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We will be looking at more designers, so check back often and voice your opinion on Can I Wear This to Work.

There are still some schools of thoughts that feel bright colors and prints have no place in the workplace. Do you think prints and bright colors can have a negative effect on your professional image or can they enhance your professional image. Take the poll on the right and weigh in.

This dress on the right is bea-u-ti-ful. But don't wear it to work. Not even with a jacket. Not even if the afterwork party is hosted by your company. It is far too fancy for work and put a question mark on your professional image. 

The dress on the left is a much better option. You can pair it with a jacket for work and swap the jacket with a wrap and accessories for the afterwork party. Another option could be classic black dress slacks with a blouse or sweater for work and swapping the top for a decorative or lacy camisole and fancier accessories for the party.

I recently saw a sweater dress ensemble similar to the one on the right, on a young lady who was on her way to work. It was this fitted and this short. I wondered what her co-worker and her boss would think of that outfit. On a date or afterwork, this outfit is fun and sexy. On the job, it could jeopardize her professional image.

This sweater dress on the left isn't much better. It looks more appropriate for a college football game than the office. What do you think her co-workers and boss think about it? "Is that her boyfriend's sweater?"

There is a happy medium if you want to wear this trend. Find a sweater dress that fits. It should not be too tight, or too loose; too short or too long. Given the inherent nature of the sweater dress, be sure to choose a silhouette that flatters your shape and if you are self-conscious of your figure flaws, invest in a good body shaper to smooth out the lumps, bumps or rolls.

If you need help in choosing the silhouettes that flatter your figure, contact Polished Professional Image.
Call Bonnie at 312 823-6214 or email bonnie@polishedprofessionalimage.com

Some of the Belle Curve styles are a few standard deviations to the left! It goes without saying (I'm going to say it anyway, though) that the split on the outfit on the left is completely inappropriate for the office. Even if the split is closed up, the silhouette of the outfit can be a risky choice for work. It might be a little too sexy on the right figure and a little distracting on the wrong one. The peplum is designed to accentuate the hips and the pencil skirt, accentuates the hips even more.

I like the outfit on the right. Thanks to the belt which cinches the waist, it is curvy, yet appropriate for work. The A-Line skirt also helps give the illusion of a narrow waist. I love that pop of blue and the shape of the sleeve is modern and not too (too) trendy.

I was on a popular store's website present. They categorize their clothes by Casual, Work, Evening, etc. I wanted to see what they were featuring for Work for the summer. Summer is always a challenge for women, especially when they work in a business casual environment, so I was checking on the summer wear to work trends.

To my astonishment, the dress on the left was shown in the work category! Can you believe it? While this dress is gorgeous, a sundress for work is completely inappropriate. Even if you wear a jacket with it - inappropriate. Here is a little test to determine if a dress is inappropriate for work: if the dress is only appropriate with a jacket or sweater, then it is inappropriate. If it cannot stand that test on it's own, do not wear it to work.

This dress on the right, is a better choice for work. It has a nice summery print, the fabric is light and airy without being see-thru and the cap sleeves, while short, are acceptable for the workplace.  This dress stands the appropriateness test.

The dress on the left is gorgeous! The print is great, the length is flattering. What makes this dress inappropriate for work is the sleeveless styling and the deep plunge in the front. Wearing this dress without a jacket is just too sexy for work.

This dress on the right, also gorgeous, is perfect for work. The gingham print looks great on this shirt-waist styled dress. The neckline is flattering and not too deeply plunged and the short sleeves supply enough arm coverage while still being cool enough for the spring and summer. This particular dress is a faux-wrap which flatters every figure type and the sash belt helps to define your waistline.

It's possible. When management is in jeans, you can maintain your professional image, but it will depend on the jeans. Rather than choosing a crop jean, like the one on the left, choose a jean that is full length. A dark jean has a more classic look than the distressed jeans (the ones that appear worn in the thigh area). Also save the embellished jeans for the weekend.

Another consideration for Blue Jean Fridays, is to choose the right type of jean for your body type. For a short-waist, consider lower fitting hip hugger jeans. These give the illusion of an elongated upper body. For a long torso body type, choose a pair of jeans with a defined waist. If you are plus-sized you need to work with balancing the hips. To do this, look for a flare at the bottom of the leg. This will balance out the hips. If you have a flat bottom, look for back pockets. A petite person should consider a straight leg pair of jeans that aren't too tight. This will give you a taller silhouette

Like make-up, your jewelry should not be distracting. The focus should be on your abilities not on the jingle jangle dangle of your jewelry. As much as I love charm bracelets, they should be kept at home during work hours. One of the most appealing things about the charm bracelet is that jingle jangle sound that it makes. Unfortunately, it can be very distracting in the work environment.

Bangles can have the same distraction. Every time that you move your arms the bangles, well, bang together creating that musical tone that we love so much, but distract the heck out of our co-workers. As an alternative to your charms and bangles, consider wearing a link-type bracelet without the charms or a single wide bangle bracelet. Your arm will be well adorned and your professional image will remain intact.

This look on the left is more classic, more subtle. It doesn't dramatically change your look, it enhances your look and is not distracting. And if you are going out after work, you can build on this look to give it a more dramatic, party look.

First, know that there is no way that you will be able to dress down this dress for work! You can't put a blazer over it, a sweater on top of it or a pair of pants under it. This dress is just too fancy for work (and yes, I picked this style because I have seen this style in an office setting - worn with a jacket). But a nice suit can be worn for work, then dressed up for the party with a fancy camisole, jewelry, scarves.

Another way to dress up a plain, everyday, yet classic outfit is by amping up your make-up. By giving your make-up a more glamorous look, you give the whole outfit a more glamorous look. And don't forget that you can change your hairstyle and give a classic outfit a glamorous look.

Don't let the holidays ruin your polished professional image.

This look on the right is too casual looking for a professional image. It looks more like weekend wear to me. And this is the look that is often worn at work. The flat shoe and natural colored leg make this a casual "running around shopping" look. The jacket has a wash and wear look that is not quite crisp enough to pull off a polished professional image. What can be done to get this look ready for the office suite?

This shoe on the right is truly high-fashion. But, can you wear this shoe to work? The ankle strap, cut-out, and really high heel puts this shoe in the "too sexy" category. You might get away with wearing this shoe with slacks, but what would be the point to that? The pants would conceal the highlight of the shoe.

A better look for work in a similar style, would be a Mary Jane style shoe. This shoe on the left has similar styling to the high fashion shoe shown above, but it's a little more conservative. Be sure to choose the heel height that you are comfortable in if you have to walk around often.

Suits, ethnic prints, knits and a lot of gray lies in between. Some of these trends are designed for work, some can be adapted for work. But some...

This season we'll take a look at the fashion trends as well as the accessories trends, including shoes, purses and jewelry.

The Space Odyssey trend feature a number of very avante garde outfits that are unsuitable for work. But there are also a number of ensembles that are perfect for the boardroom! The clean, crisp lines of this dress is very classically styled and the length of the dress is appropriate for the office.

While I personally like the basic, unadorned styling of this dress, it can be given a little more style by adding a few accessories such as scarf or a pin or a necklace.  And a blazer will give this dress an extra dose of polish.

But, seriously. Even this style of dress can be adapted to most figure types. It is the perfect silhouette for the pear-shape figure. The A-line flares just right over the wider hips of the pear shape. To balance the look, make sure you have a broader shoulder line. For inverted triangle figures, the A-line gives the illusion of a wider hip line. The A-line looks good on the hourglass figure because most things do. And on the rectangle figure, the A-line gives the illusion of the curves that the rectangle is missing.

As with the other trends for this season, the skirts and dresses can be really short. Make sure you wear an appropriate length; appropriate for the office, your body type and your age.

Because there are so many sheer pieces in this look, you have to be careful of what you choose from this trend for your work outfits. And since we are approaching summer, of course, sandals are being pushed. But remember, for work, pumps or loafers are a more professional choice.

One more thing about this trend. The skirts and dresses can be really short. Make sure you wear an appropriate length; appropriate for the office, your body type and your age.

The Feminine Romantic personality runs the risk of looking too little- girlish in her flowers and bows and lacy outfits.  But  a polished professional image can be created by choosing a more toned down version of the clothes that matches the Feminine romantic style personality.

The dress shown on the right is a good example of a print dress that is not too little-girly for the office. Make sure you are not showing too much cleavage, though. And add more polish to the outfit by accessorizing with jewelry that complements the outfit.

So, how do you adapt it for work? This is an easy one. Remove the leggings and wear the top with the skirt. Another option is to wear the top with a pair of slacks and lose the skirt.