Chambray in the Office (Part 2)

Posted by Jalisa on Feb 19, 2014 under Dressed Up Casual

Good morning Loves!

Yesterday I posted a look using this chambray shirt and I mentioned how I was going to style another look, one for work, to show how you could wear such a casual shirt in a more business casual environment. Even though I paired it with a leather skirt here, you could definitely wear it with a pair of black, red, white, or even canary yellow trousers, and it would look fab! The reason I chose to pair the shirt with a leather skirt is because I felt the textures worked really well together, since the shirt is softer than the leather. When working with leather pieces, I like to blend softer and lighter pieces with them, to prevent the look from appearing stiff, stuffy, and just plain uncomfortable. What I also like about this look is that if you have more of an edgy style, this would be a great way to showcase that at work, while still being appropriate.

When it comes to choosing the best chambray shirt for you, there are so many different washes and patterns, you want to keep your shape in mind. For instance, if you are an apple shape, I'd suggest you go for a darker wash that doesn't have any fading, since white fading has the tendency to brighten and enlarge. However, you can go with a print like the one on my shirt, since it's a very small print that will not over enhance your upper body, or you could just go with a plain dark wash.

For you pear shapes, I suggest going for something along the lines of what I'm wearing here. The reason is because not only does it have a pattern, but it also has some fading going on in the bust area, which is where us pear shape gals need it, since our busts could easily disappear under a button-up, due to the extra fabric and it's natural folding. The same is true for you rectangular shapes. Both shapes don't necessarily have to wear a shirt that's printed, if it's a medium wash with a slight fade, it'll work. I also wanted to mention that when it comes to styling these types of shirts, button-ups in general, you rectangular shapes want to make sure that you're wearing a high waisted bottom, to bring attention to that waistline, which will also automatically enhance your bust line, preventing you form appearing frumpy and overwhelmed by fabric.

Finally, you hourglass shapes should select a medium wash. Dark washes will visually shrink your bust area, while light washes will enhance it too much, which is why I feel a medium wash would work best for you. You could of course play around with different patterns as well.