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Work It!: Visual Therapy's Guide to Your Ultimate Career Wardrobe
At long last, sound advice on what to wear to work. Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo, stylists to the stars, reveal their tried and true secrets to looking professional and chic. With questionnaires, hundreds of photos, color swatches, and before-and-after shots, they make it easy for any woman to determine her specific "worksonality." Then they tackle the tricky questions: How much skin is too much skin? Is what I'm wearing to work preventing me from getting the position that I want and deserve? Are shorts ever acceptable in the office? (Spoiler alert: they're not.) New grads, women re-entering the workforce, and those growing their careers will find Jesse and Joe's advice indispensable, no matter where they workthey'll learn how to project confidence, dress their best, and make that wardrobe work!
- GenresFashionNonfiction
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2010
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 14, 2020
I could tell the date on this book. Much of it was still valid style advice, except we don't add dark tights quite so much anymore!
I still enjoyed paging thru it and seeing how they suggested changes, and the versatility of articles of clothing.
I still enjoyed paging thru it and seeing how they suggested changes, and the versatility of articles of clothing.
May 25, 2011
"Work It!" focuses on wardrobe perfection for working women. After much frustration from the traditional makeover shows ("How the hell am I supposed to maintain that hair and makeup without a group of stylists?!"), the authors make a point to address the challenges faced by working moms, women having multiple jobs, and those who have to run to a variety of engagements requiring a variety of looks on the same day.
The book might feel a bit like a textbook at the beginning, because the authors put you through a bit of homework: a range of questionnaires to determine your basics (like color palette) as well as the things you haven't thought about when getting ready for work (your personal style, your work environment, your role on the job). That part may feel a bit onerous, and I myself was tempted to skip it to get to the pretty pictures, but it turned out to be well worth it in the end, because the questionnaire results help address the issues of discomfort when transitioning from an uber-conservative to a younger, more hip work environment, or from home office to the cubicle. Ever felt like you "just weren't fitting in" at your new job? These little quizzes just might help you figure out why.
Because "Work It!" is about... well... work, the focus is mainly on work-related events and situations: off-site meetings, working lunches, presentations, product launches, etc. However, the looks suggested by the authors, when working with different women (real working women of various ages, colors and styles), branch out into other aspects of life: like a mom needing to pick up her little one from day care in the middle of her work day, or a wife who has a corporate presentation during the day but doesn't want to look stuffy and stodgy for her anniversary dinner with husband after work.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the emphasis on sartorial responsibility. Yes, of course it's nice to have the designer workmanship and quality materials, but the authors display solid understanding that a single mom of two may not necessarily have the means to walk into a Chanel store and buy a suit. So, we are reminded again and again not to shun eBay and consignment stores - there is nothing embarrassing buying second-hand, as long as the items are in good condition, work with your wardrobe and look great on you.
Another thing I loved was the "pop" color discussion. It is really not that complicated: you want to have groupings of jewelry, shoes, maybe scarves or wraps and bags in similar bright color from your palette. So, when you have to resort to your classic gray pantsuit because you just absolutely have no time to think about what to wear in the morning, you can just grab, say, your turquoise pile: a bracelet, a bag and a shawl - accessorize in five minutes and be out the door on time.
My biggest pet peeve with the book was the models. While all the women were real working women, and I thought they were all beautiful, the authors Jesse and Joe clearly drew on their usual circle: New York fashion scene - when they picked and chose ladies for this book. Fashion designer... Makeup artist... Former model... Luxury lifestyle consultant... Fitness guru... These women were invariably above the average fitness level, very health-conscious, comparatively well-to-do and with much more access to more upscale second-hand sources than you would find, say, in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. I think the largest one in the book was size 12, maybe 14. So, while the outfit and color ideas would cover a variety of skin, eye and hair types, as well as a range of heights, we get into a tricky territory when it comes to body types.
The book might feel a bit like a textbook at the beginning, because the authors put you through a bit of homework: a range of questionnaires to determine your basics (like color palette) as well as the things you haven't thought about when getting ready for work (your personal style, your work environment, your role on the job). That part may feel a bit onerous, and I myself was tempted to skip it to get to the pretty pictures, but it turned out to be well worth it in the end, because the questionnaire results help address the issues of discomfort when transitioning from an uber-conservative to a younger, more hip work environment, or from home office to the cubicle. Ever felt like you "just weren't fitting in" at your new job? These little quizzes just might help you figure out why.
Because "Work It!" is about... well... work, the focus is mainly on work-related events and situations: off-site meetings, working lunches, presentations, product launches, etc. However, the looks suggested by the authors, when working with different women (real working women of various ages, colors and styles), branch out into other aspects of life: like a mom needing to pick up her little one from day care in the middle of her work day, or a wife who has a corporate presentation during the day but doesn't want to look stuffy and stodgy for her anniversary dinner with husband after work.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the emphasis on sartorial responsibility. Yes, of course it's nice to have the designer workmanship and quality materials, but the authors display solid understanding that a single mom of two may not necessarily have the means to walk into a Chanel store and buy a suit. So, we are reminded again and again not to shun eBay and consignment stores - there is nothing embarrassing buying second-hand, as long as the items are in good condition, work with your wardrobe and look great on you.
Another thing I loved was the "pop" color discussion. It is really not that complicated: you want to have groupings of jewelry, shoes, maybe scarves or wraps and bags in similar bright color from your palette. So, when you have to resort to your classic gray pantsuit because you just absolutely have no time to think about what to wear in the morning, you can just grab, say, your turquoise pile: a bracelet, a bag and a shawl - accessorize in five minutes and be out the door on time.
My biggest pet peeve with the book was the models. While all the women were real working women, and I thought they were all beautiful, the authors Jesse and Joe clearly drew on their usual circle: New York fashion scene - when they picked and chose ladies for this book. Fashion designer... Makeup artist... Former model... Luxury lifestyle consultant... Fitness guru... These women were invariably above the average fitness level, very health-conscious, comparatively well-to-do and with much more access to more upscale second-hand sources than you would find, say, in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. I think the largest one in the book was size 12, maybe 14. So, while the outfit and color ideas would cover a variety of skin, eye and hair types, as well as a range of heights, we get into a tricky territory when it comes to body types.
December 31, 2010
Work It! was a nice, resourceful fashion guide. It didn't feel dated (at least not yet), and was practical. Like all fashion guides, which is subjective to personal tastes and resources, the advice can be taken with a grain of salt. Listen to the advice but also apply your own ideas to the mix.
The guide was general enough and covered different occasions and body types with suggestions of the appropriate business attire for them. Pictures say a thousand words, and when it comes to fashion this was definitely the case. There's not much less helpful than a guide without bright, large pictures accompanying the advise. In this case, the pictures were definitely what made this a great read or scan if you're on the go and time is limited.
Large, bright, clear pictures makes for a great guide.
The guide was general enough and covered different occasions and body types with suggestions of the appropriate business attire for them. Pictures say a thousand words, and when it comes to fashion this was definitely the case. There's not much less helpful than a guide without bright, large pictures accompanying the advise. In this case, the pictures were definitely what made this a great read or scan if you're on the go and time is limited.
Large, bright, clear pictures makes for a great guide.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews