Thursday, January 7, 2010

My "Sexy Secretary" Look (and the Plastic Bottle Sweater)

I read with interest Sal's post (and the ensuing comments) on the "Sexy Secretary" look. Although I'm not a secretary, I often wear what I think of as that look, with fitted, body-conscious tops, pencil skirts and heels, often with some sort of fancy hosiery. I never, ever refer to it as "sexy secretary" - I just think it. It's a look that makes me feel very feminine and powerful.

I also want to mention that I do not work directly with the public - all my interaction at work is either with my co-workers (in person) or my clients (phone and written correspondence), so I can push the envelope a bit. I would not dress as "over the top" as I do in a job where I might deal directly with the public, like a bank or a law firm. Ya gotta know your audience. I also want to give a shout-out to my girl, Bianca, who so kindly pointed out in the comments of the above-linked post, "my girl Sheila above indicated that she wears SS often, however, I read her blog daily and would never consider her outfits inappropriate for work or fetishizing in any way at all. " What a sweetheart! Thank you.

Anyway, food for thought. I am always careful not to be too tight or revealing, but I personally think it's okay to express yourself through your clothes, and dammit, I am a sexy woman!

The outfit today features my new aqua sweater worn under my plaid bustier, and a nice (not tight) pencil skirt. The sweater was $5 in my favourite store that I missed so much last year, Dots - they sell off manufacturer's samples cheapy-cheapy.

I wore brown fishnets instead of black (I find black is too harsh against my skin), and check out my new shoes: Drool! They are Guess, and were about $40 - they are another of the 5 pairs I got just after Christmas with gift money. The insides of them are red - how awesome is that?

The stuff:
I also love that they are real patent leather (not plastic) and that the heel is not too high (about 2.5 "). They were super comfy.

A close-up of my new jewelry:
It's by Foxy Originals (the "o" in Foxy is a star), a Canadian company out of Toronto. They were 50% off (about $16 for the necklace and $13 for the earrings, I think). The necklace is from the "Enchanted Forest " collection and is called the Arbor Necklace. I don't see the earrings on their website, so they must be older. They are clock hands, see?

The sweater is actually made from recycled plastic bottles! It is very thin but warm.
I actually bought one in a nice grape green, but when I went to pack it this morning, I discovered I'd grabbed an XL by mistake. Whoops!

Sweater (Kersh), bustier (Le Chateau, consignment), skirt (Jacob, consignment), hose (probably Hue), shoes (Guess, gift money), earrings/necklace (Foxy Originals), belt (some tourist shop in Times Square).

14 comments:

  1. Lord, lady--I was all over The Terror like a fly to honey. I LOVED that book, & I'm a literary fiction snob, too. I think i read it in two nights. Have you read Angela Barrett's Voyage of the Narwhal? Also peripherally about the Franklin Expedition. It starts slow, but if you give it 100 pages it's totally worth it!

    I love those shoes! I've never tried brown fishnets--new mission for tomorrow! Acquire brown fishnets!

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  2. "Bustier". How I could have missed so much in 61 years, I'll never know! I really like this look. Is a bustier something I can find in a real store? (Almost all of my shopping is in thrift stores.) Where would I look? Are they stretch and slip over head or zipped?

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  3. Hi from freezing & snowy London!
    I am a fairly recent reader of your blog (found you through Jane at Work That Wardrobe) and love your posts.
    I am intrigued that you "pack" your work clothes the night before and just wondered why you don't get ready for work before you leave home in the morning?
    Fay x

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  4. Thanks for the shout-out, lady! I had a commenter say something similar about MY Sexy Secretary looks ... that they're tame and perfectly work-appropriate. There's definitely a gamut of ideas about what that term means.

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  5. Wow I had never, ever seen clothes made out of recycled plastic.... i am going to check that brand, just to be informed, I am not buying anything...
    You look great as usual and I cannot take my eyes off that tree pendant it's fab!

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  6. Recyled plastic sweater? How awesome! Hmmm....I know someone who wears an XL top that can take that off your hands...let the bidding begin! (something so cheap is practialy free and can categorized as such, right??)

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  7. Oh and I forgot to mention...rowr! I love this look!

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  8. Oooooh, so pretty! Love the whole outfit. And brown fishnets, what a great idea!

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  9. This is one of my favoritest looks EVER! Super chic and oh so flattering.

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  10. Julia - I love his writing! Have you read "The Crook Factory" about Ernest Hemmingway? I will look for "Voyage of the Narwhal" - thanks!

    Rebecca, I gave you a full answer in the Casual Friday post. You can probably find one if you look.

    fay_stephen, thanks so much for commenting. I addressed your questions in the Casual Friday post.

    Sal, you're welcome! I agree - great discussion topic.

    Lorena, me neither. Kersh specializes in knit-wear. I don't know if it's specific to Canada. Thanks so much!

    Sherylyn, isn't it cool? I thought of you, but the XL is not that big (it almost fit me) - Kersh sizes really small. Sorry! Thank you!

    Kristen, thanks! Yes, I think brown is softer than black.

    Thanks, FA!

    Wendy, me too!

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  11. Excellent take on the 'sexy secretary' look! I love the idea of a bustier over a sweater!

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  12. Thanks, Audi! I bet you could pull off this look!

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  13. Great office look I like the shoes are wonderful

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