I am not sure what kind of clothes to wear to an office cocktail party. Most people dress rather staid. I love dressing up but I don't want to stand out too much nor do I want to look boring. What do you suggest?- Reba
For an office cocktail party keep it formal using some element...it could be a darker colour combination and offset it with a fun silhouette. For e.g. here, a simple tunic over subtle river pants can be carried off for a work cocktail because of the sober grey tone of the tunic with the dash of orange at the back that shows through from the front.
How to coordinate an outfit? Does it always have to be matching shoes, belt and bag or are there other ways of coordinating? - Nitasha
Today there are no rules to coordinate outfits. Except the practical knowledge that what you wear should suit your body type, the occasion and the weather so that you're comfortable and presentable. That apart, how you coordinate an outfit is about personal taste. I don't like wearing matching shoes, belt and bag. It's not incorrect but it's too predictable for me. If I'm in a red Indian ensemble for the evening, I'd wear a pair of muted gold chappals and carry a small clutch in an accent colour that offsets the red, like a grey or navy. The aim being to create a point of interest rather than just a regular red and gold combination. If I was going somewhere conservative then maybe I would keep the bag muted gold too but the belt would not be gold. That would be too much. For me, it's instinctive and I've had years of training and practice styling and coordinating outfits. For those who aren't comfortable, the trick is to observe different permutations and combinations worn by people on the road, in movies, on websites and then figure a style of your own. A good site to check out is Net-a-porter. Each outfit on display has a beautiful combination of accessories photographed with the ensemble, so the buyer knows the look and the options of how to wear each look.
I also have to admit, for weeks when I'm busy with fashion week and required to be well-dressed every day, I hand-write myself dressing cards. These are notes I put on the hanger of the garment telling me what shoes, bags, jewelry options I should wear with it, how many buttons to close, what kerchief to add to a jacket pocket and other such finer details. I set up a week’s outfits and I am ready to go.
(Send your style-related queries to melange.metro@gmail.com)
