and colours. Saute Mouton from Quebec is unparalleled in my books for the combo of function and style. But Sorel, Cougar and La Canadienne make good boots and have good offerings.

While I selected these boots with a work wardrobe in mind, hopefully you are not needing to trek around in the heavy duty winter boots all day and you are able to switch into other footwear once you are indoors. That said, the ankle and over the knee boots are ones that you should choose for being appropriate for indoors as well – when you can’t or don’t have time to change into something else.

If you are one of the few in January still with some flex in your discretionary spending, now is the time to pounce on Club Monaco workwear. The offer of an additional 50% off sale prices is in-store and there is still quite the selection of coats, dresses and jumpers. Here’s a try-on to pique your interest.

The HELENI COAT: Essentially a long checked blazer, straight fit, with a little bit of weight for the beginning of the transition seasons. From $398 marked down to about $160.

The JOURDAN DRESS: A light stylish turtleneck dress that is easy to layer. Marked down from $205 to $75.

Lastly, as I am a sucker for polished jumpsuits: the SELF BUCKLE JUMPSUIT. Navy checked pattern, straight pant leg. The key to this piece is the ease of layering and the adjustable straps. Marked down from $298 to $80.

The end of the retail holiday season is nigh, with Valentine’s Day approaching. Because Chinese New Year normally falls close to Valentine’s Day, this time of season is generally opportune to find those tricky red pieces to add to your wardrobe.

While red is a loud colour for a workwear wardrobe, it has its time and place. But because the colour can be quite brash, you want to select your reds carefully.

A red blazer with matching pants absolutely make a statement. Contrary to popular opinion though, a red suit won’t come off as too bold… if it is downplayed with plain more neutral coloured shirt. Alternatively this downplaying effect can be accomplished with simpler accessories (in this case, this 1901 blazer has striped cuffs that soften the red) or shoes without details.

On the flip side, for a bit of fun, red is unrivalled for statement pieces like this Rachel Parcell faux shearling shawl.

How do you choose red pieces for your wardrobe?