Posted on 09/13/2004 12:09:05 PM PDT by Lorianne
Tuck away those sexy tops. Cover up the belly. Dismiss the short skirts to a dark corner of the closet.The new business fashion for women says goodbye to bare sexiness and say hello to flirty femininity.
``You can't find a suit with a miniskirt anymore,'' said Erin Bianchi, public relations manager at Bloomingdale's at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Calif. ``I think women have realized that they are prettier when they don't show so much skin.''
After years of outfits oozing sex, it seems people have overdosed on bare bellies, barely-there tops and cleavages so wide and deep, double-sided tape is required to keep the R-rated look from turning soft-porn.
Vogue had a cover story titled ``Naughty vs. Nice. Why showing skin is no longer in,'' where fashion icons discuss the new, more covered professional fashion trend.
Even bare-skin poster child Donatella Versace -- who sent shock waves through the entertainment world when Jennifer Lopez wore her green dress held together by only a clip below the navel -- has a fall collection with humbler suits.
Instead of clothes that scream sex, the new business fashion for fall whispers sensuality. Jackets with nipped-in waists emphasize the female shape. Little puffs on the shoulders add playfulness. Pencil skirts cover the knee but hug the body to hint about what's underneath. Slacks are fitted but flow out over the leg, to distinguish a woman's pant from a man's.
``The nipped-in waist is an outgrowth of a young person going to work and not wanting to look oversized,'' said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association.
Women can now wear dresses to work too, something Metchek hasn't seen in years. They come with polka dots, or other playful patterns.
``Women know they can make it in the workplace now,'' Bianchi said. ``Everything is very feminine. We've moved away from dressing like men.''
The dresses, or skirts, or pants for that matter, can all be worn with one of fall's most forceful fashion comebacks: the cardigan. Cover two fashion bases by buying cashmere cardigans.
Try to find cardigans that pick up on the explosion of new colors this season. Seafoam green, pink, yellow, the list goes on and on.
Colors are creeping into even the most conservative business wear. Pinstriped suits now have pink or red stripes, said Diana Jennings, a wardrobe consultant in Coto de Caza, Calif.
``It's a classic but updated look,'' Jennings said.
A lot of mixing and matching is going on with that classic suit. The jacket can be worn with a separate skirt. The pants can be worn without a jacket, and with -- gasp! -- a bow blouse. Yes. The bow blouse of the 1980s is back. Its flowy lines and buttoned-up style is exactly right for the times.
Slap a big brooch on the blouse (or on the cardigan) and the outfit is complete.
No, wait. No outfit is complete without shoes.
Heels are a must with the feminine styles of the season, Bianchi said. One option is a round-toed shoe.
``They have to be feminine shoes,'' she said. ``No loafers or chunky heels.''
Some of those new shoes have fur accents. Fur is in again. Faux as well as real. It can be a full coat -- sometimes colored in a bright appley green or cherry red -- or details, such as a stole, a collar or cuffs.
After almost 20 years in the business world, Marla McCutcheon, 40, has seen it all. In 1986, when she started working at a law firm, women wore long skirts and suits. They had some femininity, McCutcheon said, but mostly mimicked men's' suits. Then the pendulum swung to the other extreme. Lacy underwear-like blouses peaked up from cleavages. Skirts resided high above the knee. Then the business casual business wear hit when anything seemed to go. Now fashion is more sexually toned down, yet celebrates femininity.
``I think this is probably the best-case scenario,'' McCutcheon said. ``The pencil skirt makes more sense. You can't bend over in a miniskirt.''
Slacks are ``completely acceptable,'' for women to wear now, McCutcheon said. Today's styles give women pants that are comfortable, practical and yet feminine.
McCutcheon herself often wears slacks with a top or a jacket. She now is a principal of Echo Media, a public relations firm in Tustin, Calif. While her own office is a creative environment with more tolerance for choices of clothing, some of her clients are law firms, where the dress code is usually stricter. It's important, McCutcheon said, to be sensitive to the dress atmosphere of customers.
While a sleeveless shirt could be acceptable at McCutcheon's own office, it would be inappropriate to wear it without a jacket on visits to a client's law firm.
``Women need to think about how they portray themselves,'' McCutcheon said. ``You don't want the attention to be on your clothing, you want it to be on your work.''
How women dress can be function of how long they have been working. Some older women tend to get more conservative as they work their way up the career ladder
Paging Scott Rasmussen...
Depends on what business you're in, I guess..
I always thought the style of the '30's was pretty glamerous.....wish it would come back....
ha, women in Seattle wear 8 layers of Gore Tex. I saw your forecast...showers til May.
Damn.just damn.
MILF alert! :oD
But not a real green dress, that's cruel
"The preceding opinion is that of the individual poster only. It does not necessarily represent the viewpoint of FReepers in general."
Cute. However, I say to you, "Get a wife and stick with her for life." Confine you sexual desire to her. That is what is real conservatism. Remember, Bill Clinton's uncontrolled libido was one of his downfalls.
I agree--hip huggers on girls are just kinda gross, its fun looking at first, then you realize her ass looks big, her stomach sticks out, and she could be your plumbers daughter. Fantasy is better than reality, ladies.
Yes, and the hems should be no more than one inch above your eyes...
"Britney is deeply saddened."
She is also an embarrassing tramp - a Madonna in training.
LIES!!!! ALL LIES!!!!
boooooo!!!
I can't believe an Freeper would try to deny someone their right to bare arms.
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