Commutista: What to wear on the daily commute when the temperature is below freezing!

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The buzzword last week was definitely ‘Blizzard’!

To be more specific snow blizzard….

Our daily commute can be challenging enough on any given Monday, but last week my styling skills were severely tested.

So what does one wear when the temperature outside is that which is normally associated with arctic conditions?

Prior to last week I would have said a combination of Hunter wellingtons and anything made out of wool and sherling. But where’s the fun in that?

For those of us who are looking for a slightly different definition of chilled-out, here is my edit of some key stables to wear on a snow-covered winter morning commute.

Paloma

Le Weekend: Town or Country?

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Ah…long relaxing weekends away!

Whether I am at home or away, I love to savour weekend time. We spend so much of our lives at work, in work, thinking about work, every now and again it is great to just kick back and chill out!

As wonderful as weekends tend to be, they appear to be very short at the end of a long week. No one wants to waste any precious time when the objective is to get on a train or plane with as little fuss as possible. We just want to pack and go!

Not everyone can get away with wearing jeans for work or has a casual Friday, so we have to make the switch from a suit to a jeans and blazer combo in the ladies bathroom at rapid speed. Or from work dress to Friday night dinner dress with a footwear substitute. Make-up and hair is done in-transit, seriously what else are we going to do on the train when WiFi suddenly becomes unavailable…

For those high flyers amongst us, it is all about skin care, skin care , skin care. An in-flight exfoliating mask, preferably Decleor Phytopeel (otherwise known as skin nectar) is my go to and leaves my face feeling like I have had a facelift!

We may arrive at our destination, impeccably groomed, fresh-faced and invigorated to our excited hosts, but deep down we know that we are exhausted, hungry and in need of a strong martini!

Here are some ideas for your in-transit work to weekend outfit

Paloma

Transitions: What to wear when you change jobs and industries

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Ok, so we have made it through the interview stage for that fabulous new job, and have mentally prepared for the cultural change that moving not only jobs, but industries involves.

Fast forward to our first day in said new job, and we just remembered that the perfectly cut Reiss trouser suit at the back of our wardrobe is no longer suitable for the new work environment in the creative industries…or is it?

Why should we through baby out with the bath water? A little re-framing here and there means that we can still be on trend, and work appropriate.

Why not team a pair of tailored trousers with a perforated white blouse to give an outfit a creative edge? Or upgrade the blue bow blouse that we bought for our city break in Amsterdam, by pairing it with a split front midi black skirt for a casual smart look in the office. Oh, and remember those wide leg white cropped trousers that we wore on holiday in Greece last summer, they would look great with a shell top , and a blazer for our meeting on Thursday…..

The key question to ask when moving industries as well as jobs is, should I buy a whole new wardrobe, align some capsule pieces that I already have in my wardrobe with a selection of  new items; or have existing garments altered?

Here is my edit of separates that could be combined to create either a corporate, creative or casual smarts look.

Paloma

Working from Home

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Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to work from home occasionally know that it is perhaps, paradoxically the best place to focus and plough through that proposal or report we have been planning to write for weeks.  We are surrounded by home comforts, which for me would include coffee on tap, an elegant Buly 1803 , Lindt salted caramel chocolate, white tulips and silence.  We can plough through our to do list without office politics intruding, and can create the perfect Zen environment where ideas and thoughts flow fluidity, and rationality and decisiveness rule.

 

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A wardrobe fit for…….Olivia

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A wardrobe fit for Olivia Pope?

‘It’s handled!’

Ok, let me let you in on a little secret, I  want to be Olivia Pope…

Here is a woman who is not just razor sharp in the way she dresses, but also in the way she intelligently  deals with multiple political crises.

Now let’s talk about that wardrobe….

Olivia has  a number of great signature pieces which are must haves for our  winter  wardrobes, from the wrap coat to the elbow length glove.  Nobody wears a statement jacket and wide leg trousers like Olivia when she is strutting towards the Oval talking into her cell at 100 mph, coffee and Prada tote in hand.

Extramarital affairs aside Olivia is pretty perfect (note to self, this is a fictional character!). Only time will tell whether Olivia and Fitz will end up  living happily ever after, or succumb to one of Mellie’s many schemes. All I know is that Scandal is one of the best TV dramas of all time and Shonda Rhimes is a genius!

Here is my edit of all things Olivia, can you handle it?

Paloma

Will you need an overnight stay?

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We have all been there, it is 8pm and we are in the dining room of our hotel trying to eat inconspicuously whilst reading a book, a magazine, or the menu.  Frankly, we are trying to do anything which does not scream I am dining alone. Whilst we may offer a mutually empathetic look to another female diner,  random guy at the bar, it’s a Tuesday night and we’re just not interested!

As the evening goes on we have managed to make it through our main course on our phones,  anything to break the monotony of our ‘table for one’ situation.  This is then followed by a decision as to whether we want dessert, or just a coffee before we go up to our room.  After all we have an early start the next day, and we really do need to  have that last read through our presentation notes.

Whilst this may seem familiar to those of us who have travelled extensively on business, it never seems to surprise me how liberating a night in a hotel on our own can actually be.  So what if we’re on our own , there are advantages, such as room service, a turned down bed and the luxury of using our Decleor body scrub in a bath tub we do not have to clean.  When we look at the overnight stay in this way , it is seen as a benefit, a luxury, the ever elusive ‘alone time’ with our laptops.  So instead of dreading ‘dinner for one’ embrace this time as dinner cooked for ‘one’.

There are some moments where it is all about you….

Paloma

Porte la Culotte! (Wear the trousers)

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Sometimes we need to wear the trousers at work, step up to the plate and ‘Lean In’.  Although, we don’t want to wear just any old pair of trousers, we want to be able to ‘porte la culotte’!

My favourite pair are these fabulous Karen Millen culottes which come in grey and black. Dress them up with a Givenchy deconstructed white shirt, or dress them down with a Ted Baker embellished sweater. Alternatively, be the smartest employee in the room and team your KM culottes with a  statement  jacket to create the ultimate A/W 14/15 power suit.

Paloma  

Face Facts Part 1: Deep exfoliation and hydration

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Wind chill factor, central heating, need I go on? Our skin is definitely on high alert all through the winter period, a combination of the elements and pollution accelerating the ageing process.

At times like these we need to ensure that we have some great skin savers in our office draw to protect and hydrate our skin.  The words cleanse, tone and moisturise are ingrained into our psyche from a young age, but a little exfoliation goes a long way!   CC creams and laser treatments dazzle us with their promises, and yes the Clarisonic is queen, but nothing can beat great nutrition.  Excess food and alcohol combined with too little sleep can be the undoing of our skin, but with a little help from these amazing products our skin can be luminous in 2015 and beyond!

Paloma