What To Wear To Work: Black

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• June 9, 2009
• By Vintage Brazen
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by Caitlin McCabe

 

I have had a lot of moments in the last few months where I’m standing in front of my closet wondering what I’m expected to show up in at work today. Client meetings, speeches, networking events, etc. all call for a different approach, and your attire says a lot about you, like it or not.

In my opinion, social media people shouldn’t look like bankers. Maybe some of you disagree and think that the business suit works in all fields at all times, but I think that with a lot of clients, a social media team filing into their conference room in business suits can be intimidating. Let’s face it: we’re going to be talking about Facebook, commenting on blogs and using the word “widget” with a straight face. This doesn’t have to be done in a business suit.

Because of this, I wear a ton of black. Beyond the obvious that black doesn’t look wrinkly when it is and hides stains if you are a coffee spiller, there are some good reasons to choose black as your go-to business clothing color:

1. Black always looks semi-expensive

Cheap-colored dyes look cheap. Cheap material in a light color looks cheap. Black makes it hard to tell what you paid for an item, and that’s a good thing.

2. Black does not go out of style—ever

This is great because almost every color has its day in the sun as the “it” color and, however subtle, you date yourself when you wear that lime green two months past its time. If you’re busy and can’t keep up with this, just wear black.

3. Black is soothing

Ever notice that spa and salon employees always wear all black? It’s to hide hair and dye, of course, but (and maybe it’s just me) whenever I see a sleek woman in all black, I get that warm “I’m about to have a beauty treatment” feeling. If I have that feeling in my head when I meet new clients, there’s less of a chance that I’ll be a stress case.

4. You can look super-stylish by adding accessories

You know the neon that everyone’s sporting right now? Wear an all-black outfit with a neon pink scarf or bright earrings. Next fall, when the trend is bohemian metals, you can simply retire the scarf in favor of some dangly antique earrings and you don’t have to replace the entire outfit.

I recently found the most amazing black pants ever. I tried on approximately 200 pairs of black pants in Denver looking for the perfect pair of comfy but formal-ish black pants. I found them at Black House White Market, and they aren’t on the website, but they are available in gaucho length and long. They are soft and flowy and totally worth the $78. Perfect for traveling (I cannot stand wearing sweats on a plane but want to be comfortable).

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