Work Wardrobe on Shine

Sarah Palin's $150,000 wardrobe and your image at work

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<img alt="AP via Yahoo! News" title="AP via Yahoo! News" src="http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/shine/work/palin_wardrobe_ap24.jpg" align="left" width="260" height="179">By Nataly Kogan from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www/workitmom.com">Work It, Mom!</a> If we can keep ourselves from jumping into another <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.workitmom.com/blog/2008/08/31/working-moms-have-poor-family-values-the-sarah-palin-edition/"> political discussion about Sarah Palin's candidacy</a> I actually think this shopping spree raises an important point about image in the workplace. When I graduated from college I was what I call a career idealist; I thought that the only things that mattered for my career success was my hard work and intelligence. Completely naive, I've learned since, but that's what I believed. Consequently, even though my first job was with a very high-profile company, in a very fancy office on Park Avenue in New York City, my work wardrobe was pathetic. It was so pathetic, in fact, that a few months in a senior manager (a woman) suggested that I invest in at least one great suit if I wanted to be taken more seriously.

Going to the office in plus-size style

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Shopping for plus-sized clothing can be a challenge; so many plus lines are filled with dowdy jumpers and shapeless tunics. It's even harder when you are searching for tailored clothes for the office, but tailored is precisely what you need when you are wearing a larger size. Pieces that are too big will make you look bigger; pieces that fit will make you look professional.

Always opt for professional. Of course.

To build a functional work wardrobe, no matter what your size, start with classic basics.

Five things you should Never EVER to wear to work

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In this age of casual offices and working from home, the rules for what constitutes appropriate work attire can be confusing. But there absolutely ARE still rules and you absolutely need to follow them, because like it or not, the way you present yourself tells clients quite a lot about how you will do your job. And so I bring you . . .

Five Things You Should Never EVER Wear to Work (and by "work" I mean "any setting in which you will be representing yourself as a professional with specific expertise in your field").

1. Flip flops. I love flip flops, particularly for summer, but they are not appropriate for the office.

How to build the perfect work wardrobe

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Dear CC: I recently graduated from Northwestern University and have been offered my first professional job at a prestigious law firm in New York City. I have never lived in or been to the Big Apple. Can you tell me how I can begin to build my first work wardrobe for this high-profile firm?

Got a bad case of the Mondays?

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We've all had 'em. I've had it bad so bad that it has taken 6 slaps of the snooze alarm, a cold shower and 3 cups of coffee just to open my eyes. And then, there I am faced with the most impossible task, what to wear? What makes it so difficult to choose an outfit to start the...