The first lady, Michelle Obama, wore purple gloves instead of the traditional black ones in the Inaugural parade. Why did the purple work? First, it was a quiet touch while being just enough to notice and for folks to spot her as she waved to them. It was also in the same color family and tone of the navy blue coat.

Purple ended up being perfect as an accent color and worked well for the gloves. They definitively replaced the black and were elegant at the same time. Would it have been the same had she worn purple pumps or boots? No.

Emerald is “a lively, radiant, lush, vivid, verdant green” which “enhances our sense of well-being further by inspiring insight, as well as promoting balance and harmony” as quoted by Pantone.

Green also represents money and nature. Think of adding this color with an accessory, like a tie, pin or scarf. Recently, green nail polish has replaced the tangerine one. Use the color sparingly, though. (You can always wait until St. Patrick’s Day!)

The long sleeve collared shirt has become more of a statement today than when it was first introduced to wear under a jacket. Because business casual is trending into a more polished look, the shirt has become a stand-alone piece. So, it is important when choosing the right size, that the shoulder, chest and waist material gently hug the body.

Following are the typical size categories:

Full fit: Very generous in the chest and hip area

Slim fit: More form fitting in the chest and hip area

Athletic: Generous in the shoulders and slim in the body

Classic: Closer to the body

Husky: Full in shoulder and body

The sleeve and shirt length can always be altered. The shoulder and body gets tricky because the alterations can easily get out of balance. If that happens, the shirt will end up fitting poorly.

The holiday season has just begun and many retailers are hoping holiday neckties will sell through the roof. What makes a holiday tie a good one vs. one in bad taste? A solid holiday color or a small print of holiday items (Christmas holly or candy, etc.) on the tie will look elegant. Cartoon holiday ties that feature a reindeer laughing, Santa saying ho-ho-ho or a large picture of a snow man might be fun in the right business environment. However, it is risky and can be seen as showing poor taste.

Think small prints in Christmas red or green and your holiday elegance will be on full display!

It can be hard to resist the temptation to wear ornament earrings (especially the lit ones) or reindeer ears as a head band because is fun. But don’t do it at the office. Remember that ornaments look best on a tree and reindeer ears on a dog. They can also be fun to wear at family functions.

For the professional environment, a red necklace or red scarf will appropriately ring in the holiday cheer with your wardrobe.

This issue keeps coming up whenever I am speaking to a group of professional women – to wear hose or not. Again, many companies, especially when it gets warm, have no opinion about whether women should or should not wear hose. Even as the temperature gets cooler they still leave it up to the wearer.

There are still women who like to wear hose no matter what the situation or the climate. And of course, there are women who don’t like to wear hose in any business situation. My opinion is that legs should not appear naked. This means that there are some legs that look great without hose. Others, not so good. So, unless the organization has guidelines about wearing hose, it is up to the wearer.

I do have two rules about hose, though. Never wear white hose unless you are a nurse and sheer black hose can be worn all year round.

It has been only in the past few years that pants for women have become acceptable business attire. In most formal business situations (dependent on the industry and geography) suits with skirts are still the uniform. Business casual made pants for women acceptable. But is the skirt actually replacing pants for women? Sure, wearing a skirt would show you are wearing the current fashion style but does it make you appear more professional?  My opinion is that women are wearing more skirts because the fashion industry has made them easy to wear. Plus, there are more shoe styles available to compliment them. What matters the most is which (pants or skirts) makes you feel more comfortable and how each one makes you feel.

Recently a good male friend of mine was very happy he could find a pair of slacks with pleats. Not everyone can wear pleated pants and some guys just look better in flat front pants. The fashion industry for men in the past has moved very slowly. Not anymore. There are more choices than ever for men including pleats, no pleats, cuffed or no cuff pants.

So, regarding fashion trends for men—in the financial arena men still tend to wear pants with pleats and cuffs. In the service and product industries men usually wear flat front pants without cuffs. Formal presentations and sales calls typically mean cuffs and pleated pants.

In a recent event I was asked about the trend regarding dresses. Are they replacing the suit as the go to uniform for business women? Should women be rushing out and replacing suits with dresses?
Actually, it depends on the wearer. Some women find dresses easier to wear because they are one piece. Others find dresses difficult to accessorize with the right hose and shoes. However, a dress for some women is much easier to find than an appropriate pair of pants. My recommendation is to wear what you feel most comfortable in while showing your best self.

In the US, if men wear loafers with shorts socks should not be worn. It’s a major fashion faux pas made worse if the socks creep downward or are in a color other than a neutral tan that matches the shoes. Why does it matter? It does not look smart or elegant. Plus, if you are older it definitely will date you.