Is it fabric or style that determines when clothing becomes too casual? We want a firm finish or wrinkle-free fabrics in a shirt, pants, or dress of choice. Often, these questions come up when choosing clothing for the office. Err on the polished side when making these decisions. When it comes to trends, stay away from the fads and wait styles out for at least two seasons.

I remember a situation when presenting to a group of high profile attorneys. One of the senior female partners wore a cropped pants suit. Those slacks took a while to take hold to begin with and are now out of fashion. Choose classic cuts with a modern flare. For example, Amal Clooney always wears classic cuts with a different slant to them like a flowered pencil skirt with a tailored sweater.

A recent MSNBC business program featured icons and their uniforms including Steve Jobs with his black turtleneck and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a gray tee shirt. I recall that when DreamWorks was formed, Steven Spielberg wore a bomber jacket, David Geffen sported a mock tee, and David Katzenberg of Disney favored the shirt and tie.

The point is that there appears to be an unwritten rule of notable leaders branding themselves with clothing including a client CEO of a Fortune 500 company who always donned a jacket and skirt. All these folks wore their uniforms well, seemed comfortable, and stayed consistent because a uniform must be comfortable and fit well.

While on a project for an automobile company, we ensured that front-line employees uniform choices represented the company and the employee well. We focused on pride in wearing clothes that were comfortable and easy to care for. Many top companies make this investment when providing uniforms for front-line staff. Make sure you invest in yourself in your uniform.

An essential piece for the complete wardrobe is a versatile black dress. Recently, a client called in a panic. She needed a black dress for a very serious occasion and has worked herself into a state of panic. We bought a black dress with a jacket about 15 years ago, but she never wore it. She took it out, tried it on (it still fit), and brought to the cleaners for their one-day service. She found her pearls, dark hose, and black shoes making her ready for the occasion the next day! She was relieved at rediscovering the perfect dress she already vetted rather than having to go through the stressful process of rush-buying a new dress.

Lately, many rules have been broken about style, colors, and patterns. In fact, many styles considered unacceptable not too long ago, are now current! For example, colors that used to seem to clash are the latest hot style trend.

Prints on prints now work instead of just prints with a solid companion color. As always, though, the best style is the one that works for you. Whether you prefer classic and tailored or like to wear the most current threads, wear your clothes with confidence.

Prints, patterns, and flowers are making a presence in dresses, blouses, and shirts and in styles big, small, and mix and match separates. I personally prefer other prints, but I do like adding variety to my clothing choices. They way to do that is to select fabrics with texture and pronounced color weaves. If I ever decide to incorporate flowers in my wardrobe, it will most likely be with scarves.