She’s the toughest negotiator in the office, and nobody can quite believe it! She managed to settle one of the toughest ongoing negotiations her company had on their docket back in January, and was made chief negotiator in recognition. Her co-workers really didn’t “get it” when she was sent to represent their firm at a weekend retreat to discuss negotiating techniques…
She takes her style inspirations from this painting – it doesn’t seem particularly intimidating or overbearing, does it?
We’re Not Quite Sure…
“What the client wants or expects. It could just be a get-together with the union officials… you know – a picnic, a few rounds of golf, some pressing the flesh…”
“OR. They might be planning for more negotiations. I just can’t pin their rep down with a clear agenda…”
“Can you handle it?”
Of course she can… she’s adept at adjusting to whatever the client wants…
scarf – Rebecca Minkoff; earrings – Melanie Auld; dress – Uniqlo; watch – Gomelsky; bracelet – Vita Fede; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; duffel bag – Prada; pumps – Paul Green; briefcase – Chrome
Her travel outfit could go directly into meetings, if necessary…
(Note that her scarf is studded…)
cardigan – Uniqlo; crystal earrings – Alexis Bittar; black silk tee – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Louise Coleman; pendant – Edge Only; sleeveless shirt – Lands’ End; striped sweater – Eileen Fisher; dotted skirt – Misa Los Angeles; bag – Agnesa Vuthaj; striped skirt – H&M; sandals – Børn
(The scarf she packs has bees on it – there’s always a bit of a sting somewhere…)
And she packs pieces that can be worn either casually or in a more businesslike style. She arranges everything on her bed before she packs, and can clearly see the possibilities inherent in these few garments:
She’s only supposed to be with this band of crazies for 2 nights, and she can see at least 3 casual outfits and 3 business outfits:
Her fondness for skirts and dresses serves her well when she has to be this adaptable!
Have you ever received one of these invitations that leaves you without a CLUE of what to wear? I’ve been both over- and under-dressed in my life! Happily, what you’re wearing isn’t the most important thing about you, eh?
love,
Janice
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This travel outfit is a keeper!! Thank you so much.
Love this wardrobe; black is always so sharp. I was invited to a military Christmas party once—I’d just had a baby and my husband had been in the unit about 10 minutes. My husband wore Class A’s, and I was congratulating myself on finding and fitting into a nice little color blocked silk sheath until we got there, and every other wife was decked out as Cinderella. We stayed maybe 10 minutes. Haven’t been to a unit function since…
Hi Tinad, I was a career Army officer. Your husband should have told you the dress code. As a general rule, if he has to wear a bowtie, it’s a formal event. Another wife in the unit can always advise you if you are unsure.
A bit too much black for me, I would like to see more of that blue and grey. For a couple of years I used to wear a black suit to the office and it always seemed to attract a negative response in others. When I switched it up for a navy suit everyone always seemed more friendly and forthcoming. Perhaps it was more about how the colour made me feel and therefore how I interacted with others…..?
As for being inappropriately dressed, I always get the ‘smart casual’ look wrong – I tend to gravitate towards ‘smart’ when out (semi-fitted, tailored) and scruffy casual when at home (gym wear, jeans and t-shirt). Perhaps this could be a future blog subject? Thanks.
Business casual (what we call smart casual around here) has always been a challenge for me as well. Suits are easy and yeah, I’m a sweatpants at home person as well. A series on that in-between look would be very useful.
Yes, I am moving away from black as well. It is a default color that in reality looks good on very few people. It’s best kept to my bottom half. I would, also, incorporate more gray and blue.
Love this post. The clothes have a little more edge and not so stodgy. I always like black and white with pops of red or blue. For those who don’t like black there is always navy, which I like too, with red accents or green.
I love this. While it seems like a lot of black, in reality, you wear one outfit at a time, and black always seems appropriate. Nobody sees the entire wardrobe all at once.
I’m usually overdressed for invitations. Working from home, I get so excited to have a reason to get dressed up, whereas everybody else is excited about a reason to be casual.
Dear Taste of France, you just solved one of those mysteries in life for me ;o))))))) I’m also overdressed almost all of the time, because I have to wear a uniform for work. So when I finally get to wear “real” clothes, I really want them to express my personality and make me happy and look good – and now I’m getting it: everyone else has to think about what to wear every day for the office, so on THEIR free time they just want to threw something on and don’t care about how it looks. Fortunately, I don’t let myself get intimidated by the fact that usually everyone is staring at me – if I adapted I’d NEVER get the chance to wear the clothes I love…
Love the styles, patterns, and colors!
I love this. As someone who has toiled long in such a field and prefers black for everything, this was one of my favorite posts ever. I love the humor of the accessories!
I like this, but what would she wear if she did have to golf? I’m not a golfer. None of those look right to me, but I don’t really know.
She’d dash into the pro shop, buy all new gear, and bill her company for it! Throw me into the complete unknown and it’s going to cost you!
hugs,
Janice
Also, what happened to the Project 333 post that I got in my email a few days ago? It’s not up here and I wanted to take another look.
I’ve been looking for the Project 333 as well. I actually commented on but now it’s disappeared. Do hope it comes back soon.
That post is supposed to be her on August 10th. When I was preparing the posts for my trip to Italy (which has been canceled…) this one slipped through the scheduling “net” for a few minutes.
Sort of like a glimpse of the future!
hugs,
Janice
This is a fantastic list of ideas! I really like it!
I’m sorry your Italian trip was cancelled, but if you can reschedule you’ll be happier there in the autumn I’m certain.
I’m always pleased when there is a post with lots of black. It’s one of my core colors and I always feel grounded when I wear it.