The Guide to workwear part 1: Smart and The City

Photo by jcoldironjr2003 via Flickr

Despite the soaring unemployment figures, this year thousands of UK graduates will be entering the world of work and amidst the worries about commuting, working to deadlines, getting on with their boss, one thought will stand out from all the rest: what do I wear?
I wanted to address this worrying issue, however a minute's reflection showed me that really, I have no idea. So, rather than give up and leave the new workforce to their sartorial faux pas', I called in some outside help- lovely friends from a variety of fields who have offered their observations on the workwear in their environment. Their response was beyond what I could have hoped for, leading me to serialise their efforts over the next couple of weeks.

Part one are the musings of the lovely Annie An, who has considerable experience in looking successful, on what to wear if you're working in the city: law, banking and the more creative callings are covered in impressively thorough detail. So take notes and Enjoy!

Corporate

We've all seen the sea of black barging past us, rushing towards their majorly important appointment in the City, eternally shackled to their Blackberry "Smart" phones, so the obvious first step is to get yourself a power suit, preferably black. This is the most important component for interviews, client meetings and getting wasted at the local watering hole. Try good old Jermyn Street retailers such as T.M Lewin for something simple and relatively cheap. A blazer from Mango and some trousers from Next, however, is not a healthy alternative.

There are differences depending on which sector you work in: for example in Law it is more conservative and ladies should consider the skirt option over the trouser-suit whereas in Banking you could get away with a nice silk top and a pair of trousers. For women shirts, especially white shirts are not always compulsory- you can experiment with not too revealing tops and maybe even a black/dark coloured wrap dress. Just make sure you always have a jacket to hand in case a client or someone important drops in! Banana Republic stocks affordable workwear and Hobbs' City Wear collection holds a plethora of smart stylish clothes not necessarily aimed at middle aged dames who lunch.

Accessories should be kept simple and elegant in more conservative environments, however you can afford to be more liberal with the bling in finance -I know a female associate who isn't adverse to flashing her extensive collection of Cartier wrist wear.

For men, try a different suit and shirt combination: a navy suit and pink shirt or a grey-brown suit with a blue shirt for example. There generally aren't too many rules in Corporate Britain, just keep it professional. Charles Tyrwitt and Pink should be able to kit you out for all your suiting needs, however Bankers do seem to prefer the Salvatore Ferragamo suit and Hermes tie combination, just not before you make MD. The U.S however is a different questions all together. If you are male and a junior member of staff (i.e. analysts beware!)working in finance - DO NOT WEAR CUFF LINKS! What may seem to us mere Europeans as an essential part of work and formal attire, takes on a whole different meaning Stateside - you may not be thinking it but to the powers above know you are overreaching yourself, you are running before you can walk.

Creative Industries

You are the lucky lucky people, who get to wear almost anything to work- even at times skinny jeans and Converse! So experiment, go wild – just don’t dye your hair pink. For women it’s always a good idea to not bare too much flesh, remember this is still a work place. Keep the minis for the beach and the low cut tops for date night. For men, you still need to look presentable, so the hoodie and the “just rolled out of bed” look may have been ok for lectures but does not belong to the work place. In sectors such as Publishing and PR, people tend to be fashion forward and have their own style, so invest sometime into thinking about how you are presenting yourself to your peers as well as your clients. Remember you are also selling a brand/reputation, and who wants to buy the services of a heavily pierced Mohawk when they are promoting their new cookbook. In galleries and auction houses, it is often more conservative. Men are often seen in suits and women in skirt and blouse combos. Try Reiss or Anthropologie for a splash of artistic printing and embroidery.

Next week: Part 2- Teaching in Trousers

Homing Pigeon Syndrome

Photo by ZeroOne via Flickr

The A level results are in and the next batch of Britain’s bright eyed young hopefuls are off to university, leaving behind the nest, their parents and- in the case of my sister- me.

Around this time people start talking about 'empty nest' syndrome- parents having to deal with the absence of their offspring but increasingly I've been feeling the effects of a syndrome of my own that I have dubbed homing pigeon syndrome.

Increasingly as a result of the current economic climate students are graduating from university and heading straight back home. There is nothing wrong with this: many people have no other option (myself included) and for those who manage to obtain a decent starting salary it still makes sound fiscal policy to stay at home and save for a bit but it can leave you feeling disillusioned and stuck in a rut.

You feel that university was a bubble life that has now popped, leaving you right back where you started. This feeling is exacerbated if you have a sibling or cousin leaving for university this year, setting off to do all the fun things you've just left behind. For you life seems to be going nowhere- separated from your closest friends and no longer truly independent, it feels like you have to go back to being the person you were before you went away and grew up.

It's all too easy to get depressed about this situation but once you fall into the doldrums- as readers of the phantom toll-booth will know- it can be surprisingly hard to pull yourself out. Don't wallow in self pity- this will only make you feel worse, leading to a downward spiral into lethargy. Instead, why not take steps to combat this situation?

Get some Perpective
First get out of the house and, if possible, out of your neighbourhood completely. You need to gain some detachment before you can look at your situation with a clear head. If you can, visit or meet up with a friend in a similar situation- guaranteed sympathy and a connection to the life you're missing will give you the space you need to gain perspective.

Be Pro-active

Second, and I can’t stress this enough, BE PRO-ACTIVE. Sure, life hasn’t been as easy for you as it maybe has for other people but compared to a lot of people you’re still very, very lucky to even have the option of going home. At the end of the day no-one is going to organise your life for you (if you have parents that do please tell them politely to STOP- they’re not doing you any favours) and you’re just going to have to man up and deal with the hand you’ve been dealt; that’s what being an adult is about. So get back on the job search websites (using our handy guide provided here to maximise your efforts) but at the same time be preparing back up options in case it takes longer than you think.

If jobs are elusive, try and get non-paid experience in the fields you are interested in. If money’s an issue you can always combine this with shift work in the evenings or at weekends to pay for travel expenses and fun things. If even this doesn’t seem to be panning out volunteer for a charity in some capacity- employers are going to prefer this to you sitting on your butt and whining because life hasn’t worked out exactly how you planned it. This may sound harsh but I assure you this pep talk is for me as much as for anyone reading!

Change Your Environment

If living back at home feels like you’re regressing then put a new stamp on your living space: ask your parents if you can re-model your room or if you can convert some unused space- an attic, the cellar, a spare bedroom- into your own space. Chances are the last time your bedroom was decorated you didn’t have much say in the matter and taking the design into your own hands should hopefully make you feel that you are moving forwards and not just back where you started.

Stay In Touch

Lastly, remember out of sight doesn’t have to mean out of mind: ok so your best friends are no longer a corridor away, that doesn’t mean you’ll never see them again. Make plans regularly with as many people as possible, take full advantage of the social networking resources and electronic communication methods that are fully at our disposal. We are possibly the first generation that has no excuse for losing touch with old friends- we can interact with people all over the world at the touch of a keyboard; ten miles up the M1 really shouldn’t make that much of a difference.

So don’t be despondent over the future- it will sort itself out- but make every effort to help yourself in the present and the chances are it will all work out better than you hoped. Remember homing pigeons always come home to roost but its never long before they’re off again, and some of them have done pretty amazing things!