From then to now

I remember when I first began working. That was in the year 19 something. My mother was my tailor at that time. She couldn't be happier to sew clothes for her daughter to go to work. In those days after selecting your style from a fashion book, you would go to fabric stores like, Jimmy Aboud and Classy Fabrics to purchase suiting material.

I had a pants suit in every possible colour; Sober colours of course. They included shoulder pads and buttons covered in the same material as the cloth and weren't the most figure flattering. Kinda similar to this photo.

 I guess the boxy look was in back then or was it because my mother made them like that intentionally.

Back then the most colourful piece of clothing was the inner shirt. I had colours such as neon green and fuschia pink underneath there. My dress code for Friday would be a pair of trousers from one of those suits and a button down shirt. Yep I only wore pants!!! I have what trini’s call “tin foot” and was veryyyyy insecure about them. People called me names like mop leg and bird leg in secondary school. Someone even told me that if I ran to fast I might take up flight. Steups

But I’m over it and I have embraced my legs to the point that I mainly wear skirts and dresses.

As a became a ‘Big Girl Now’ and was no longer about the suit life, unless it was for an interview or presentation. Having mummy design my clothes was a thing of the past as websites like Forever 21, Charlotte Russe and Amazon became my best friends. Ok enough about me ……. Sorry…. I strayed for a bit there.

Remember starching your shirts so much so that the crease in your collar was so stiff that it can cause you personal damage. Or calf length skirts with short slits that did not allow long strides or a wide leg trouser with that seam cutting straight down the legs that at times you would lose the original seam of the pants and end up with 2 or more seams  or  a shiny pants from the constant ironing. Don’t get me wrong, these items are still in use but they no longer form part of the mandatory work wear ensemble.

That dominant dress code has been abolished like slavery; women have definitely loosened up and office rules have relaxed somewhat. We now wear multi-coloured dresses, skirts and shirts. A full matching suit is no longer a big deal as we can experiment with separates. Cardigans, blazers, pencil skirts, crop pants, wrap and sheath dresses are now the pieces in our wardrobe.

The working women in 2017 is Fashionably Professional.  It’s about striking that delicate balance between being “in-style” or “trendy” and work-wear. I mean why must we wait til weekend or when taking a lil lime to dress up. 

Regardless of your style, your choice in what you wear to work is a representation of you as an individual, personally and professionally. It's about your comfort, confidence, style and how you feel.

Please Remember........

Have a great day ladies