Please don’t bring that sexy back to work – Photo credit: glamour.com

Happy Friday! TGIF!

I love me some Justin Timberlake, and his whole “bringing sexy back” tune gets me shimmying in my seat every single time. Yet, when it comes to work and the way we as women dress and present ourselves, his theme song should be more the exception than the rule…

According to Marie Claire’s Features Director Lea Goldman, executives say appearance count for 60% of one’s executive presence. Yes, 6-0%! That’s a whole lot of percent if you want my opinion…In a recent Glamour Magazine article, it appears the legal profession is “cracking down” on women’s lawyers’ dress style. While some of the commentaries on some women lawyers’ inappropriate dress have been attributed to the prevalence of older judges on the bench and the resulting lack of women in leadership positions at top law firms, the fact remains women lawyers in court are still being blamed for looking too sexy. And yes, dressing too sexy can make you look less competent.

I myself am on the petite shapely side, and dressing for the office can at times be challenging, considering many clothing options are made for the small, petite, non-average woman. Yet, heading to work like you’re going to hit the club on Saturday night is never an option, unless you want your career to follow the downward path your low top is already trailing…

1. Lay off the heavy makeup. If your cat eye is more winged than Liz Taylor’s, it may be time to re-think your make-up. Although not wearing make-up to work may make you look less competent, piling on foundation and lipstick is never a tasteful idea. Go for a natural and understated look rather.

2. Mind your heels! Too high heels will make you look less competent, in addition to hurting like hell. Although heels at work has always been the subject of controversy, you should try to keep your heel height between 3.75″ and 4″ (check out my post on how high you should go when it comes to your heels at work…)

3. Fit is Queen! Check your clothes  for fit rather than looks. Top too low for comfort? Pants making you feel like extra caution will be required to sit down? Jacket won’t allow you to wave bye to your kids as they’re off to school? Ill-fitting clothes, whether too tight, too low or too large, is out of the question when dressing for work. Invest in clothes that fit.

In the meantime, we can still enjoy us some Justin Timberlake:

Happy Friday!

The Corporate Sis.