Woah is Natalie Portman having the time of her life or what!!

So happy and excited for Natalie Portman for winning the Best Actress award! She's indeed the epitome of success, having everything going for her right now! Incredibly gorgeous and beautiful, brilliantly talented, blissful mummy-to-be, and now an Oscar - all these and she's barely 30... oh, did I mention she holds a Psychology Degree from Harvard University?

Natalie Portman glowing in her plum, off-shoulder Rodarte dress

Natalie Portman won an Oscar. But Anne Hathaway swept the fashion awards hands down! She stole the limelight with seven different stunning dresses (plus 1 Lanvin tuxedo with Swarovski-crystal laden heels)... Our Princess Diaries girl has finally grown up to become the Devil of Prada!

My favourite look is her in this red hot Valentino dress - her porcelain skin brings the best out of this colour... And I'm undecided about her high-necked, long-sleeved, sequined Tom Ford gown.. What do you think?

Here are the full results from 83rd Academy Awards - if you still haven't heard by now...

TGIF!!! :D

Friday: What to wear for work-date Friday?

It's finally Friday, and we can't wait to hit the bar, catch a movie, or just spend some time with that special someone...

What if you're going on a date, and have not enough time to go home and pretty-up yourself after work? Simply throw on a cardigan to look more 'proper' at work, and voila you can transform yourself into a stunning and gorgeous date that he's definitely gonna be proud of.

Short post - shan't hold you back from that date now can I? :)

Have a great weekend!

Booze & schmooze

Thursday: What to wear to a corporate cocktail / networking function?

Has it really been....2 weeks?! Hectic work and crazy travel schedules have gotten the better of me, and I'm glad to be back now! These busy times really call for life-saving work dresses, which saves me time with no need to select and match my outfit, so I can extend my beauty sleep :)

And with that we're almost at the end of this Work Dresses Wardrobe Classic series.

It's Thursday, and I can almost hear people cracking up with the clinking of wine glasses and beer mugs. But wait, before we kick our shoes off, let our hair down, and have too much to drink, do you know who you're clinking your glass with - is it your colleague, boss, business contact, or potential employer?

Making an impression during networking involves how we carry ourselves, what we say, how we say it, and how we look. "First impressions count", we've heard this a thousand times. And it's true, we have to admit that most of us form impressions of others within a split second. While impressions may sometimes be changeable, why not make a good first impression at the onset rather than work to improve others' perception thereafter?

A corporate cocktail dress has to look professional and proper, yet interesting enough so we don't look too standoffish.

Tips:

1. Colour. An easy choice would be the LBD - but I'm sure we can do better than that! Experiment with colours - go for something bright if you're not afraid to be the centre of attraction. I'd usually opt for something darker to mask possible food or ink stains I might have accumulated over the day.

2. Necklines. It's afterall a semi-professional setting, and I'm sure you don't want to draw attention for the wrong reasons. In my view, cleavage-bearing tops are distracting for men (and some envious women too), and could send wrong signals.

3. Accessorize. Wearing a silver belt rather than the default purple one is a very subtle way of making this outfit look more interesting. Some networking experts recommend wearing very prominent and almost controversial accessories, such as feather hats or flower brooches. These are sure conversation topic-starters, and reduces the barrier for people to approach you.

4. Bag. Finally, bring along a small bag just enough for your lip gloss for touching up, credit cards for paying, name cards for networking, and mobile phone for dialing a cab. Leave your laptops at home - you have a drink in hand, you need shake people's hands, then hand out your business cards...laptop bags are too much of a hassle to handle during a cocktail session...

Now we've seen the Corporate LBD, power dress, shift dress, 'you' dress... Convinced of the versatility of dresses? Can't wait to hit the malls and stock up your wardrobe? Don't forget to check out the final instalment of this series to complete your collection!

Beat that mid-week syndrome with a 'YOU' dress!

Wednesday: What to wear on a mid-week?

The alarm clock rings. You hit the snooze button. Minutes later, it rings again. You're feeling lethargic. Even though Monday seems far away, shades of blue still linger on. Friday is a bit of a stretch away for you to shout out TGIF convincingly.

It's mid-week - Wednesday.

It's the hardest day to pin down what style to wear. You need not be too formal, since all the important meetings are over. Yet, it's not quite the end of the week, so you can't dress too casual.

But it's also the most interesting day of the week, since we get to exhibit our individuality and be more like ourselves (unless you're a seriously workaholic power dresser by default!). Look at the different styles of dresses we have to choose from!

Tips:

1. Be cautious not to go too wild, even though you may be tempted to unleash the inner you. The level of acceptance for mid-week dressing differs drastically from workplace to workplace,and usually depends on:

-- industry (e.g. media folks tend to have more poetic licences vs. techies who prefer to play it down)

-- function (e.g. marketing team tends to soak up all the creative juices in the company vs. customer service needs to be proper and presentable to customers)

-- job level (Dress your part. Will you be taken seriously in this dress? Will I stand out from my colleagues...in a bad way? How will my reports, coworkers, bosses, and clients see me?)

2. Play with styles, details, colours, fabrics, and accessories.

-- Styles (e.g. wrap dress [1], a-line dresses [3, 4/5, 6, 7, 10])

--Details (e.g. bow [2], trimmings [3], buttons [10])

-- Colours (e.g red, green, yellow, blue...and multi-coloured!)

-- Fabrics (e.g. tweed [3], satin sheen [7])

-- Accessories (e.g. necklaces and shoes [4/5])

3. Gradually let loose if you're new in the company/team. When venturing into new territories, you don't want to be the talk of the town - for the wrong reasons. I'll always don my 'safer' pieces first before decking out the more striking ones (e.g. sticking to muted colours such as beige rather than going for yellow)...until I build rapport with everyone, and get a hold on the workplace fashion boundaries!

See Wednesdays aren't that bad after all right? Go on, show off your inner-self today! :)

Do you know you are (most probably) underpaid?

Tuesday: What to wear when asking for a promotion or pay raise?

Do you know we're earning 37%* lesser than men? Yes, this is based on MOM's most recent 2009 statistics. Some industries, such as financial services, seem to be more biased towards our male counterparts (with them earning 53% more than us!); while others, such as administrative services, still show a 12% gap.

(*Considering an annual income of SGD30k, 37% translates to a whopping 11k! Read: that's almost 1 pair of Manolos per month for a year!!!)

So what causes this gender-income divide in this day and age? Does this indicate that we're lagging far behind workforce gender equality? Before concluding that fleeing to another less biased city is my best bet to grow my wealth, I decided to delve a little deeper on this topic. I was astonished to find that this is true even in the 'land of the free' - narrower gap of 23%, but a gap nonetheless.

One of the key reasons, it seems, is this - women don't negotiate enough. Studies have shown that we typically don't negotiate our starting pay - at all. And for the brave ones amongst us who do, we don't negotiate hard enough. In fact, a whole book has been written on this topic (Women Don't Ask, by Linda Babcock & Sara Laschever).

Negotiating for a pay raise or promotion can be daunting indeed. But that doesn't mean that we should shun away from it! Can you imagine what a huge boost to your self-esteem it would be when you succeed at this quest? :)

Apart from preparing a list of your accomplishments (with specific examples), strengths (including soft skills such as people management), and aspirations for your team/organization, you need to add a visual punch with your outfit. This outfit must scream unstoppable, yet not come across as OTT or too pushy.

A shift dress is the perfect choice. It's not too over-bearing like a crisp, long-sleeved shirt or suit, nor will you get mistaken for looking too casual or not assertive enough.

I particularly love this one cos of its squarish-round neckline with thin pink trimmings (trimmings not extremely visible here), which softens the otherwise stark black dress. Sewn-on pink ribbons double up as a belt to give a sharp, sleek silhouette.

Tips:

1. Pairing this with black pumps is a safe bet, but why not try nude pumps? I personally find that nude pumps have a leg-lengthening effect :)

2. Depending on industries and seniority levels, you might like to put on a jacket to up the serious quotient.

Looking right is half the battle won, girls. Psyche yourself up by collecting your thoughts, stand up straight, steel your shoulders, and believe that you deserve this. Take a deep breath and success will be on your side! ;)

Good luck, girls!

Wanna feel confident? Wear it and believe in it!

Monday: What to wear for that important meeting or presentation?

Public speaking can an unnerving experience. You want (and need) your audience to listen to what you're saying, understand what you're saying, and be impressed with what you're saying. It doesn't matter if the 'public' or 'audience' is a room full of VIPs, your boss, or just your colleagues. The outcome could be the difference between clinching that million-dollar deal, or gaining the respect of your coworkers. This is an occasion where we need and want to feel confident, and the rest of the world to believe we are intelligent, capable, and professional. How do we exude confidence, even when we're incredibly nervous?

This calls for the Power Dress. This outfit must look sharp and sophisticated, as well as scream poise and self-assurance!

Two essential features of a Power Dress - collar + straight-cut. Why? Because they can easily become part of a formal ensemble once you put on a well-fitted blazer/jacket, and you'll all set for that CxO presentation. Pair this with comfortable pump heels to give you that confident posture, and you're sure to wow the audience the minute you step into the boardroom!

Tips:

1. Remove the jacket and your power dress transforms into an everyday corporate dress.

2. Add a belt to give it a special touch.

3. Select dresses with ruffles (in this case) or lace to spice up your outfit, but be careful not to have too many and/or complex details such that it takes the attention away from your impactful presentation!

4.Think about what you'd like to communicate before selecting the colour of your Power Dress - Black/white/pinstripes for extremely formal; Steel gray for sober austerity; Peach/Camel/Tweed for instructive authority.

5. Don't think you'll ever need such a Power Dress? Think again! You never know when you'd have to attend a formal function meeting important people. It's definitely one of the Wardrobe Classics we shouldn't scrimp on!

Armed with this impressive Power Dress, it's hard to not believe that you are the best! That's half the battle won!

LBD...for work - my best friend!

We all dress a certain way because of how we're feeling at a particular time, how we would like to feel after dressing up, or how we would like others around us to feel when they see us. Ever woke up feeling like today is a sundress day or denim skirt day or black pants day? Do most of your colleagues wear blue on Mondays? Your best friend revamped her wardrobe right after her break-up?

What we wear is an extension of what we feel, want to feel, and want to communicate to the rest of the world.

Isn't this especially so in the unforgiving corporate world, where first impressions could be lasting, and people do judge by covers (sadly so, but this is human nature). I remember going through an internal struggle when I first started work - on one hand, I feel complied to power dress and compensate for my youngish, (then) fresh grad looks; on the other hand, I can't bear to let go of my inner girlish self for boring work clothes. Over time through quite a few experiments (some failed!), I've realised that dresses are the best compromise to look formal and feminine at the same time. Dresses are also extremely versatile, allowing us to achieve various looks with a different jacket, accessory, or pair of shoes. If that still doesn't convince you, dresses are the ultimate fuss-free choice since you don't have to worry about mis-matching colours/styles of skirts and blouses!

I'll start with the Corporate LBD - a must have in wardrobe (one of the most handy Wardrobe Classics I must say!) and real life-saver on fashion-rut days!

Tips:

1. A plain, simple, and well-fitted black dress will do the trick (main picture).

2. Go for well-structured materials (avoid cotton) so that it hangs well on you.

3. Look out for good lining as it makes the dress less clingy to our bodies, and less likely to bunch-up, hence creating a smooth exterior finish. (Tips 2 & 3 apply to other Work Dresses too!)

4. Pair it with pumps or peep-toe heels, rather than open-toe sandals to complete the polished look

5. Add a special touch to the Corporate LBD with accessories such as a string of pearls (left picture) or belt (right picture).

See how the First Ladies wear the Corporate LBD in style!

Special touches - pearls and purple clutch

If even Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are exploiting the versatility of dresses, we can't be too far wrong. I truly believe there's one Work Dress for everyday, for every occasion, and even every walk of life... to look chic, feminine, and sophisticated all at the same time!