Using a guest volunteer in a recent presentation, I wanted to demonstrate what worked well in her professional attire. I had commented how she was able to wear a necklace and earrings that complemented each other but did not match because wearing matching earrings and necklaces has gone by the wayside. Now, it is smarter to wear complementary pieces.

Have said that, there are exceptions, one being gem and natural stone pieces. Also, when wearing matching pieces, the earrings must be smaller.

Evening business award events generally occur at the beginning of the year which is when questions are often asked about what is appropriate to wear.

Business folks dress in many different ways for these events. I’d rather be a bit underdressed than overdressed. Women, leave the sequins at home. Men, you cannot go wrong in a dark suit (black or dark navy) and a white shirt with a dark tie. If the event says black tie option, men can wear a dark suit or tuxedo. For women, a dress or an evening suit will fit the bill.

A black tie event for women does not always mean they have to wear a floor length gown. Tea length (slightly above the ankle depending on the height of the women) have become popular as have cocktail length (below the knee) dresses. A trendy option is the dressy top with a pair of palazzo pants but a dress will always look more elegant for a black tie event.

Awful Christmas sweaters have become a hit at social functions and even during in-season business casual days. My thoughts are if you are in a creative culture, advertising or the arts, it might work and be appreciated.

Men have been wearing patterned, fun socks so you will see many with holiday patterns. However, ladies wear with caution the patterned white stockings with candy canes or ornaments. This also goes for the sweater vests, jackets and ties with Santa Claus or snowmen on them.

It is fun to wear a touch of red for a jacket or sweater. A handmade piece of Christmas jewelry in a necklace or pin can also be sharp, especially if it is contemporary.

At a recent workshop I was told by a supervisor that she always had to wear heels to have executive presence (no matter that she was 5’11’’).

Now, I believe you should always wear comfortable shoes. There are many brands like Munro, Ecco, NikeCole and Haan, for instance, that offer very comfortable pumps.

However, if you prefer to wear flats, look for these things in the design of the toes of the shoes: shoes with slightly pointed toes in leather with an ornament (like Tory Burch) or with a touch of patent leather. These will always look polished and smart.

I was just recently at a client for a workshop and it was on casual day. The women who wore leggings that appeared appropriate for the day were:

• Wore leggings in heavy dark fabric

• Wore leggings that appropriately fit (not too tight)

• Wore high boots (sometimes the same color as the leggings)

• Wore a long knit top that covered their hips

These women, tall, short and of varying physical shapes, looked very sharp on this casual day.

For women:

• Jewelry, such as necklaces and earrings, that appear too big or too small.

• Purses that are too small for a larger women or too large for a petite women.

For men:

• Ties that are too wide or too skinny.

• Skinny pants that belong on slender men worn by men with ample builds.

• Tee shirts that show bellies.

There are some proportion mistakes folks make because they want to make a fashion statement. If that’s the case, just be sure your audience understands that.

I see many women wearing long skirts with heels and I don’t believe the look is flattering, especially if the skirt is a bit flared. Flats, loafers, pointy shoes, clogs and sneakers do not work either. These combinations makes the wearers look, at best, matronly and at worst, too dowdy. It’s not a look for the office or even for a business causal setting.

The majority of your body is covered with a long skirt, so to create a flowing look (as opposed to an unbalanced one), what you wear on your feet needs to visually become a part of the skirt. That’s why a boot that is covered by the hemline of the skirt usually works. In fact, long skirts with high boots and a shorter jacket can look smart if the colors are matched appropriately.

If you’re a woman with wide calves you may have been embarrassed by trying on boots in a shoe store only to have them stop at mid-zip because they will not go on over your calves. This can be a problem especially for those with small feet.

When you’re buying boots, you want to check for two measurements, the shaft height and shaft circumference of the boot. Now, measure the height from your heel up your calf. At that point measure your calf circumference. Check the circumference of the boot. If the difference is a half an inch or less, it usually will not be a problem. Otherwise, you might have to get them stretched and who wants to do that.

I want to applaud the boot manufacturers for finally making boots with zippers and for wider calves for women. They are called wide calf or extended calf boots and they are great! Many of these styles have a 15.5 inch shaft height and a 16 inch shaft circumference when a regular boot would have a 15 inch shaft circumference,

The trick is to select boots that will provide a slimming look as opposed to making your calves look bigger.

This is the time of year when the temperatures can wildly fluctuate, sometimes by 30 degrees, in the course of just one day! It could be 40 degrees in the morning and 70 in the late afternoon. To cope with this clothing wise (and to avoid looking like Frosty the Snowman) try wearing close fitting, thin layers. This provides the option to remove layers as the temperature rises.

Generally, it’s best to use three layers (especially in the winter):

– An inner layer that keeps the skin dry (like silk or soft wools)

– The mid layer (wool, fleece, down, cotton, synthetic polyester) which provides additional insulation and helps keep you warm. It should be looser fitting to allow for insulating air between the layers.

– A shell layer (plastic raincoats, water resistant materials) that prevents moisture from entering.

However you layer, layering makes efficient use of clothing and also allows you to make use of clothing to produce different looks and mix colors in a stylish way.