Not a Blogger: A Corporate Fashun Blog

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 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...

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...

We're back with another "Where We Really Shop". It's been a while since we let you in on our own shopping habits, so if you're new to the blog or don't remember, go back and check out Parts 1 and 2 of the series. This time around, we want let you in on our little secret about the lesser known side of a classic workwear brand for preppy and working women everywhere: Brooks Brothers. When looking for timeless, quality pieces, many people recommend the American brand, and we completely agree. But when we were young(er) working women, the prices were out of our league. Even now, we still think their prices can be a bit steep. Enter Red Fleece . Rolled out in 2013 and previously known as the University Collection, Red Fleece touts its youthful touch, modern fits, and friendly prices. But it isn't just for the under-25 crowd. The line offers trendier cuts, colors, and details while staying true to the tenants of the Brooks Brothers brand. In terms of pr...

It's been a while since we've gone back to the basics . Today we plan to get back into talking about the pieces that we come back to over and over again , that make up the foundation of a working girl's wardrobe. Elizabeth took some convincing, because she is of the opinion that our focus today (the basic white t-shirt) is not a work wear piece. That inspired us to make today's post a two-fer: a discussion of basic pieces and a new series (man, do we love a post series ) where we each wear the same piece in our own unique style. We hope this new series will give you a little insight into our different styles, as well as give you some styling tips at you might not ordinarily think of. We agree that a basic white T may not be appropriate for all offices all the time. But we also are here to make the argument that professional women should own at least a few basic white t-shirts anyway, because they are incredibly versatile, comfortable, and can actually be dressed up ...

Confession: Katie 1 has a slight obsession w/ Black Watch Tartan. Why? First, because it’s a combination of her favorite colors.  Second, the Duchess of Cambridge.  Third, it has a pretty cool history which makes it even more fun to wear.  It’s fairly common knowledge that Black Watch tartan is named for the 43rd Royal Regiment, commonly known as the Black Watch.  Did you know that Black Watch tartan actually pre-dates the formation of the 43rd Royal Regiment?  In fact, one of the theories behind why the 43rd is called the Black Watch is because of the very dark appearance of their uniform tartan (which we now know as Black Watch tartan).  So how deep does Katie 1’s obsession go?  She could wear a different item of Black Watch tartan every day for more than a week obsessed.  Want proof? Here’s a list of all of the Black Watch items in her wardrobe. Blazer Work Dress Casual Dress Side Zip Ankle Pants Front Zip Ankle Pants Trousers Ski...

The time is upon us! There are a million ways we could divide up our recommendations for you today, but we've decided to go with just a few that are realistic needs for working women. That being said, we think everyone should invest in (at least a few) great cashmere sweaters. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg, either. Neiman Marcus Last Call and Lands' End ( yes, we really do love it ) offer some of the best cashmere for your buck. Wear to Work:  Because this is kind of the whole point of the blog... This might be the best recommendation we have for you. It's a completely basic crew neck sweater that is 100% cashmere. Oh, and it 's only $100. And it comes in 13 colors. Seriously. It doesn't get much better.  Katie 2 LOVES a turtleneck. She loved them in the late 80s and early 90s under her oversized sweaters and she loves them now. We don't like to recommend obvious places to shop, but Banana has been doing the classic turtleneck for years ...

This post is probably more appropriately titled "Career Leggings: What to Wear When You've Given Up but Still Need to Look Put Together", but Katie 1 is actually wearing career leggings to work today and isn't ready to admit that she's given up yet.  Also, she feels very conflicted about her current state of leggings at work wearing because until last Wednesday she considered this particular item of clothing to be weekend-only attire (or worn to work the day after Thanksgiving when she's the only one there). So... what changed her mind? It all started last Wednesday when she tried out the November Project for the first time.  By the time she arrived home she was cold, sore, and running terribly late. Literally everything but leggings seemed like way to much effort to wear. Knowing that her office recently changed it's previously business professional dress code (which no one on her floor actually observed) to "dress for your day" she decided to...

Katie 1 is a holiday junkie so naturally, she gets super into Halloween and is usually the only person in her office who dresses up. Katie 2 and Elizabeth are boring and thus are not fans of dressing up for Halloween at work.  They are wrong- this is an awesome post that is super helpful to all 3 of our readers!   So… in an office where no one is fun when it comes to Halloween, how does Katie 1 dress up and still fall within the office dress code?  Easy. She picks a costume that can easily be put together using her existing work wardrobe.  For example, last year she put a white button up on under the Old Navy t shirt dress that we all love (and is still available), added some tights and black flats, parted her hair down the middle and wore it in braided pigtails and BOOM! Wednesday Addams costume accomplished. The year before, she wore a red wrap dress and devil horns. Sure, these aren’t very imaginative costumes, but they are work appropriate an...

A while back, Katie 1 told you about her fashion disaster . At 5’4”, perhaps that tall suit wasn’t such a great idea. But this foray down memory lane gave us a great idea for our next common suiting myth: a tailor can fix anything. Fact: tailors are miracle workers. Katie 2 has seem some miraculous work on some pretty janky bridesmaid dresses that turned out to be downright flattering when nipped and tucked in the right places. And there have been many a pieces that didn’t fit quite as well after a few pounds appeared overnight and a tailor was able to let out just a bit to keep that classic piece in rotation a while longer. But not everything can be saved. We want to take this opportunity to not only let you know that a tailor can’t fix some things, but also let you know what  can be done so if you fall in love with something that doesn’t fit quite right or if you find an amazing deal at Nordstrom Rack/Good Will/eBay, you may be able to snag it. [Note: We do plan to have an...

or "How to Wear Black and White Without Looking Like a Waiter" Black is a staple in any working girl’s wardrobe, whether it be pants, skirts, dresses, cardigans, shoes… the list never ends. One of the easiest ways to wear it is to pair it with one of the million white tops you have in your closet, but if you’re like us here at Not a Corporate Fashun Blog, when you slip on your favorite black pants with a white top, you feel as nervous going for drinks after hours as you do when you stop into Target forgetting you’re wearing a red shirt and khakis. So we wanted to give you a few simple tips on how to wear your basics together without anyone confusing you for the person who still hasn’t brought them their cocktail that they ordered 10 minutes ago. Accessorize . Yes, this may seem obvious, but the easiest way to not look like you’re taking orders is to add statement pieces to your look. This is not the day to wear your super comfortable, super old black flats. Make you...

"Only wear a white button-down shirt under your suits to be taken seriously and look professional." Newsflash: women are not men. There is no "uniform" that any and every woman can wear and be perfectly dressed for any occasion. That's why there are a million and one fashion blogs geared towards working women. We are here to tell you that you do not need to EVER wear a white button down under your suit. Here's why: For many women, it's impossible to find a white button down that actually fits, i.e. the buttons don't pull and it doesn't look like a box. It's claustrophobic. Honestly. There is just too much material to move around with a jacket and long sleeve shirt. I sweat and panic just thinking about it. White doesn't look good one everyone. It's boring. As for reason 1, there will be an entire post dedicated to finding the right  button down shirt and making sure it fits. For now, just know that you are not alone. Fittin...

Desk to dinner outfit posts are a favorite topic of most corporate fashion bloggers that we read  hate read. Some are helpful, some aren't. Some are so insufferable that you just want to smack the blogger (sorry, but we don't believe that your life is so glamorous that, except for the sponsored Banana Republic dress, you would have to pack an evening gown  into your bag). The one common theme we've noticed is that corporate fashion bloggers seem to think that the lives of Real Working Girls are significantly fancier than they actually are. As a result, most of the "Desk to Dinner" posts we've read tend to show items that can easily be dressed up for a cocktail event/special dinner/gala. They never seem to address the opposite- how to dress down your work clothing for a casual after work event. Katie 1 noticed this precise issue when she recently realized that the MLS All Star Match v. Real Madrid is on a Wednesday (she originally thought it was a Saturday). ...

It's that time of year where summer is starting to wind down, internships and summer associate gigs are ending and interview season is about to be in full swing (at least for law students). It makes this a good time to discuss suits, particularly interview suits. It's worth noting that we recognize that the world of suiting is very large and there are a lot of myths out there about suiting. We can't discuss each and every myth in this post (if we tried it would just turn into a 25 year old hipster's memoir which isn't what we're going for here), so we're going to start a monthly series where we set the record straight about suiting. (Katie 2 wants a full disclosure that in actuality, promising a monthly series is quite lofty, given our propensity for not getting posts done.) In our experience, corporate fashion blogs run the gamut with respect to suiting. While we've found some helpful posts over the years (we do give credit where credit is due), we...

Summer finally decided to arrive in Chicago. With highs in the 90s and 1,000,000% humidity, getting dressed for work in the morning was all sorts of fun. Which is probably a good thing for the three of you that read our blog. Why? Because it gives us content. Welcome to our guide for how to dress professionally for hot weather, because nothing says "Trust me, I'm a professional!" more than sweat stains and melting makeup. Here's what we have found that works for us: Clothing:  (The realm of the Katies) We're big fans of light, breathable fabrics on really hot days. Think cottons, light poly/rayon blends, ponte. We're particularly fond of cotton blend pencil skirts, full skirts, and ponte dresses. Cotton suiting is also worth a mention. For example, today Katie 1 wore this color block ponte sheath dress. We find this dress to be perfect for hot weather because the ponte fabric is breathable, comfortable, machine washable, and maintains its shape ev...