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Work wardrobe advice from Adam Glassman on Oprah
By Meg | October 24, 2007
I just watched yesterday’s Oprah on which Adam Glassman, the creative director for O, The Oprah Magazine, gave advice to women on dressing for job interviews and work.
If you missed the show, you can see the makeovers here at the Oprah show’s web site. Pay attention to the use of neutrals with neutrals, like wearing black and gray together. Don’t get me wrong, I love color; however, combining neutrals can be an easy way to create a sophisticated outfit which can then be punched up with colorful accessories or toned back down with matching neutral accessories depending on the place and occasion.
I especially love how he suggested carrying evening clutches in work totes to help transition from work to play. I’ve been doing that for a while now and it works great. It’s a classic formula: wear simple, neutral clothes and change your accessories to set the tone of the outfit.
I must say, though, that I don’t like the black trench coat — at least not with the rest of the outfit. With the trench coat closed, it looks like she has nothing on underneath. I’d prefer a longer trench with less volume and shine, but that’s just me. I don’t actually own a trench coat - or a shift dress, despite the fact that Adam Glassman says that these are items that every woman should have (I’m always sceptical of “must have” lists).
I also disagree with Adam Glassman about panty hose. He says that panty hose should match your shoes. Granted, matching shoes and hose does elongate the look of your legs, but please don’t anyone take this too literally. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with a lot of really boring shoes or some really out there panty hose (or give up and go bare-legged). Personally, I believe that hose should either be black or match your skin tone, and if you don’t know which to choose, go with the skin tone ones.
Adam did have some great advice that I can definitely agree with:
“You really should dress appropriate for the kind of field you’re working in or even interviewing in… You should do a little bit of homework. Find out what’s the corporate culture, what do people wear, so you actually look the part when you go in for an interview.”
Or as my mom has always told me, “Always dress a bit nicer than the people who work at the company.”
Tags: Bags, Color, Shoes, Work
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October 25th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I saw the Adam Glassman on Oprah too and I, like you, agreed with some of his recommendations but questioned others. I thought the pantyhose matching your shoes comment was interesting because I’m not planning on wearing purple hose when I wear my purple, suede flats! But as an African-American woman, I can’t condone skin tone hose because they tend to look awful on brown legs!
Another thing, I thought he should have clarified rather the outfit choices were for interviewing or after you get the job. Oprah asked him a few times but I wish he would have been more clear because some of those looks won’t work for an interview.
October 25th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
It definitely seemed like he was just advocating black hose for everyone — which doesn’t always work. It is a big trend, though, and he seemed to be emphasizing trends (maybe too much).
Thanks for sharing your perspective as an African-American woman. I had never thought much about brown panty hose, but I have a much clearer picture now — and I agree, that isn’t the best look. I can definitely wear skin tone panty hose, but it takes forever to find a pair that matches since my legs are about one shade darker than those nurse-white panty hose that so many people despise.
I agree that he should have been clearer about what the specific outfits were for. I found myself saying to my husband, “Well, for work that’s fine, but not really for the interview.”