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My Name is Katie and I Will Be Your Server This Evening...

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.
  1. 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 your shoes exciting (see this post for why). Add a statement necklace (like this, or this for something a bit more subtle) or statement earrings (LOVING these and this is a great option as well) (but please do not wear a statement necklace and earrings at the same time). Break out that scarf you bought after you convinced yourself that you were going to wear it and become that super fashionable working woman and then it never left the closet. Give the outfit some excitement, and no one will be thinking you look ready to clear the plates. (Here is an option in case you're not like us and have a bunch of scarves you never wear.) They will just be focusing on that amazing piece they wish was in their closet.
  2. Fit matters. When it comes to both your top and your bottoms, focus on the fit. Anything that is super baggy makes it look like you just pulled it out of your closet and you want to be sure you have extra room in it to reach for something on a high shelf, or pick up that fork off the floor. Plus, when the outfit is a simple black bottom and a simple white top, there isn’t much for someone to focus on so they may start to notice that the top gaps a bit at the bust... (sorry, no suggestions here. Fit is just fit.)
  3. Details. Try using pieces that aren’t so basic. A little pleating/statement sleeves/tie waist on the top or pleated leather/leather pants a la Ross Geller/cute buttons/ruffled skirt on the bottom make the outfit special and provide a little visual interest. 
  4. Layers. Put on a black shirt and use white as a layering piece, be it a cardigan or blazer or other blazer or maybe this blazer (or a jardigan). As soon as you start layering, you look as though you put more effort into your look and you become less like someone who dresses only for function/one who is ready to have something spill all over them at a moment's notice. When is the last time you saw a waiter at the corner bistro in a fierce white blazer? Yeah, I thought so. (A two-fer? Detail and layer.)
  5. Flip it up. The easiest way to not look like a server while wearing black and white is to do the unexpected and wear black on top and white on the bottom. Yes, it is a little dangerous to wear white on the bottom if you’re like Katie 1 and Katie 2 and incapable of not getting dirt or some random commuter gunk all over you. But going for the unexpected will definitely keep you from being asked what the drink specials are this evening. If you want to follow two rules at once, try this black gathered top or this black top with statement shoulders with this white eyelet skirt on the bottom.
So after this post was all set to go, Katie 2 was at Starbucks in the morning and she came across a woman who had another great example of how to wear black and white without looking like a waiter: black dress white layer (yes, this could be included in #4 above, but something about the dress underneath made it look special). She is including it here at the bottom because 1) she thinks it's worth noting that the dress is a good option and 2) she didn't feel like it needed its own number and suggested purchases, because everyone owns a LBD. 
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