Comfort should never be sacrificed with shoes. In a recent interview with female celebrities, it was pointed out that they will go on a three day or even a week diet/body cleanse so they can look their absolute best when walking the red carpet.

But, all too often, they make a mistake with their shoe choices. Their clothes may fit and they may look their best but it does not matter if the shoes are uncomfortable.
 
Men and women do not have to give up comfort to wear a business-like shoe even when they are used to wearing flip flops or sandals. The shoe designers have gone the well beyond the extra mile to ensure shoes feel comfortable.

There are wonderful brands for women such as ECCO, Munro, Anyi Lu, Earthies and Aquatalia. For men you have Ecco, Cole Haan Air and Bass. You can look sharp and feel great in the appropriate shoes(other than flip flops or gym shoes!).

A question about boots came up in a class I was recently teaching. Specifically, is it proper to wear dress boots when you are in front of an audience? This is a fashion statement and the look happens to be very popular today. 

A few things to remember so that you will be making a fashion statement and not be a fashion disaster are: This style works best in cold weather, in front of an audience of women and with a longer skirt rather than a short one. If you are going to wear boots with a short skirt, the top of the boot must come very close to the hem line of the skirt. Wear dark hose to match the boot.

Follow these simple rules and you will make an elegant fashion statement.

Today, I see many folks coloring their hair to cover up gray. Bobby Brown was recently quoted in an article stating how she must color her hair every other week. Coloring the hair every two weeks is about average for those folks who have been at it for a long time.
 
No matter how often you color your hair, a spot that is sometimes neglected or missed is the hair at the back of the head near the crown. The color tends to fade at that spot or the color is not applied as it could be.
 
Bumble Bumble is a product you can buy on line or at Sephora. It is a spray that comes in four different colors. You apply it on your hair to cover the gray in between appointments. The best thing about this product is that it does not rub off and will last until your next shampoo. It also looks natural.
 
You never want to have the back of your head show gray. It looks much worse than having faded hair color around your temples.

There have been many comments about the negativity on display in the Republican race for the presidential nomination. While some commentators suggest negative advertising works, it is generally seen as a bad way to win.

Today, especially in interviews, you have to refrain from saying anything negative about a previous employer or situation. Instead, you want to speak to what you can do and what your positive qualities are.

Once you begin a negative dialog, your listeners will be wondering what negative things you will eventually say about them.

These are individuals who prefer not to be with other people. They go out of their way to be alone. Of course, most people are social beings and want to congregate. However, if you are in a situation when being a social isolator appears to be a good idea, here are five things to do when you want to disengage:

1. Look away
2. Look down
3. Step away
4. Don’t shake hands
5. Frown

If you project one or more of these five expressions, you will always be a social isolator.

Tattoos are becoming more popular as individualistic self-expression. On Cake Boss, one of the bakers decided to tattoo his wife’s face on his arm as a token of his love. This was not a problem for him since he always wears a long sleeve garment. Also, in his industry tattoos are accepted. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Walt Disney has a very conservative dress code and culture. In fact, they just allowed their greeters to sport a tattoo as long as it doesn’t show while they are working. So culture does make a difference.

In general, you want to avoid tattoos that are revealed in a professional setting. If you decide to have a tattoo that you want to world to see in your free time, be sure you have comfortable clothing that will cover it up at work. Stay away from tattoos on your neck and fingers.

In the past 10 years, we have experienced Friday casual and business casual days. However, a more formal business casual has been seen in the US in the last year. Now we appear to be morphing into a relaxed professional image.

This look requires a jacket type blazer or collared shirt for women. Men wear either a jacket with shirt or shirt and tie. The fashion industry has also been listening by providing more professional garments made with softer materials and a more relaxed fit. Remember a true professional looks and feels comfortable with their clothing choices.

Note: Avoid wearing these top five business casual disasters at work:

1. Clog mules – wooden shoes without backs
2. Low hung pants for both women and men
3. Palm trees on shirts for men
4. Multi earrings (3 or more)on both ears 
5. Leggings for women with a short top

If these items are in your closet, save them for the weekend only.

Eyebrows are critical because they shape your eyes and in most cases frame your facial expression. Two sets of interesting eye brows belong to Michele Obama and Mitt Romney. Often, Michele’s seem very sculptured. Mitt’s are so close to his eyes, it makes it difficult to read his eyes.

Clients often ask questions about their brows. Here are a few tips on how you can work with them to further enhance your eyes.

For women only:

Shape

The eyebrow color should enhance the skin tone and either match or complement the hair color. For example, blondes often use a taupe or light brown coloring.

Looking natural

Use a pencil to define the eye brow. Then touch it up with a brow brush.

Keeping the shape

It is important to have brows tweezed to keep their shape. It is better to under rather than over tweeze. My preference is hand tweezing versus waxing.

For men only:

The biggest challenge for men with dark eyebrows are in two areas: over growth between the eyes and/or the hair being so thick it partially obstructs eye movement. Tweezing in both areas will shape the eyes.

In some cases, folks like their eyebrows to be very distinctive because it helps define their unique brand. My thought is that if it shows as a positive feature, then it’s ok.

It’s important because your eyebrows send a message even before you speak.

In the US it is considered the norm to offer a handshake when first meeting someone. In some cases a hug may also be appropriate. However, in other countries greetings are different. Since business is international, it would be good to know the greeting customs used in different countries.

Here are some examples:

India

This is land of Namaste. Place your hands in a prayer position at the chest, point your fingers upward and bow slightly while saying “Namaste” (nuhm-uh-stey).

South Africa

The traditional South African greeting is a standard handshake grasp followed by a shift of hands to an upward position, then back to the standard grasp – all in one fluid motion.

Japan

One bows from the waist with palms on the thighs and heels together. A bow ranges from a nod to a 90 degree bend at the waist. Levels of respect are indicated by the depth and duration of a bow. A small head nod is casual and informal.

When you visit these countries, using their greeting customs will be noted as a sign of respect.

I am often asked what I think of holiday motif clothing, sweaters, ties and pins, etc.

It really depends on the situation and the culture of your organization. For family affairs, a great example could be seen in the December 7th episode of Modern Family. One of the family members was dressed in a holiday sweater and he loved it. Other family members did not wear any holiday styled clothing and were fine with that, also.
  
So, if you want to wear a holiday styled piece of clothing and look smart in it, here are some guidelines:

Do:

• Less. If you want to wear red or green to be in spirit, a little color will go a long way. For example, wear color in a sweater or scarf as an accent with camel as a foundation color. For Christmas tree, Santa Claus or candy cane designs, small prints are more elegant than large size ones.

Don’t

• Do top to bottom in red. Recently I saw a young woman wearing bright red shoes, hose and skirt. Choose one, not all three.
• Wear Santa hats, reindeer and ornaments in the hair at the Christmas party.

Follow these simple rules and you can be in the holiday spirit and retain a touch of fun.