Not a Blogger: A Corporate Fashun Blog

We wanted to take today to discuss the benefits of one of the most useful (and hated) of all exercises: the push-up.  First off, why should you even care? It's a great exercise to do any time, any where. No equipment needed. It targets multiple muscle groups. Get a lot of bang for your workout buck. This is really 2b: It's good for your core. A strong core improves your posture and can help prevent lower back pain (something you will struggle with if you sit a lot during the day and as you're getting older).  Calorie-torching! (Let's call this one "2c".) Because you're using so many muscle groups, you burn more calories with a push-up than you will for other strength exercises that involve only one muscle. (Want to burn even more calories? Do a burpee- a push-up and a squat jump. They're awful. Katie 1 says that Katie 2, the primary author of this post, is evil for even mentioning burpees.) They can be done no matter your fitness level. Yo...

So back in March, we talked about the three ways we all styled the basic white t-shirt . At the end of the post, we gave some recommendations of shirts you could try. Since then, we have come across the best option out there. Disclaimer: it isn't short sleeved. But once you realize all the benefits, you will overlook that minor detail. Folks, meet the Halogen Reversible V-Neck Tee . How do we love thee? Let us count the ways: The price is a cool $39.99. Think that's too much to spend on a white t-shirt? It's really not. Keep reading and you will see why. It comes in white, black, and stripes (both black/white and light blue/white). Yes, we know we said we found the perfect plain white  t-shirt, but once you fall in love, you will want it in all the colors too. The thickness is legit. It's thick enough to where you don't have to layer a cami underneath, and thin enough to where it's comfortable to wear in warmer weather. (Note: as we already noted above, i...

We are back with yet another blog series!! (We know, we know. Just stick with us.) Katie 2 is out in the market for a new job. Sad as she is to leave Katie 1, Elizabeth, and her current role, marriage awaits in a different state so she's out and about scouring the internet and her network for the perfect job. Which led us to think about interviews, and all the parts that go with it.  Yes, we are all professional adults who've had more than one "real" job, so we know how to interview, how to ask questions, etc. But interviewing can be stressful for anyone, no matter how accomplished you are. So we wanted to start this new series on interviewing basics to cover some items not just for those that are new to the workforce, but to think about some things that even experienced professionals should think about. Up first? The Portfolio. (In case you couldn't already tell that from the title of this post.) Back when she graduated from law school, Katie 2 receive...

As much as we like to think of ourselves as grown ups, we do "on occasion" (read: frequently) spill. And we write on ourselves. And we drop things. Which has lead us to learn a few tricks when it comes to removing stains from our clothes. Because if you're going to spend your entire budget on a killer dress you can't live without, you want to make sure that it lasts more than one wear. Am I right? Ink The fastest way to get ink out of a piece of clothing (hello, carrying a pen without a cap) is to use alcohol. Don't waste your Kirkland vodka (seriously, that stuff is legit)- instead, try hand sanitizer or hairspray. Seriously. Lay the item flat and add the alcohol-based product. Be careful, as it works so well that sometimes the ink can pull out of the fabric and spread to a wider area if you're not on top of it. If the stain is particularly troublesome (and the fabric isn't too delicate), use the tip of the sanitizer bottle/hairspray to rub the alc...

As Real Working Girls, we're sure we're not alone in our quest to consolidate activities in order to give ourselves that extra minute to ourselves. Among those Real Working Girls with pets, we're also sure that we're not alone in the fact that, more often than we'd like to admit, quality time with our four legged friends often gets pushed aside because life gets in the way. It's not something we're proud of but that's life. Which brings us to the point of this post: how to combine activities and make up for being a crappy pet parent. So let's discuss running with your dog. (DISCLAIMER - we were supposed to publish this post for last week's Workout Wednesday but that didn't happen so it's a bonus post for this week.)  Katie 1 may have mentioned this before, but she's the proud mama to 2 dogs and a fat cat. Her older dog is essentially a 70lb rug (senior dogs FTW); however, her younger dog is a much different story. While the older...

Perhaps it's a byproduct of getting older but recently we're starting to realize that there are a ton of super popular trends that we really effing hate. We've decided to share this list with our dear readers in hopes that both of you will commiserate.  A Real Working Girl's List of Super Popular Trends That Suck Ombre Hair. It’s so hard to get right and maintain and just ends up looking sloppy and unprofessional. If you talk to a stylist, she (or he) will likely explain that ombre came from people who were growing out their color. To make truly good ombre, it’s just roots. Also, isn’t this over now? Crop tops. Just no. Unless you are a stick this is not a good look for you.  Midi-skirts. See above. Katie 2 would like to add that unless you’re over 5’8”, it’s floor length.  Mom jeans. See #2. If you’re normal sized, you ass looks like crap.  Top knots. Sorry… it just looks sloppy. Take a minute and do your damn hair.  Sex hair. See above. It looks s...

We haven't been to Nordstrom in a while (as a group), and we were jones-ing for some meatballs . Plus, last week marked the release of one of our favorite workout brands at select Nordstrom stores. So we decided to hit up Nordstrom last week.While there, we thought we would "quickly" peruse Nordstrom's "new" 1901 line and give it the ole' Working Girl Review. 1901 isn't really a new line, it has been around exclusively for men for a while. But Nordstrom has just debuted its first women's collection this spring. Katie 1 and Katie 2 made a bee-line for the stuff when we spotted some amazing skirts and dresses. In fact, we didn't even know we were dashing for the 1901 stuff until we got there. Quick down and dirty on our thoughts? First, a disclaimer. We didn't actually try anything on. We were in a flighty mood and wanted to shop quickly in order to get to the bar faster. Plus, Katie 1 was getting extremely hangry so time was of the es...

Confession: Katie 1 currently owns 6 pairs of Chanel ballet flats and her collection continues to grow (she even has an eBay alert for new ones in her size). It's a problem that we've discussed before and with some frequency on this here blog. Although we're not sure we've ever discussed why Katie 1 loves these iconic flats so much, that is until today where we're going to discuss just that.  There's an amazing shoe store located approximately 2 towns over from the tiny town where Katie 1 grew up. This shoe store is small, family run, and carries a variety of factory seconds, factory overstocks, and the occasional pair of very gently used shoes. Long story short, it's a goldmine for finding designer shoes at a fraction of the cost (think Cole Haan's for $30, Ferragamo's for $40, etc.). While Katie 1 regularly scores fantastic deals there when she's at home, her coup de gras  at this particular shoe store was her first pair of Chanel ballet f...

Katie 2 is getting married exactly one year from today! (Don't worry, this isn't going to turn in to a blog all about wedding stuff.) There have been a lot of things to plan and consider, and the costs rack up quickly. After Katie 2 started complaining about it, Elizabeth jumped in and offered to do Katie 2's make-up for the big day. It's a total win-win because it gives us a chance to make sure we can spend time together that day and Elizabeth loves  doing people's make-up. Plus, Katie 2 doesn't want to have to rely on someone she doesn't know. We decided to dedicate a post to the idea, not because all working women are getting married, but because we learned some important lessons during our initial trials that you may be able to use in your own life for a special occasion. Transfer-proof lipstick is not the same as long-wear lipstick. If you're a make-up guru a la Elizabeth, this is obvious. But Katie 2 never really thought about it. When sear...

No, we don't have a day where we can wear jammies to work (but that would be awesome). It is a day when we want to talk about spring pajamas. You may be the type of person that puts on an old ratty t-shirt for bed, or maybe you go all out every night with a full matching pajama set. Either way, we are of the opinion that you should have at least some "can be worn in 'public'" pajamas for things like work trips, family get-togethers, bachelorette parties, and the like. By this point you probably know the drill: we're going to recommend some spring pajama options that we like.  Rather than our standard "here are some options at a variety of price points", we're going to group our recommendations by pajama type. Traditional Pajamas: Think old school pajamas here. Long button up top with matching pants or something like that. Here are some spring options that we're loving. You can't get more classic than these Lauren Ralph Lauren c...

With spring upon us (liar. It’s still effing freezing. Spring is not upon  us at all), we three working girls got into a debate: is the sunscreen in your makeup enough, or do you need to wear sunscreen in addition to your makeup? Katie 2 was alone in her belief that you should always wear sunscreen, regardless of whether your makeup has SPF in it. (Disclaimer: she doesn’t always do it, just like she doesn’t always get her oil changed at 3,000 miles. Sometimes it’s a little closer to 3,500. But she tries…) One thing we were all in agreement on is that sun damage is not cool. We know that SPF is important (especially for Elizabeth and Katie 2, who are PALE. This is the first time in Katie 1’s life where she hasn’t been included in the definition of PALE. Awesome). But how much do you need? After all, we are adults who spend the vast majority of their time indoors during daylight hours #working. I mean, we have SPF in our skincare, primer, foundation, and powder. That’s enough, r...

Did you know that the internet is more than just kitten videos? (Katie 2 would like to say that goat videos are vastly superior to cat/kitten videos.) I know- we're shocked. Other things we find shocking? How atrociously bad a lot of the "career advice" available online is. This is especially true when it comes to shoes. We think we've previously mentioned that work appropriate shoes were one of our biggest struggles when it came to dressing for our careers early on. There were many factors that contributed to this being such a struggle but one of the biggest was the fact that we're pedestrian commuters. Learning the difference between commuting shoes and office shoes proved harder than it seems. Also, because there is so much hostility surrounding work shoes on workwear blogs (looking at you, Corporette!) and commuting in what's comfortable and changing at the office it was especially hard to figure out what is truly inappropriate and what out of touch anony...

Orangetheory Fitness is all the rage. When high intensity internal training (HIIT) came onto the scene with a vengeance, OTF was one of the first studios to really gain traction. Around our office, several women rave about it. As does Heather Dubrow. So we decided to try it for ourselves, since Orange Theory locations are everywhere. We each went separately, so as to not impact the other's opinion with our own. Our experiences were fairly similar, and surprisingly we all ended up with very similar opinions. A quick note to start: Orangetheory offers a free class your first time, but this offer is only available at your local studio. For most people that isn't an issue, but it was a little annoying for Katie 2 when she wanted to try the class when she went to Michigan to visit family for the weekend.  You can go online to get information or you can just show up at the studio and tell them you want to try a class. They will let you know what class is available. Once you...

We've already talked to you about getting a waterproof coat for outdoor workouts .  And we've talked about trench coats . And while we stand by our love for the tench because of its versatility, we think that sometimes, you just need a raincoat.  Today we are showing you our favorite rain coats for spring, whether you're into the neutral utilitarian look, or something a bit more fun and exciting. As always, we like a wide variety of price points. Frugal (under $100) When talking rain coats, London Fog is a timeless classic. This coat is somewhat utilitarian looking, but completely classic in both khaki and navy.  We've already talked to you about Everlane . If you're looking for something to try from the retailer, go with the The City Anorak .  The price of this coat  from British retailer Marks & Spencer already falls in the "Frugal" category, but when you find it's really three coats (two that combine together to make a third), you...

As our recent posts have been indicating, spring is in the air. We are all adjusting to the time change (daylight savings is a bitch) and the official start of spring is a week away so the thought of any vestiges of winter are currently abhorrent to me (Elizabeth) even if the weather is still in the 30s most of the time. One way to telegraph “spring” even when you can’t choose a flowy dress and bare legs (because you would freeze to death), is to change up the colors you are wearing and your makeup.    OK, so spring makeup trends. I have been told it is not good enough to suggest lighter brighter colors, even though that really is the simple truth. ("Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.") I assume that also means I can’t just tell you that the Pantone color of the year is Ultra-Violet and send you out to buy purple everything. So this weekend I attended one of my favorite Nordstrom events (which we have discussed before ): the Beauty Trend Show. H...

You may have caught on by now that we’ve been constantly expanding on our Shoes Every Woman Needs guide by providing you with recommendations based upon type. So far, we’ve discussed (1) Neutral pumps ; (2) Black pumps ; and (3) Evening Shoes . With spring on the horizon, we're all sick of the black pumps + tights look that tends to be our uniform during the winter months so we thought now would be a good time to discuss another one of the more controversial additions to our original essential shoe list: red and metallic pumps. Because of their versatility, we believe that red and metallic shoes fall firmly within the neutral shoe category. Metallics can literally be paired with any color combination and red looks great with black, navy, charcoal, purple, leopard print, etc. In fact, Katie 1 finds red to be such a versatile shoe that she has multiple pairs of red shoes (3 pairs of pumps and 2 pairs of flats to be exact). Additionally, metallic shoes can also be dressed down f...

We told you we would review Everlane, so we here we are reviewing Everlane! For those of you that aren't familiar (are you living under a rock ??), Everlane is the darling of oh so many bloggers and online articles. It came on the scene in 2011 with the philosophy of "Exceptional quality. Ethical factories. Radical transparency." Here's how they explain: Exceptional Quality: The clothes are designed to last, so they source only the finest materials. Ethical Factories: The company does a lot of researching before selecting factories. And even after choosing the factory, the company follows up with "compliance audit(s) to evaluate factors like fair wages, reasonable hours, and environment." Radical Transparency: Learn exactly how much it costs to produce what you're buying. For each item, the site breaks down the cost of materials, labor, transport, duties, and hardware to determine the "true cost" of the item. Then it compares the Ever...

The weather is (finally) changing for the better. If you need some advice on dressing for the mercurial temperatures, go back and take a look at our post on winter workouts because Katie 1 did a great breakdown of what layers you should be wearing. Today we want to talk about rain. After many months of indoor workouts, we are finally ready to feel the wind in our hair and the sun on our faces. But it seems that every time we schedule an outdoor run, the skies open up and and drop a bucket of rain on our heads. Katie 2 is preparing for an April race, so outdoor runs are a necessity at this point. But how can you make it bearable to be outside? Here are some of our tips: Stay away from cotton. Period. But especially when it comes to your feet. Wet feet make everything miserable, but wet socks will make your feet miserable long after the workout ends (hello blisters!). We recommend these UnderArmour no show socks that are 97% polyester and 3% elastane. They are Katie 2's go-to ...