Project Management

(Fashion Friday, once again, brought to you by style guru Lane.)

Fashion is tricky because it is fleeting.  It is not true that there are some timeless pieces that will never go out of style.  Eventually, everything goes out of style.  Just ask the makers of breeches.  There are wardrobe pieces that will carry you through several seasons of style, but the wonderful thing about fashion is that there is always something new and exciting.  Because it showcases young or at least undiscovered designers, Project Runway is an entertaining peephole into the worlds of the men and women who want to tell you what to wear.  Because it showcases Tim Gunn, it is genius.

What are you doing? This is such wretched excess.

The best rule of thumb for avoiding wretched excess in your dressing is to dress yourself to a point system.  You may have heard the expression dressed to the nines.  While no one has pinpointed the exact origin of the phrase, I use it as a guide to maintaining an appropriate balance in attire.  Completely dressed, your ensemble should be equal to, or less than nine points worth of look.  Every item of clothing and every accessory is worth one point.  The more vibrant, exciting, or ostentatious the item, the higher the point value.  A simple black dress is worth one point.  A backless black dress that is cut to the navel would be worth at least three.  A handsome tie is worth one point.  A hot pink, paisley tie is worth two.

When dressing, add up the points of your outfit.  Working in management, your clothing points should always fall between five and eight, seven being just right.  Nine is for a night out.  A manager's wardrobe needs to speak to confidence, authority, and personal responsibility.  It should not shout, "Look at me!"  It should say, "You can trust me to get the job done."  Your accessories can make the difference between screaming and speaking.

While her private life may be a wretched excess, Barb Henrickson of Big Love makes the art of dressing to manage look easy.  Barb's every day wear is business casual already, so her step up to professional wear as the manager of a casino and state senator's wife wasn't much of a transition.  Still, she made the jump from pretty teacher to serious businesswoman without losing her femininity.

In this photo, Barb is dressed to a 7. Her blouse is worth 2 points.  Her suit is worth 2 points, her nude shoes (not pictured) worth 1 point, her wedding ring 1 point, and her hair 1 point.  Why does her hair get a point?  Because it is big enough to be considered an accessory.  The bigger the hair or more complicated the hairdo, the more points.  (Think of Jennifer Beals on The L Word.  Her pretty curls were an accessory, so her hair was always worth at least a point.)

Now, take a look at Tim Gunn. That, my friends, is the way to wear a suit.  Pay close attention to the length of the sleeve, Gentlemen.  That is how long the sleeve of a suit coat should be.  At rest, your sleeve should not touch your hand.

Nothing, nothing, nothing looks sloppier than a man in a suit coat with over-long sleeves. It is the business world equivalent of having N00B stamped on your forehead.  In this photo, assuming Tim is wearing black socks, he is dressed to a 7.  1 point each for the suit, shoes, socks, shirt, tie, cause-pin, and glasses.

Here is an example of Tim in a shirt worth 2 points:

Accessories for Men in Management

• Monograms count as accessories.  Monograms also convey a "type".  Consider whether or not you wish to be thought of as this "type" before having your initials engraved on your clothing.  My suggestion is that unless you are afraid someone might mistake your shirt for his, you leave your name off of it.  If you are a manager and have to worry about someone snatching your clothes, you have bigger issues than monograms.

• No bling in the boardroom.

• I hope it goes without saying that men in management should not wear earrings or facial jewelry.

• Do let your ties show your personality, just be aware of your points.  A lot of tie plus a lot of suit equals wretched excess.  I give you our own Tim Gunn in such a mess:

Accessories for Women in Management

• Tasteful is the key.  Avoid cheap, plastic jewelry.  If it looks like you might have found it at Claire's, put it back in the jewelry box.

• Your shoes can and should be pretty, but think pretty as in Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn.  Also, make sure they fit, and make sure you can walk in them.

• Really think about what your jewelry and handbags say to the people who work for you.  If you can afford to drip with diamonds and carry that Birkin, chances are people will think you don't need the job.  People will not take you seriously as someone who has a career and will look at you as someone who is working for a hobby.  They will not trust you, and when the revolution comes, you will be the first one up against the wall.

"A couture post-office uniform is not going to work."

Be sure you are job or event appropriate.  Don't dress in evening wear for a day job.  Twenty years later, my high school classmates and I are still laughing about the vice principal who wore cocktail dresses and stiletto heels to work.  She always looked fantastic while trying to break up fights in the cafeteria.  Ineffective as all get out, but looked good enough for dinner at the Mansion.  Likewise, even if it is casual Friday, a manager needs to be dressed in the nicest casual possible.  That means crisp and tidy.  Starch is actually your friend.

Your clothes have to be functional.  I do a lot of typing, so suit coats aren't going to work well for me.  This means attractive, professional looking blouses, or jackets with 3/4 length sleeves.  I love a 3/4 sleeve on a lady.  Consider what you do with your body all day long when choosing your wardrobe.  Do you bend over a lot?  How's that neckline?  Do you sit down all day?  How's that hemline?  Is it cold?  Do you have a nice looking jacket for cover?

Do you know who dresses inappropriately for work?  Dr. Lisa Cuddy, that's who.

From the top of her very visible cleavage, to the pointed toes of her ridiculous for hospital wear high heels, Cuddy is a head to foot professional fashion don't. 

Ladies, if the tops of your breasts are visible, that alone is worth 3 points. Cuddy is a beautiful woman and I covet many of her outfits, but for dinner wear.  Those beautiful, low cut blouses are not ideal for bending over patients, and those shoes certainly aren't made for walking the miles of hospital hallways.

"I hate hot pants, but they're very now."

Absolutely do not ever wear hot pants to work.  That out of the way, it is important to recognize what is now and adjust your wardrobe accordingly.  Once upon a time, this was very now:

Mmmm, polyester!  Today?  Not so much.  You can either date yourself by getting married to a trend, or you can stay forever fashionable by simply dating the latest thing.  Fashion isn't about commitment.  Fashion is about playing the field and keeping your pimp hand strong to slap away outdated looks when necessary.

How should you keep up with now?  Television of course!  Look at the legal dramas.  Legal dramas will always have the latest trends in professional wear.  I am sad to have seen Boston Legal go because James Spader and Candice Bergen were amazingly costumed. 

That was one well dressed cast. 

Another of Bergen's hit TV shows is an example of how trends can date you.  Check out the Reagan era blazer and hair on Murphy Brown:

That hair, by the way, is worth at least 3 points.  It is big, it is long, and it is distracting.  (I am not a fan of long, loose hair on management.  It looks too casual and is easily unkempt.  If your hair looks high maintenance or like it requires several touch-ups per day, people will wonder if you spend more time brushing it than working.  Updos or sophisticated ponytails, please.)

Avoid like the plague anything catering to a teen audience, or reality television.  Neither Gossip Girl nor The Hills are good places for managers to get fashion tips.

In another post, I will talk about how to dress like Happening Hollywood when all you can afford is Goodwill.  In the meantime, take what you have, add up the points and as Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work."