During my first pregnancy, I was convinced I could outsmart the system. I bought my usual pieces one size bigger, added a few stretchy basics, and called it a plan. By month five, my jeans were sliding down in the back and slicing into my stomach in the front. Tees clung to all the wrong … Read more
Business Formal Dress Code: How to Get It Right Without Looking Overdone I learned this lesson the uncomfortable way. Early in my career, I walked into a high-stakes client meeting wearing what I thought was impeccably professional: slim black blazer, dark denim, polished leather sneakers. I felt modern and sharp—right up until I noticed every … Read more
I learned this the hard way early in my career—standing in front of a room full of students in a stiff blazer that looked fantastic on a hanger and felt unbearable by third period. By lunch, I was tugging at the sleeves, overheating under fluorescent lights, and feeling strangely disconnected from the room. That was … Read more
I still remember the first”Kurti” with “Tunic” or “Casual Top I had tailored after college. I asked for “simple sleeves,” didn’t specify anything else, and ended up with stiff, tight sleeves that cut into my arms every time I bent my elbow. The fabric was fine. The color worked. But the sleeves ruined the whole … Read more
I learned this lesson the hard way about ten years ago. I was working at a creative agency, wearing what I thought was a perfectly good office outfit—crisp shirt, tailored trousers, sensible shoes. At 6:30 pm, a coworker said, “Drinks?” I went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and realized I was dressed for … Read more
Which One Actually Deserves a Spot in Your Rotation? I learned this the hard way. A few summers back, I bought a pair of Sambas because the internet told me they worked with everything — jeans, trousers, even a casual suit if you had the nerve. Three weeks in, my heels were sore, the toe … Read more
Midi skirts are the easiest way to look pulled together without actually trying. I fought them for years; I was wrong. I used to blame my height. Then my shoes. Then “bad trends.” Truth? I was buying flimsy fabrics and styling them like an afterthought. Once I figured out proportions and quality, midi skirts became … Read more
I learned this the hard way, in a TSA line at JFK, shifting my weight while a stiff waistband dug into my stomach and my “cute” boots slowly turned into medieval punishment devices. It wasn’t even 8 a.m., and I was already fantasizing about sweatpants. That was the day I stopped dressing for the arrival … Read more
I still remember the first time I thought I’d cracked “business casual.” I walked into a meeting wearing stiff dark jeans, a shiny blazer, and razor-point dress shoes that looked ready for a black-tie wedding. Everyone else? Relaxed. Sharp, but relaxed. I looked like I’d dressed up for the wrong party—and somehow still missed the … Read more
The first time I tried to dress “1940s-inspired,” I got it completely wrong. I was in my early twenties, elbow-deep in a thrift store rack, convinced any oversized suit with wide lapels would turn me into a Golden Age film star. I walked out with a shapeless jacket, trousers drowning my shoes, and a fedora … Read more