Does a tie have to be just for men? If so, then pants should be worn only by men - right? Of course not!!! That said, most women are on board wearing pants to work - think of pant suits, but not many feel comfortable wearing a traditional tie. Why is that? I've read throughout the years that many women are afraid to wear a masculine garment that desperately screams, "I should be treated equal in the work force!" I can understand this concern considering that what we wear often represents our personality and can also can say a great deal about what we wouldn't say out loud 😉. I also have read that some women just don't know how to exactly style this small but powerful garment for work. I had a couple friends that told me that they felt silly wearing a tie to work and they would much rather tie a silk scarf around their collar. I guess they feel more feminine that way. Well, to each their own, but for me, a necktie doesn't represent anything else but a menswear garment with decorating potential for my outfits. The same sentiment goes with suspenders and bowties.
But, If you are one of the ladies that would like to wear a necktie or any other menswear garment but are afraid to look masculine, then this post is for you. Today and after several months, I finally decided to share another post from Monday Work Outfit category.
For this work outfit, I'm wearing a tie, but a tie with a print that is often worn more by women - the polka dot. This is, in fact, the first detail in this outfit that helped me steer away from looking too masculine while wearing a tie. Wearing a tie with a shirt-dress (a tent shirt-dress, for that matter) isn't something that you see at the office every day. That said, if you can wear a necktie with a button down shirt, why not to try with a shirt-dress? The effect is similar, but much more delicate. Another factor that I also considered in order to stay away from looking masculine was the shape of my bag and shoes. Instead of wearing loafers (heeled or flat) I wore a pair of pumps. You can't find a more lady-like shoe for work than pumps.
And for the bag, oh yes!! I took with me the most lady-like bag I own - yes, the Gucci Jackie O. The iconic style of this bag injected an extra dose of classiness to this work look. Now, all this color-coordination in-between my necktie, shoes, bag and lipstick wasn't an accident. I carefully planned this combo because believe it or not, matchy-matchy looks tend to look sharp and polished and it's safe to say, even more expensive. But all this red not only had a matchy-matchy benefit, it also helped the ensemble look more fun with the bold contrast in between them and my khaki hued dress.
Notice that I wore minimal jewelry, but dainty, in order to keep things professional and in harmony with the rest of my look. So there you have it! This is a simple and yet fun way to wear a necktie to work and yet look feminine. The idea here is to wear those masculine pieces with feminine pieces mostly if you're really afraid of looking too manly.
Stay tuned for my next blog post. I will share a look with this shirt-dress but with a very casual/weekend vibe.
THANKS FOR VISITING! 👔
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