by Solange Lopes | Mar 9, 2017 | Career
Seriously, if there’s anything more annoying than skipping dessert to fit into your fave jeans, it’s got to be navigating through the awkward seasonal changes between winter and spring. As excited as I’m to welcome warmer days and the prospect of shaving again, I have to admit that adjusting my work wardrobe can be a bit of a pain-in-the-you-know-where…
After years of paying my work fashion dues, courtesy of weather-inappropriate outfits (albeit cute), and freezing my extremities in unwarranted (albeit stylish) open-toed stilettos in the middle of April’s last snows, here are some of my most precious tips to deal with the Winter to Spring transition work fashion-wise:
Tencel sweater – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Shop Your Closet!
You may be tempted to go out and shop for a brand new wardrobe, because: spring! Or you can shop your closet and recycle your wardrobe instead. Start digging out your lighter textures, and some warm-weather pieces from your wardrobe like this fun striped boatneck tee from Target, or an easy cotton sweater like this Sonia by Sonia Rykiel frills number from Zappos Luxury.
Work the layers!
Jersey knit blazer – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Planning your outfits can be tricky, especially when the temperatures rise and fall unexpectedly. On days when it’s chilly in the morning but warm mid-day, your best bet is to start layering up! It can be as easy as replacing your winter coat with an elegant yet versatile blazer, like this Joie Meira chambray blazer from Neiman Marcus. Or this easy breezy single-button jersey-knit blazer from Old Navy.
Trench it Up!
Burberry Kensington Trench coat – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Nothing says Spring quite like an elegant, tailored trench coat. It’s the perfect piece to transition from Winter to Spring, while still being practical. I love this classic Burberry Kensington piece from Neiman Marcus. I also like this less pricey London Fog alternative from Macy’s.
Brighten Up, Will Ya?
Maddie pants – J Crew – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Segue into color to celebrate Spring with your work wardrobe! While you don’t have to ditch all your blacks and greys all at once, you can start by adding bright accessories or trying bright bottoms at first. Bright necklaces are a great way to start infusing your Spring wardrobe with color. I like this Sugarfix by Baublebar collar necklace from Target, as well as this statement Moon and Lola statement piece from Neiman Marcus.
Speaking of bright bottoms, these teal-colored Worhington modern fit trousers from JC Penney are a great way to start brightening your work wardrobe. I also like these oh so cute onion orchid Maddie pants in bi-stretch cotton from J. Crew.
Feet First!
Sam Edelman D’Orsay pumps – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Last but really first in my fashionable heart, shoes can really change your look from season to season! Add some colorful shoes to your outfits, like these light rose MK Flex pumps from Zappos, or these Sam Edelman “Telsa” d’Orsay pointy toe pumps. While you may want to save the peep toes for late Spring, ankle straps or slingbacks may be a nice alternative to start the season.
How will you take your wardrobe from winter to spring?
PS: Note that this post contains affiliate links.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 8, 2017 | Career
Many companies organize offsite meetings during the first few months of the year. It’s a great way, as well as a great time, for departments to review their strategy and set goals. While these can be done in meetings at the office, many choose to hold these sessions at offsite locations to provide team members with an opportunity to step back mentally and physically from their daily obligations.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from my very first offsite meeting. The prospect of being gathered outside of the office with team and department members actually intimidated me more than anything else. Being taken out of our comfort zone requires us to adapt to a different set of circumstances, while still leveraging the experience for our careers.
Since then, I’ve become a fan of offsite meetings, mostly because of the perspective it brings as a team member, as well as a team as a whole. However, as I’ve learnt over time, there are a few simple principles to go by to make the most out of them:
Be clear about your goals
You may think that an offsite meeting is yet another meeting to attend, except it’s outside of the office. Not quite…Every offsite meeting is a wonderful opportunity to expand your career potential. However, to be best prepared to take advantage of it, you must set some goals for yourself and your team ahead of time.
Define what your goals are before attending the offsite meeting. What are you hoping to get out of this event? Whether it’s getting closer to your team, or acquiring new skills from the training sessions, or meet other members of the department at large, set some clear goals for yourself! This will set your mind up to get those very benefits you’re looking for in the event, and be more focused towards them.
Change your perspective
The point of a meeting outside of the office is to just that…to be outside of the office. Change of scenery, change of perspective! The goal is for you to renew or change your perspective of your work, department/team, and colleagues by taking you into a setting different from the one you’re accustomed to.
Be open to learning as much as you can from this change of scenery and environment. I remember being struck at how easier it was to interact with my colleagues, and how much the training sessions offered a different, more attractive perspective of my work.
This change of perspective is one of the most important benefits of offsite meetings, and allows you to recharge, re-energize and go back to work with a new, fresher and more productive perspective.
Use it as a networking opportunity!
Offsite meetings are incredible opportunities to network with your team and/or department on a more personal level. This is all the more important as being in the office every day, doesn’t necessarily allow for close bonds to develop between colleagues.
Being taken outside of the office context, and often being involved in teamwork exercises reinforces the sense of mission and belonging within the team/department. It also makes you see your teammates, colleagues and management in a more human, personal lens.
Take advantage of this change of scenery and perspective to network in a more intimate way with others. Go beyond the facade of day-to-day tasks to understand who the people you work with are, what drives them, as well as what the larger purpose and mission of your company is.
Want to learn more about getting the most out of your offsite meeting?
How have you gotten the most out of offsite meetings?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 7, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
March is here, and it’s officially #WomensHistoryMonth! Which also means I’m personally stocking up on all my inspirational, power-to-women quotes for the remainder of the year…
Women’s rights still have quite some way to go, but we’ve also made some major headway over time, and that’s worth celebrating. From pay equality to shattering the glass ceiling, not to mention legal rights, there’s still much work to do…Yet, in honor of how far we’ve come and how far we’re still going, here are 16 of my absolute favorite quote for Women’s History Month:
“It is a fact that when you change a girl’s life, you effect her vision of herself and her immediate world and the world that she will have an impact on.” Oprah Winfrey
“Women and girls can do anything. And all of us, everywhere, should have the chance to prove that.” – Melinda Gates
“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” — Roseanne Barr
“It’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.” — Warsan Shire
“So the work continues. And for all the young women in this room, all the young men, we can never be complacent. Because we have seen in recent times how quickly things can be taken away if we aren’t vigilant, if we don’t know our history, if we don’t continue the work.” Michelle Obama
“If you are a man who believes your daughter should have the same opportunities and rights as your son, then you’re a feminist.” Beyonce
“It’s important for young women to have a constant reminder that there are amazing female role models, and that they can do anything. Anything at all.” – Ellen DeGeneres
“I’m done compromising; even more so, I’m done with being compromised.” – Mila Kunis
“Stay in for yourself and stay in for the women who are going to follow you. Stay in it for my 8-year old daughter.”– Sheryl Sandberg
“Our bodies are instruments, not ornaments. We should celebrate our different shapes and sizes, our caesarean scars and all the other beautiful imperfections that make us who we are.“—Gloria Steinem
“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” — Hillary Clinton
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. … No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.” —Rosa Parks
“Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it’s done right. Even a pancake.” —Julia Child
“If nobody can learn from the past, then there’s no point in raking it up.” —Billie Holiday
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. … No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.” —Rosa Parks
“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” —Coco Chanel
What other inspirational quotes would you like to share for Women’s History Month?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 4, 2017 | Career
BB Dakota Dress – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Welcome to our weekend chat feature! Got something you want to chat about? Post it in the comments below…
I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve been ready for Spring since like…yesterday! So I’m ditching the winter clothes shopping for items that remind me of shining sun and blooming flowers! Like this easy breezy BB Dakota Lasalle Cherry Blossom printed wrap dress…
Love that you can easily sport it under a cardigan or blazer, or pair it with your winter boots for a perfect, blossomy transition piece!
I’m curious to know: how are you transitioning your wardrobe from winter to Spring?
Cheers to the weekend!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 4, 2017 | Career
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
- Happy Women’s Month! March 8th is International Women’s Day and also “A Day Without A Woman” where women and our allies will act together for equity, justice and the human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people;
- Want to be a part of “A Day without A Woman”? Forbes tips you off on how to talk to your boss about being a part of this historic day;
- Speaking of history, Viola Davis had me doing the ugly cry with her historic Oscars win last week, and I tell you all about it on The Corporate Sister;
- Speaking of history in the making, NY Times celebrates Harvard Law Review elects its first Black female president, and we’re so proud of Imeme Umalna!
- Remember Susan Fowler‘s story of gender-based discrimination at Uber from last week’s news roundup? The New Yorker follows up on the story with this article entitled: ” A perfect storm at Uber”;
- Want to save money and spend smarter? The Muse recommends 11 apps that help you do just that;
- Have you just graduated? Ellevate Network lists 7 essential steps to kickstart your career;
- Food52 tells us asks who gets to tell the food stories of immigrants?
- New York Fashion Week is over, but here are my 3 favorites NYFW career fashion trends from it;
- Want to prioritize positivity in your daily life? Ellevate tells you how to;
- Are you a woman entrepreneur? Smallbiztrends reports that the gender gap narrows with women-owned businesses (Yayyy)!
Because it’s Women’s Month!
Women’s month quote
Seen a piece of news you’d like me to add to this list? Comment below or email me at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 3, 2017 | Career
Oscar de La Renta NYFW 2017 – Photo credit: thefashionspot.com
Here are 3 of my favorite career fashion trends from this year’s New York Fashion Week you can start thinking about/planning for Fall 2017:
The Power Suit
NYFW Calvin Klein Fall 2017 – Photo credit: thefashionspot.com
Seeing Red Hot!
Oscar de La Renta NYFW 2017 – Photo credit: thefashionspot.com
Velvet
Bibu Mohapatra NYFW Fall 2017 – Photo credit: thefashionspot.com
Which one is your fave?
To your success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 27, 2017 | Career
Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars last night, and I’m still in my feelings. Watching this absolutely amazing woman, actress, mother, wife, human being walk up the stage in all her well-deserved glory to get her well-deserved Oscar had me tearing up. But it was her speech, one of her many striking, true-to-the-core, emotional speeches, that had me doing the ugly cry all over my late night dessert…
“You know, there’s one place where all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. And that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies, exhume those stories, the stories of the people who dreamed.”
As I listened to Viola (in my fertile imagination, Viola is my big sis, you may borrow her too), I heard the longing of my own heart. And that of so many others faced with the work of their lives, with dreams they may be weary of pursuing, with aspirations they may not think themselves worthy of…
I thought of those before us who also were faced with the work of their lives, with dreams and aspirations they may have ushered to the side for fear they wouldn’t be practical…Or just because life demanded a different, more grounded, less dreamy kind of living…Those whose talents, potential and spirit now lie in the graveyard, stuck somewhere in between the dash separating their birth dates from the day they died…
How many of us are also carrying within us those dreams, that potential, that extraordinary spirit, that can make an impact in the world? How many of us are burying those alive in stuffy cubicles, toxic work environments, and an all-around busy life that fails to provide us with the ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction we’re created to experience?
If you’re sitting in front of your computer today, feeling a gap where there should be a fill, sensing that there’s got to be MORE, then you may be concealing that potential, that spirit, that talent inside of you. Then you may be sacrificing fulfillment and satisfaction for the sake of normalcy and security…And yes, we all face different circumstances, have different obligations, and are not always at liberty to run free…Yet, if your life’s work, your life’s dreams, talent and potential, is unfinished, who may complete it?
After her historic win, in the midst of tears and intense emotion, Viola said: “I just wanted to be good at something!“
In her words, I heard once again the cry of so many women, so many sisters, working day in and day out, searching for the recognition they deserve. Don’t get me wrong, Viola certainly doesn’t need validation! Neither do we…Yet this precious sense that we’re doing work that is valued, that our contributions are cherished and recognized, has the power to fill us up and continually raise us to new heights. It’s the same value and recognition that so many women, so many sisters have been sorely missing in both their careers and lives. And that may very well be the reason why so many of us don’t dare to dream bigger, expect more and rise higher!
We all want to be good at something, and to be recognized for it! And sometimes, many times, it takes facing massive failure, taking gigantic risks, and switching courses to achieve it. But like Viola, being good, being great at something we love not only creates miracles, it sets the bar and opens the path wide for the rest of us…
Viola won, finally! The first Black woman to win an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony, she won for women, for sisters, for minorities, for overcomers, for all those who wanted it big, and wanted it bad! But most importantly, she won for each and every one of us who may have, at some point or another, realized that there was MORE to their story, MORE to their circumstances, MORE to their surroundings! And instead of settling for normalcy, for tradition, for survival, decided to go out there and dream, thrive and succeed!
Without the Hattie McDaniels, the Halle Berrys, the Viola Davis’, and so many others, women like myself could not see ourselves winning on stage, in life and in our careers. Without those who dream, who dare, who persist, we couldn’t see ourselves clothed in the vision we have for our lives and communities!
So yes, Viola Davis won last night! And so did we…
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
