Must-Haves for the Curvy Career Girl

It's a fact: the economy is in the tank. Now as a stylish girl who is trying to make a good impression at work and look chic this Fall, what do you do? What do you DO? The answer is simple. You'll do what fashionable women have always done in uncertain times. You'll stick to the basics.

Every woman has her own style, but here are some items that are the staples of a working wardrobe this Fall. (Click on any of the pics for more information.)

A Fitted Blazer

White Blouses



Mid-Length Skirts
This is a satin A-line number from SWAK


Pencil Skirt with Skinny Black Belt from Torrid





A Good Pair of Pants





Wrap Dress



Black Boots & Heels
(all from Chinese Laundry)
"Kicky"


"Blue Ribbon"


"Hope"

Now That's Gangsta Chic!

Wanna be a tough girl, huh? Of course we wouldn't encourage anyone to actually be a gangster. But designers are rolling out a whole lot of street cred for the Fall and Winter- especially when it comes to accessories.

Jamespiatt.com




SWAK Designs

Torrid







MarcheNoir



Tripp



PNUT Jewelry



Emitations



Fashion Overdose


Because you're the wifey...
Kiyonna



And then again, if you don't want to play the gangsta role, you can be the cop.

Torrid

Work It, Baby: Igigi

The weather is just starting to turn a little cooler which means it's time to do two things: Pull out the old Fall clothes and buy new Fall clothes. These times of transition make it more difficult to figure out what to wear to work. But there's good news on the horizon. More and more designers are realizing that creating clothing for the working woman is the right way to go. Igigi is one of the companies rolling out some tailored office options for the career girl this Fall.











Get all the details from the website Igigi.com .

Steampunk by Accident

Hey, every outfit is not a homerun. Not even for a fashion blogger. Case in point-
Have you ever "achieved" a look by accident? I think I might have done that when I got dressed this morning. I work in a completely laid back office with no dress code. Seriously, I'd have a hard time coming up with an inappropriate outfit with what's in my closet. But my supervisor and I sometimes have a laugh about clothes. This morning, she was giggling at ME and saying I have a goth / steampunk thing going today. (I'm not entirely sure what steampunk is, so if someone wants to fill me in... )

Anyway, here's what I think happened:
When I woke up this morning, I knew I wanted to wear my black sweater. The one with the lantern sleeves. But I also wanted to rock my long, inky Bill Blass jeans. I didn't want to be too matchy, matchy so I decided to wear my high-heel leopard print Franco Sarto sandals. (No big deal, they're like a step up from Candies. Actually. OK. They look just like Candies.) Then I threw on my LONG brass owl necklace. I thought it was fine. But when I think of all of that- along with my heavy bangs and big black hangbag, which has a lot of hardware going on, I can kinda see what my supervisor was talking about. Accidental punk. Dammit.

Has this ever happened to you?


Picture courtesy of Louise Black on Etsy

One Shoulder Dresses: Because You're a Goddess

Black one-shoulder dresses were all the rage at Fashion Week in New York. That means you're sure to see them everywhere in the next few months. And of course we have to make sure that our luscious Brickhouses are trendily (is that a word?) attired. So we've already spotted some sassy, affordable one-shoulder wonders that won't break the bank. Take a look.

alight.com





Torrid.com





Maggie London



Ruby Rox