How to buy: Office Wear

What are the five key things to look for when buying office wear?

Cut /fit,  Fabric,  Comfort, Classic, Colour /prints

What are the key staple pieces you should have in an office wardrobe?

Staples vary according to which country you work in and your work environment. Generally most professional offices require a smart more conservative look. Well-cut trousers, a classic crisp white shirt and a well-cut jacket always works. In Pakistan however, I feel tailored tunics or shirts with well cut trousers can work very well. For me, less is more. I feel too much fabric, a large dupatta and too many accessories - in fact too much of anything - is not practical for the office environment. It is distracting for clients and you don’t want to be taking care of your outfit all day. I feel that you can be perfectly conservative and very smart with a tailored outfit and a scarf. When your outfit requires too much maintenance it is not comfortable for you or the people dealing with you. It is important to look good and have people concentrate on your work rather than you. Unless your job requires you to be the centre of attention!

What are the best colours to choose for a work wardrobe?

The classics always work in most environments, I always make sure that I have black, white, cream, beige, navy blue and army green as staple colours as they work with everything. However you can add hints of colour in your wardrobe. Since in Pakistan the summer is so long, lighter colours are preferred, you can go bright but just be careful not to blind people with colour.

What’s the worst mistake people make when buying clothes for work?

Over-accessorising, too much colour or embellishment, badly stitched ill-fitting clothes! I strongly feel that looking good is very important, however the key is to balance your look. Smart, professional people are always taken more seriously in any environment, you want to draw the attention to your work and be taken seriously. However in some environments you can be yourself and have the ability to express yourself through your style, as I said earlier you know best what your work environment requires of you. Another issue I feel we have is that most women don’t believe in spending on their everyday look, they will spend thousands on one outfit that will be worn once but not on their everyday wardrobe. A working woman has lots of aspects to juggle within a day she should feel great first thing every morning and throughout the day.

How can one transform a work appropriate outfit into something that can be worn to a dinner or while out with friends?

If you own well tailored classics in staple colours it’s the easiest thing to do. Go for golden or silver accessories - earrings, a chunky necklace or bracelets - high heels, a scarf or a shawl. These accessories can dress up any outfit. I strongly feel by keeping your outfit well tailored and smart you can transform it from evening to night very easily. I actually practice this look all the time as sometimes you just don’t have time. As a working woman it’s necessary to have great staples so invest in it. I believe that it is as important to look good everyday rather than saving your best outfit for just that one night out!

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2010.