These Shoes Are Made For Walking

Working Girls, I need your help. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday approaching I want to make sure that I have a list of things to keep an eye out for. I haven't decided yet what to get my family and friends so for this Friday and Monday the items at the top of my list are for yours truly. (Do you guys buy yourselves holiday gifts too?)

One thing that I don't think I've shared with you all is that I walk to and from work each day. (I love city living!) Well, with the days getting a little colder, I need to find a good pair of closed toe comfortable walking shoes. I know some of you are probably saying, "Just wear sneakers." Uh-uh. I want some cute walking shoes that would go with what I'm wearing. Maybe some flats, but nothing too expensive because these shoes will primarily be used for walking to and from work only.

Another thing that I'm looking for is a new work bag. I have a nice leather bag that I was carrying for a couple of years until the strap broke on my walk home from work one day recently. I think I could probably take it to be repaired, but I would really like a new work bag. My requirements for this bag are that it should be large enough to hold my shoes/boots that I will change into once I get to work and as well as hold my workday snacks (that might be a whole post for another day). My previous bag was a short strapped shoulder bag. I think I would like another bag like that; however, a small part of me is interested in looking at some cute messenger bags as well simply because having a bag that I can wear across my body seems so effortless for my walk to and from work.

That's it. Those are the 2 work related items that are on my list. (I'm not counting clothes because new clothes never really leave my shopping list.) If you run across something that you think is cute, let me know. Also, I would love to hear if you all have any work related items on your shopping list or your wish list for this holiday season (and if you plan to get up early Friday morning to grab a great deal on any of those items).

Working Girl Wardrobe: Fall Favorites

It is October and it has just begun to feel like fall in NYC. I have been particularly giddy about the change in weather patterns because I get to wear my new fall coat that I picked up at The Gap on sale a few weeks back. It's grey and oh so gorgeous and makes me a feel like a Working Girl who could defeat the world (all good coats should make you feel that way).

Fall means that I can hide my bumps with big sweaters, long pants, and awesome jackets that make you feel like a superwoman. But fall also means that I'm gonna have to start drying my hair in the mornings which makes me a little unhappy. But on the up side, I might actually start looking like a human being at work!

So in honor of fall, here are two outfits that I am immediately going to purchase. Everything featured are from my favorite "save me money" stores Forever 21, Old Navy, and Target.

I am recently loving on purple and according to WG1 it is the go-to color of the season. I am also really into rings lately - big and gaudy is my motto. Brings a little bit of flair into my day-to-day outfits.

While this outfit is on the verge of being "too wintery", I still love it. My wardrobe is all about grey, black and red this fall.

Omigosh do I just love autumn and hot chocolate and apple cider and hay stacks and leaves!

Working Girl Wardrobe: cityclips

Proving that twenty-something's are taking over the world, here is my new "must-have" for the upcoming fall season - cityclips - a new stylish and oh-so-cute accessory and the brain child of a twenty-something Working Girl. cityclips are an accessory specifically designed to keep Working Girl's long slacks and pant cuffs from dragging on the narsty, gritty streets of NYC without having to resort to stuffing your pants in your boots or picking up your pants and wading through that flood on your way to happy hour.

If you can't follow my diatribe above (sorry, it's been a long day), here's the condensed version:

Problem: most work pants are hemmed to be worn with high heels.

Another problem: most Working Girls wear flats on their commute to work.

Solution: cityclips.

Here's how they work. You buy a pair of these stylish cityclips, roll up your pant cuffs, clip on two cityclips to either the sides of your pant cuffs or the back heel area (note: these can be worn in a multitude of different ways, which makes me giggle with excitement). The best part - the cityclips are made with magnets so ultimately you're not ruining a pair of pants by using these god-sends - you're actually helping preserve them!

Ok, so I admit, my black pants aren’t designer-made (admittedly, they’re from Target, but if you say Target with a French accent then it automatically makes them cost $50 more than you bought them for), but that doesn’t mean I don’t want them dragging or fraying. Even though they’re cheap, I still expect them to last longer than six months. So once I get my next paycheck, I am totally shelling out the $36 to buy a pair of these cityclips.

Now I just have to decide what design I want. My biggest dilemma of the day, whether I should get the large nautical anchor cityclips or the pearl cityclips.

Or splurge and buy both. I vote both.

Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me

The online shopping website Bluefly makes me want to punch a baby (just an expression, don't worry readers I'm not literally running around NYC punching babies).

And no, Bluefly doesn't drain me because of my slow internet connection or because it doesn't have that Fendi bag I'm dying to buy. No, it's because of their constant contests, giveaways and promotions. That. I. Never. Win.

WG1 and I have similar morning routines in that we both get up, shower, get dressed, and go our separate ways to work. Around 9:05ish, both of us appear on Gchat and proceed to complain about we have once again not won the Bluefly daily giveaway.

Sample conversations:

9:35 a.m. WG1: i got heel stuck in a grate

9:37 a.m. WG2: i got hay fever

9:10 a.m.: WG2: wardrobe malfunction

9:13 a.m.: WG1: heel stuck in grate!

You would think these conversations would be about real encounters on our way to work. However, WG1 and I have not recently gotten our heels stuck in any grates or had any horrible wardrobe malfunctions within the half hour it takes to get to work (though it is possible). These are in fact the conversations we had every morning this past spring as we played Bluefly's "Spring In the City" Giveaway. Last spring, WG1 and I faithfully spun the Bluefly's spring giveaway electronic wheel to see if fate would let us win a $10,000 spring wardrobe. Alas, we never won and the rigged wheel of fortune never spun us fates that would allow us to wear a designer that didn't have the number 21 on the label.

Bluefly gave us a mini-break for the first months of summer. No contests or giveaways presented themselves. But last week, I got an e-mail in my inbox from WG1 urging me to get daily reminders to try and win Bluefly's "The Designer ABC's Giveaway". I could win $1,00o luxury "loot" by choosing the correct shopping back out of the three presented to me.

I gave in and subscribed myself to receive daily reminders to play this taunting game that I know will never really materialize any loot or money for a designer wardrobe. And everyday WG1 and I commiserate about how we still haven't won anything. Sure, every once and while Bluefly will let us "win" $30 off any purchase that day. But really what can I do with that? Thanks Bluefly, I'll be sure to use my next paycheck to buy a leg of one of those designer pants (yes, I can only afford one leg at a time).

It's frustrating. But I come back for more everyday.

I'm WG2 and I'm addicted to Bluefly's online giveaways.

Working Girl Wardrobe: Glasses

Dorothy Parker once said, "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses." While I might not agree with this statement (you're talking to a girl who has been called 'four eyes' since the fifth grade), I do think glasses make a Working Girl look all the more professional. 

Take these classic tortoiseshell glasses for instance. These little suckers are the glasses that grace my face day in and day out. Do I think they make me look more like a pro than a schmo? I have to admit, when I'm wearing a pencil skirt and a cute top, these can make me feel like I could woo any client.


These playful and colorful glasses are all sunshine and lollipops. Sure to brighten any boardroom. 

Ferragamo. Prada. Versace. Designer glasses are like the little black dress of eye wear. And these Bulgari rimless frames spell out sexy secretary to me. 


Blast from the past eye wear can also spice up a boring black suit. And they're cheap to boot. Buy these throwbacks to the '50's from RetroPlanet.com for $5.99. The price tag might make you even consider to order these without even needing them to read your notes from your latest meeting. 

And with the right eye wear, a Working Girl might not get Working Boys to make passes but I'm sure they could get Working Men to make moves. 

Working Girl Wardrobe: Summer Fridays

It's finally Memorial Day Weekend! WG2 left last night for the Jersey Shore and I leave tomorrow morning. And no, it is not like True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore Girl, at least not all the time.

Summer Fridays were announced yesterday which means I get four Friday's off between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This morning I found out we get to leave at three o'clock today. While I was hoping for one o'clock, I'll take three, it's better than five. Much better than five.

The summer season is much more casual in the office. I can hang up my go-to black pants until fall and pull out my summer skirts and dresses. Here in New York it's not quite warm enough to leave the apartment without a light jacket, but we're getting there. Here is my perfect (early) summer Friday outfit.

Working Girl Wardrobe: Rainy Day

Weather Forecast for New York City:

Monday: Rain and thunderstorms
Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a chance of rain
Wednesday: Mostly sunny
Thursday: Few showers
Friday: Few showers

Since a higher being (or the effects of global warming) has decided to make the next few weeks of my life very difficult by soaking New York City with a minor flood, I thought it would be appropriate to write about what a Working Girl should wear in the case of a sudden downpour or just a smattering or even a light sprinkle of rain during her commute to and from the office using my new favorite website Polyvore.

If you couldn't tell from my little rant above, I'm not a huge fan of rain especially because I now live in the city. This ultimately means that on my way to the office the humidity will make my hair frizz, my pants will be soaked, and therefore I will be cranky all day long.

To avoid becoming cranky, a Working Girl needs to make sure she has three items in her wardrobe - staples that every Working Girl should splurge on to make sure she is safe from even the smallest drizzle.

A nice trench coat
The coat featured above is a Burberry Islington nylon trench that is unfortunately sold out (due to popular demand) -- not to mention very much out of my price range. But a good quality, classic trench coat is a must-have for any Working Girl. Not only does it keep the rain away, it is a timeless wardrobe piece that has never gone out of style. The look is not only very Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" circa 1961 but also very Blair Waldorf in "Gossip Girl" circa 2008 (yes, I watch teen drama - don't judge). I snagged my classic khaki trench from Banana Republic on sale last spring so look for some good deals as spring turns into summer.

A snazzy pair of rain boots
Rain repellent galoshes are essential in keeping puddles in the streets where they belong and therefore off your pants and out of your shoes. There is nothing I hate more than having wet shoes/socks/feet all day at work. I know, not a pleasant visual. The rain boots featured above are both colorful and playful and will make a great addition to a classic trench. The ultimate, timeless pair of rain boots to have are Hunter boots from the UK. A way to make them more memorable? Try them in this lime green hue. If you're on a budget, try Target for more reasonably priced version of the classic Scottish wellies.

An umbrella (ella, ella, eh)
The most important of all accessories when preparing to battle the rain is having a truly invincible umbrella. An umbrella that deal with crazy throw-you-to-the-ground wind and can beat off sleet and even snow if need be. My vote for best umbrella goes to the "bubble umbrella" featured above. Not only will it not turn inside out if faced with extreme wind conditions, but it will also help keep your hair frizz-free since it creates a "bubble" over your shiny locks. Another definite plus to this umbrella is its price tag - $16.99 at Target.

My rainy day wardrobe almost makes me want the rain to stay a few more days. Almost.

See WG2 Online Shop for Office Supplies

Recently I have become obsessed with See Jane Work, a website devoted to office style and decoration and since I write a blog called "Working Girl", I think my obsession with office knick knacks is warranted. And up until about two weeks ago, I couldn't get away with expensing notebooks like this when my office already purchases us $3.00 ones from Staples which we can just take snatch out of the supply closet. 

But a small glitch in our office's usually organized and spot-free glory just recently happened after our Facility Coordinator (a.k.a. Mail Room Guy & Copy Machine Fixer) was fired. Yes, the big 'F' word. And since then our supply closet has been pitifully bare, so I asked a higher up if I could buy these snazzy portfolios to hold my proposals in when I go on sales calls. I almost got the go-ahead signature before the higher-up realized I'm in the marketing department, not sales. Almost had them in my hands, almost.

But like I said, our office has been pitifully bare. And since our Facility Coordinator was usually the one buying all the tabs for my portfolios and pen holders so I have been salivating over office supplies I could not have while using the nub of a No.2 pencil to take notes at all my meetings. So, how did our Facility Coordinator get dropped? It is a doozy and juicy story. 

Even though I'm pretty sure that our old Facility Coordinator does not read this blog since h'es over thirty-five and a not a 'Working Girl', I'm going to change the names of all my fellow co-workers to protect his identity. Let's call him Bob and rewind my story to its beginning about three weeks earlier when my friend and co-worker Olivia heard what she referred to as "moans and screams" so loud she could hear them in her cubicle which is quite a ways away from Bob's old desk (which was practically in a supply closet...behind concrete walls might I add). Turns out Bob was watching a porno during his lunch break.  

Obviously, Olivia and some of my other co-workers complained and then received a threatening e-mail from Bob saying, "You all should mind your business. If you wanted to know so badly what I was watching, rent it yourself. It's called '19 Lesbians'." Promptly after he sent this e-mail he was asked to leave the company. This was a joyous occasion for many in our office because Bob used his power as the keeper of supplies to its full extent. I've only just been granted the honor of receiving ball point pens instead of the Staples generic kind. And thankfully HR has finally hired a new Facility Coordinator and our stock room is now brimming with more office supplies than one knows what to do with (even though they don't look like this, I'm still happy to have new pencils). And the new hire even offers to help package up any mailings you are doing. She claims it saves the company money. I call her a saint for helping me save my cuticles from the evil claws of the packing tape. 

That's right, HR hired a "her" for the heavy-lighting, technology-fixing, supply-buying job that up until now only a man has occupied in our company's ten years of existence. And to that, I say girl power.