Lisa Kisber, BA’01, BCL/LLB’05, founder of LKisstyle.com and Official Style blogger at Virgin Radio, arrived with flair, wearing McGill red, sipping a coffee, and tweeting about our event. A room full of women including students, recent grads, and seasoned professionals was there to hear what Lisa was going to tell us about how to dress for success.
The building blocks of personal style and body types
First, Lisa talked about the building blocks of personal style and body types. Bottom line; find what appeals to you, feel confident and experiment so that you can find your own personal style.
Next she covered trends and how not all trends fit every body type. We are not all created equally, so let’s not assume that we can all pull off capris, skinny jeans, or maxi dresses.
She talked about appropriate work place attire and covered how to dress for various job interviews.
Tips from the top
Lisa provided a great list of sites to start guests on their fashion inspiration journeys:
However, the gems of her talk were her witty and straightforward quick rules for the workplace which I will happily share with you;
- Dress for the job you want not the job you have
- A good suit is a must-have
- Invest in the basics
- Every day is an interview
- Sexy is not an option
- Get a good tailor (Nick Le Tailleur, 5500, Queen-Mary, Montréal, QC H3X 1V6, 514-488-4556)
- Don’t follow all trends, just the ones that work for you
- No toes in the workplace
- If you go extreme in one direction, do not go extreme in another
- Follow your boss’s example
- Trends do not come back in the same way, they will look dated
- Clean lines, proper and pristine
- Personality is still allowed
The crowd was clearly happy to be there.
There was a fantastic question period where women asked about casual Fridays (never wear jeans), how to dress for a speaking event (NO patterns), is bold nail polish appropriate in the workplace (wear it on your toes), and what color suit to invest in (a dark one).
Bottom line: know your work environment, take stock, and dress to fit in. Stick to what’s appropriate, but find a way to show your personality through shoes, accessories, or hair/makeup. It’s ok to make mistakes, tomorrow is another day. Most important; really get to know your own style so you can feel confident in what you are wearing and let your work speak for itself.
Joshua David Samples
Fabulous clothing samples displayed along the wall were generously provided by Joshua David (http://www.joshuadavid.ca/).
For more information on Lisa, check her out online at www.lkisstyle.com, www.facebook.com/lkisstyle
Twitter: @LKISStyle
A few pictures of the event:
March 15th, 2013 at 4:03 pm
This was a great mini-workshop organized by the Alumni Career Services office, under the ‘Backpack to Briefcase’ umbrella. Kudos for finding a topic that is relevant to the professional woman in all of us.
Often times, we forget the importance of what our appearance is saying about us by just opting for comfort instead of appropriate attire in the workforce. As Lisa Kisber pointed out, we don’t have to sacrifice comfort or be afraid to express who we are, we just need to assess our environment and dress accordingly to ensure we are making the right impression. This way our work will make the statement before we do.
I found her tips/advice applicable to every woman, regardless of whether you are an apple, pear or banana (body types identified by Lisa). Her suggestions on stocking our closets with basics like a white button down shirt, a great pair of suit that fits and accessories that reflect one’s personality is something I think we can all incorporate when building not just our professional wardrobe but our every day wear. And when in doubt, imagine a celebrity or someone you admire that closely resembles you, then ask yourself if that piece of item/color would work on them. If the answer is ‘no’ then it’s not the right choice for you. But have no fear; every day is an opportunity to make an impression.