Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Colour Moi Beautiful will be back in the new year...

CMB Spotlight: Cheryl

Meet Cheryl, a fellow business women who is not only successful but also extremely stylish and professional. Cheryl graciously let me snoop in her closet to pick out a work outfit that she would typically wear to the office. I knew from past sightings that Cheryl knows how to rock a business dress so I was especially excited when I saw this little Rachel Roy number. I added a black blazer, black pumps and with a little bit of convincing, a grey belt over top (all courtesy of Cheryl's closet).

Cheryl also agreed to answer a few questions about her work style. Enjoy!

What is your office dress code? We don't have an official dress code at our office, but most women wear suits every day except for Friday when a cardigan or a non-matching blazer are okay.

What does your typical office outfit look like? Typically, I wear what I like to call my uniform: a dark coloured Theory suit with a collared blouse in white or blue, and Nine West pumps.

What are some limitations of this dress code to you? While sometimes it's nice to not have to think about what to wear in the mornings, it's really hard to transition from work to after-work activities. Also, I don't really get to participate in cute trends or feel very feminine.

What is your favorite piece in your office wardrobe? My favorite piece is my leopard print belt. Although you can't see it if I button my jacket, it makes me feel I haven't given up on fashion entirely!

What do you think is one rule that women in business should always adhere to? Always be prepared! The Girl Guides were right. Dress in a manner where you wouldn't be uncomfortable if you had to attend a surprise meeting with the bigwigs. If that means keeping a jacket in your office to throw on in emergencies, do it.

What is one office fashion faux pas that you have done in your past that you wish you could take back? There are so many to choose from, but one particularly bad one I committed regularly was hemming pants to wear with heels and then wearing flats with them. It looks sloppy and ruins the bottom of your
pants.

Any other advice/comments for women out there in business? I received this advice from a friend and found it to be very true. Invest in at least one great suit and have it altered to fit your proportions. Inevitably, you will have to wear it at an important moment in your career and you'll want to look and feel your best.

Photo's By Yvonne Ho; 

Styling and makeup by Yours Truly.

Thanks Cheryl for taking time out of your busy schedule to be part of my blog!

**If any of my wonderful readers/followers work in a professional environment, live in the Edmonton region and are interested in being featured on my blog, feel free to write me an email (colourmoibeautiful@gmail.com). I will come and rifle through your closet for that perfect work outfit and bring my photographer along to take some amazing pictures (trust me, she will make you look GOOD)! I am also available to do makeup. Don't be shy now. ** 

DO Wear White After Labour Day

Who came up with this preposterous rule? I'm sure you've heard many times not to wear white after labour day but does anybody really follow this? I doubt it. Not me, anyway.

White is one of those wonderful colours that goes with everything and its especially appropriate to wear to the office around the holidays.  White is also especially appropriate to wear when you find the most perfect fitting blazer on sale at BCBG! 

A pure white item of clothing will instantly brighten up an outfit and can be paired with almost every colour out there. Below I wore it with a sparkly blouse and the perfect pair of black pants. I added some M.A.C Red lipstick and Swarovski bling to complete the look.

(Photos by Yvonne Ho)

Blazer - BCBG; Pants - Gap; Blouse - Club Monaco; Earrings & Necklace - Swarovski; Ring - Silpada; Purse - Matt & Nat

Festive Office Fashion

Its's always nice to get into the Christmas spirit around this time of the year. It's also fun to wear holiday inspired outfits to the office! This doesn't mean that you should wear a Santa hat to work though.There are many subtle ways to incorporate the holidays into your work wear. Here are just a few.

• Red tights;
• A red, white or sparkly gold/silver belt;
• A Burberry-inspired scarf;
• A sequined blazer....or sequined anything;
• Red lipstick;
• Gold, metallic, or sparkly nail polish

(Photos by Yvonne Ho)

Skirt - Club Monaco; Blazer - RW& Co.; White shirt - Jacob; Scarf - Unknown; Tights - Betsey Johnson (Winners);  Boots - H&M; Belt - Jacob; Ring - Aldo; Earrings (not shown in this picture) - Rox On by Karina Miller

Casual Yet Professional In Cheetah

I have a new found obsession with anything animal print and any chance I get, try to incorporate it into my work wardrobe. 

Below I have added a cheetah print cardigan over a black blouse and paired those with oxblood coloured jeans.  Of course, this would only be worn on Fridays.

Again, coloured jeans are fine to wear on designated casual days as long as you keep the top professional. A blouse, cardigan, blazer…they all do the trick!

Make sure to check back often as starting next week I’ll be showcasing other young business women as well as taking on some CMB reader challenges!

(Photos by Yvonne Ho)

Blouse - Jacon; Cardigan - H&M; Skinny's - Zara; Belt - Loft 82; Booties - MRKT (Winners); Purse - Marc by Marc Jacobs (Holt Renfrew); Necklace - The Bay; Earrings - ALDO

Lovely In Leopard

Many ladies out there are afraid to wear animal prints, especially if it’s anything other than a blouse. Animal blouses are quite prevalent for women in the business community. Animal printed skirts or pants on the other hand, are not so common.  We have been trained for most of our professional careers to wear solid coloured bottoms. This may be because solid black, navy and grey are associated with professionalism. Cheetah or leopard print, not so much. These patterns may cause Peggy Bundy or those ladies from the Real Housewives to come to mind. Not the most professional associations.

In order to look more business woman and less cougar, follow these three simple rules.

1.       Ensure that your skirt or pants are not too tight.

2.       Wear a loose fitting blouse on top, tucked in ALWAYS.

3.       Pair animal printed bottoms with solid colours on top. Bright colours are encouraged if the animal print is black, brown or grey.

(Photos by Yvonne Ho)

Blouse - Zara; Skirt - Calvin Klein (Winners); Purse - Matt & Nat; Belt - J. Crew;  Pumps - Nine West;  Bracelet - Rox On by Karina Miller; Tights - Unknown Brand (The Bay)

Dress To Impress: Office Holiday Party

Ah, the time has come upon us once again. With the holiday season in full force it’s time to start thinking about what to wear to the office Christmas party! Holiday staff parties are great for interacting with co-workers in a non-office setting and showing your colleagues just how well you can clean up.  Although some men do enjoy putting on a nice fitting suit, it’s mainly the ladies that take this opportunity to get all dolled up in their sexy dresses and mile high stilettos!  This is where things can get tricky though. There is a fine line between looking classy and professional and looking skanky (for lack of a better word).

Keep these things in mind when planning your party attire, assuming a semi-formal dress code.

1.       Choose one area of your body to show off/expose. If you are wearing a shorter dress, cover up on top.  If you opt for spaghetti straps or sleeveless, choose a longer dress.

2.       Leave a little to the imagination and cover up those ta-ta’s. No cleavage!

3.       For a more classy look, wear your hair up.

4.       Match your jewelry. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a set but stick with either gold or silver shades, not a mixture of both.

5.       Go for a bold makeup look.  Dark lips or a smokey eye are great evening looks. Just maybe not both at the same time!

6.       No boots or booties. Choose to wear pumps, open toe shoes or strappy sandals.

7.       Sparkly nails!

(Photos By Yvonne Ho)

Dress - Lori Michaels Collection (Winners); Shoes - Michael Antonio (Winners); Necklace & Serpent Bracelet - Stella & Dot; Earrings -  Aldo

Office Inspiration: Leather

Leather has been a hot item this fall and winter but I have yet to incorporate it into my office wardrobe. I've thought about it though, if that counts! There are many office appropriate ways to wear leather.  Whether its a full on leather/faux leather skirt or a subtle hint of leather in a skirt or blouse, its sure to stand out and add that little bit of sophistication at work.  Here are a few leather items that I've had my eye on...

Chloe Leather Skirt

Mackage BOA-C Coat

ZARA STUDIO TOP WITH LEATHER FRILL

ASOS Pencil Skirt with Leather Look Trim 

Club Monaco Sybil Dress

A Different Take On The Sweater Dress

Ah, the sweater dress. It's probably one of the most liked pieces in your work wardrobe. There's nothing better than getting up in the morning and throwing on a dress...that also doubles as a sweater, especially for those of us who live up north.  There's nothing stuffy or uncomfortable about it and you can dress it up or dress it down depending on how you feel...or how late you've slept in!

Dressing down a sweater dress is easy. Put on the dress. Add tights and boots. Done.

Dressing up a sweater dress, on the other hand, takes a bit more of an effort. The one that I have on below is sleeveless on top so wearing something underneath is a must. Either a long or short sleeved blouse works perfectly. One workplace fashion rule that I feel very strongly about is that tank tops are never ever appropriate at the office without wearing something over top. I'll save that rant for a different post though. If you want to dress it up even more, add a blazer. And of course you know I'm a huge fan of accentuating a waist with a skinny belt. Lastly, slip on some boots or pumps and you're done! 

(Photos By Yvonne Ho)

Sweater Dress - Dex; Blouse - Locale (Urban); Blazer - Zara; Belt & Tights - Unknown; Boots - H&M; Bracelet - Rox On By Karina Miller;