Your Summer Work Wardrobe Guide, Part 1

So reader Marci from Edinburgh, Scotland UK wrote in with the following:

"My work place has a casual smart dress code. I am not keen to wear jeans (except on the odd Friday when I know I’ll be meeting my mates for a drink after work). I prefer to wear pretty shirts with formal, tailored trousers. I’ve probably worn a skirt twice since December. Shorts are a personal no no. Please do a feature on casual-smart work wear for the summer?"

Sure!
Intern Adriana stepped in to spearhead Part 1 of The Fashion Bomb's Guide to a Stylish Summer Work Wardrobe. Read on for suggestions for cool, breezy dresses, sophisticated jackets, and even office ready accessories! Stay tuned next week for tips on coordinating separates, bag options, and skirts!
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Hey Fashion Bombers!!
It’s finally warm, so you want to throw off those layers you’ve been wrapping yourself in and after surviving winter. Here, a few suggestions for how to dress fabulously for work while maintaining comfort, sophistication, and style:
1. Dresses (sorry, Guy Trebay):
There’s not an article of clothing that is equal parts comfortable for summer, flattering to so many shapes and sizes, and comes in such diverse fabrics! Knee-length dresses with capped sleeves work very well—they’re comfortable and sexy, yet cover enough to still be appropriate for work. Wrap dresses are always a great choice, and shirtwaist styles are also a cool way to maintain a preppy chic look:
1. Maggy London Cap Sleeve Chiffon Dress, $138, www.nordstrom.com. 2. Bebe Silk Sash Waist Dress, $129, www.bebe.com. 3. Diane von Furstnberg Tie-Dye Wrap Dress, $398, shopbop.com 4. Phoebe Couture Ruffled Shirtdress, $260, www.bloomingdales.com. 5. Tadashi Silk Dance Dress, $330, www.bloomingdales.com.
2. Light Jackets:
A blazer can work wonders for an outfit. Donning one instantly pulls your look together and, given cut and fabric, can add anything from professionalism to edge. Bonus: it'll save you from the chills of the office air conditioner! J. Crew has a fantastic selection of light jackets for the summer, as do Trina Turk, Michael Kors, and Loeffler Randall:
1. Trina Turk Burke Jacket, $228, www.searlenyc.com. 2. Brushstroke Print Chessy Jacket, $148, www.jcrew.com. 3. Michael Kors Ponte Jacket, $84, www.lordandtaylor.com. 4. Loeffler Randal Silk Ruffle Jacket, $565, www.eluxury.com.
A structured light cardigan is also a great summer piece as it has the look of a blazer yet a much lighter weight for a casual feel:
Vince Tie Front Cardigan, $235, shopbop.com
3. Shoes:
Ideally, you want a pair of shoes that will carry you from day through night. Tempting as they are, try to avoid flip-flops in the office. If you crave a flat shoe with the airiness of a sandal and that also shows off your pedi, go for an open-toed skimmer. A lower heeled sandal between 2” and 2.5” is also a great work-fashion compromise: short enough to be appropriate for work yet high enough to give you your heel fix:

1. Stuart Weitzman Specchio Shoes, $188, zappos.com 2. Fendi Satin Ruffle Flat, $450, www.eluxury.com. 3. Christian Michael Ahmed Sandal, $240, zappos.com 4. Loeffler Randal May Open Ruffle Pump, $430, shopbop.com 5. Michael Kors Magic Sandals, $188, zappos.com 6. Coclico Shoes Keyhole Sandal, $320, shopbop.com 7. Irregular Choice Sexy Vixen Shoes, $129, zappos.com 8. Chloe Patent Crisscross Buckle Sandals, $645, wwwintermixonline.com. 9. Naughty Monkey Button Up, $69, zappos.com
4. Accessories:
Summer is the season to show off great necklaces. Use them to complement the lower necklines of summer tops and dresses:
1. Bubble Necklace, $150, www.jcrew.com. 2. Just Cavalli Zebra Heart Necklace, $273, www.eluxury.com. 3. Concentric Glass Bead Necklace, $28, www.urbanoutfitters.com. 4. Kenneth Jay Lane Snake Pendant Necklace, $77, shopbop.com 5. Women's Multi Stone Necklace, $10, oldnavy.com
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Snaps for a great post including amazing shoe suggestions! I'm self admittedly a bit conservative when it comes to shoes, but I almost lost my breathe over the Chloe and Coclico sandals.
Great job, Adriana!
Stay tuned next week for Part 2 of the Fashionable Work Wardrobe Series. And maybe I'll do a little something for the men?
Smootches!

Fashion, News, and What Nots

*Kate Moss' High Summer '08 Collection...
...is now available at Topshop. Check out the offerings at www.katmosstopshop.com.
*These are so dope!!!
...Chic and Untroubled discusses these 'glock' shoes, which made their debut during Chanel's Cruise collection. [Chic and Untroubled]
*In more Chanel news, look at another one of Karl's new designs:
...it's a Chanel sunglasses sporting Lego lady. Fashionista reasoned that paying $6,000 for something like this (the going price) might be worth a whole year of shopping abstinence. Not too sure about that! [Fashionista]
*Seems Angelina Jolie stays comfy in Cannes thanks to Cole Haan Nike Air Pumps. Great minds think alike. [MyItThings]
*Apparently Iman isn't too jazzed about the Italian Vogue July issue. According to Make Fetch Happen, "Iman recently expressed concern that the highly anticipated "all-black" July issue of Italian Vogue will just be a gimmick and may not change anything about the lack of models of color in fashion magazines..."
... "I still don't like us to be a caricature...They'll think, 'Okay, we did it.' And then they're done with it, and we'll have to wait till next year." [MakeFetchHappen]