Dress in Pink (Carefully) for the Cure

I belong to an organization in Denver called the Alliance of Professional Women, http://www.apwcolorado.org/. Quite a few members are participating in the Race for the Cure, http://www.komendenver.org/ on October 7. I was at a board meeting tonight and tomorrow is our monthly luncheon. They mentioned that the participants are going to try to wear pink to the luncheon tomorrow. It got me thinking, "hmmm...pink for business...be careful!" While I make it a practice not to make big rules about dressing, I think pink is worth talking about. The problems with pink for business are:

-It's associated with Barbie. (Okay, so she's an icon and she's got a great body, but if you take her head off of her body, it's hollow!)

-It reminds a lot of people of baby girls. (They're adorable, but they're not so powerful.)

-Really pale pink can wash a lot of people out. (Aren't we all trying to really show up?)

Seriously, I'm not about to tell my clients or anyone else not to wear pink for business if they love it. I just advise caution! Here are some thoughts if you love pink and want to wear it for business.

-First, think about your occasion. If you're going on your first sales call with a decision maker who's known to be a barracuda, I'd probably suggest black and white or navy and white over pink. If you feel powerful in pink, wear pink hanky pankies until you develop a relationship with the guy. I'd also keep your pink under wrap when you're negotiating and closing the deal.

-Instead of an all pink suit, consider it for your blouse. Charcoal gray with fuscia is a really unusual combination!

-Pale pink in combination with other colors can be very elegant and sophisticated. Your textures need to be rich. For example, a silk charmeuse, pale pink blouse would look incredible under a pearl gray, cashmere blend suit. A sumptuous, pale pink, cashmere sweater would be great with a beige, wool, pencil skirt. Think quality!

-Pink accessories might be enough for some. Again, really think it out. Nothing you wear for business should look like something your teenage cousin, niece or daughter would wear.

Deck yourself from head to toe in pink during October to support breast cancer. Wear pink with caution for business!

Photo: bcrfcure.org

Does size matter?

I was giving a presentation last week and one of the participants asked me "Does size matter?" My answer? No! No! No! As women, we're so conditioned to judging ourselves by the clothing size we wear. On top of that, manufacturers and designers are driving us crazy with the inconsistencies in their sizing.

The fact of the matter is that the only thing that really counts is being healthy and making sure our clothes fit us correctly. A number is just a number! You can take a size 6, an 8, and a 10 from 3 different makers and lay them all on top of each other. Chances are good that often times they'll all be the same exact size! I always say that if I ever got tired of image consulting (which I can't ever imagine!) I would lobby congress for a law to require sizes to be standardized. As I mentioned earlier, our identities are often tied to the number we wear. And most of us feel better when that number is smaller. It seems to make sense that designers would realize that if they make their clothes true to size or a little bit big, they'll sell more clothes! Although it's practically impossible for me to fathom, but I'm sure that even really small women are tied to their size. If you've always been a size 2 and have worked really hard to maintain it, and you need to buy a size 4 in something...panic sets in! What are they thinking?

Back to the real point...It's really just a number. Except for Levi's 501's, I've never seen a piece of clothing with the size printed on the outside. What's important is for you to be happy and healthy whether you're a 2 or a 22.

I got a newsletter from sassyfit.com the other day with a great message from sassyfit.com's Celina Moser. It read, "I was a diet freak in my 20's. I could eat the same simple meals meal-after-meal and not really think twice about it. I'm sure part of it had to do with the fact that I was broke, but I also had quite the social life and hardly had time to eat anyway (lol). I was rarely concerned about how a meal tasted as long as it kept me looking good in my size 4 jeans. How things have changed...(sigh).

Today, the new me wants sass in different ways - more mature ways I'd like to think. I want tasty and good-for-me meals that can be prepared without much effort at all. My focus isn't so much about fitting into my super tiny jeans (to look fabulous for my next hot date). My focus today is about feeling strong and toned - and fabulous in my size 8 jeans."

Remember, it's just a number!