Black and White = Business Attire?

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Posted on February 16, 2016

If you have been reading this blog for a while you will know that the neutrals in my wardrobe are black and white. Many, but not all, of the outfits I wear to work are black and white.

Here are some examples:

However, I have noticed an interesting trend in the past year or so. It seems that there is a perception that if an item is black and white it is suitable attire for corporate offices in the CBD.

Soft, casually styled pants that look more as though they were designed for beach or sleepwear can be seen in offices all over town.

What do you think? Is it the style or colour that makes an outfit suitable to wear to the office?

Project 333 – Black & White

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Posted on October 30, 2014

From time to time I set myself mini challenges to force me to push the boundaries of my streamlined wardrobe. I decided that this week would be entirely monochromatic – a black and white theme.

The forecast for Monday was hot so I reached for this old faithful which I have owned for 4 years. There is so much to love about it – 100% cotton with a collar and cut away armholes AND made in Australia.

Tuesday was nearly as hot so another 100% cotton dress was a good option. This is the one I bought a month ago.

On Wednesday the temperature was more reasonable so I opted for black 3/4 pants with this blouse from the recycle boutique. I have worn it several times since I bought it a few weeks ago. It is destined to become a firm favourite.

Today I tried a previously untested combination. The black 3/4 pants got another airing but this time I teamed them with a black sleeveless fitted top and this blouse worn unbuttoned over it. The blouse is a very fine fabric and needs an appropriate coloured bra underneath it and as I only had a black bra clean I decided to be a little creative. While the outfit looked perfectly acceptable, it just did not feel right to me. I will keep the blouse to be worn as it was designed in future. I also think that I prefer this particular blouse teamed with my straight black skirt rather than trousers.

Tomorrow it is going to be quite warm so I plan to wear white 3/4 trousers and this shirt.

I have plenty of other black and white options but I will save them for another time. Here is a selection.

Project 333 – 3 In, 6 Out

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Posted on October 26, 2014

It is now 5 weeks since we arrived home from our trip to the UK and Ireland. Those of you who followed my travel blog will know that I travelled fairly lightly and had 6 tops earmarked to go to the charity bin at the end of the trip. In this post you can see the 3 tops (red, blue and black) and the 3 striped 3/4 sleeve tops that I had decided would need to go. They were all pretty much past their use-by-date as they had faded, had small stains and the necklines were stretched and out of shape. I wore them to death for the 6 weeks that we were away and was glad to see the back of them at the end of the trip.

I think I have enough short-sleeved and sleeveless tops in my wardrobe but the 3/4 sleeve ones will need replacing. That will be a project before next autumn. In the meantime I did buy 3 pieces on the weekend we arrived home. I did not specifically set out to buy any of them.

The Duke and I went to Maleny to pick up a few groceries and I decided to take a look in a small boutique. I found this dress which is 100% cotton, lined and cool and comfortable. The fact that it is black and white is an added bonus.

Next, we wandered across the road to a recycle boutique where I struck it lucky. This blouse is also cotton (with a touch of spandex) and I don’t think it had ever been worn. I discovered why that was probably the case when I tried it on. The top button was at the level of the bottom edge of my bra! It was an easy matter to make another buttonhole and add a button. Also, black and white!

Finally, I found a lovely stretch lace waterfall cardigan by Mela Purdie. This was also in the recycle boutique and a steal at $35 when it would have been around $250 when brand new.

I am really pleased to have found these pieces and feel that they are all worthwhile additions to my wardrobe.