An advocate has a long way to go through to arrive practicing this profession: several years of studies, then practice, succeeding the Bar and receive the License, and all the years to follow consistently keep updated by reading new publications on laws releases and case studies. It is not easy. Though, what profession is easy to acquire, where are requested high skills?!
My wish is to give my insights particularly to starting professionals, sharing some bits of advice:
- Make your working space stylish, using a few great pieces of design, in qualitative materials (natural wood, natural stones, metals, leather) to create an inspiring working space and a place where you will meet with your future clients.
- Compose a good quality wardrobe, with few but qualitative pieces; give preference to simple cuts and styles and natural materials (wool, cashmere, cotton, linen, silk). Proper clothing you can spot from a distance (and a bad one too), so choose thoughtfully. You will need suits, pants, skirts, dresses, blouses, blazers, and overcoats (mainly a trench and a coat). Tip: have many blazers/jackets and a few dresses, pants, and shirts. The blazers will work also as outerwear in Spring and Autumn; besides, you may wear the same underneath, and just by changing the top layer (the jacket/blazer) you will look like dressing all new.
- Besides clothes, you will need a few but very classy accessories, the best you can afford shoes, bags, and jewelry.
As for the first point, please visit the section Interior Design here on the blog to discover all the essential design objects and other interior design ideas you could apply to your office.
As for the second and third mentioned, I would like to share some ideas on how and where you could find the right pieces to create an excellent working wardrobe. Depending on the budget you are ready to dedicate, I have selected items from the budget, middle-class, and high-end brands. For all the articles, you shall give preference to classical pieces, neutral colors, pencil skirts and pants, A-silhouette dresses, timeless overcoats, leather décolleté, and a spacious satchel or tote leather bag (you’ll have a lot of paperwork to carry on at all times).
A few essential key-elements to consider before shopping the list:
Shirts and Blouses – choose elegant tops in good cotton, silk or viscose. Since you will be wearing these garments under a jacket or a blazer, I would advise selecting some pieces in standard colors, like white, light blue, black, stripes. Then some colorful pieces too, in dusty pink, red, terracotta, deep green, prints, just for those occasions when you’ll need to stand out from the crowds.
Skirts – as a woman, I can tell that nothing looks more elegant and on the point that a good dress with a good pair of décolleté! Choose pencil skirts and A-silhouettes for office days, and have some asymmetrical pieces for special occasions, in the office and outside. The same advice I would give then it comes to Dresses, except here I would add some wrap dresses in midi length – these will always do the job and make you feel very comfortable and feminine. You can wear with a blazer or a jacket on top, and the professional, stylish look is guaranteed!
Pants – with regular or high-waisted, with pinches, to the heel or long length. Acceptable in all colors, from the lightest Milky White, Beige, Camel, Light Grey to the most profound Dark Blue, Dark Grey, Burgundy, Brown, Khaki, and Black.
Suits or Blazers/Jackets to pair with tops and bottoms. These shall have a structural shape, made of qualitative materials, in neutral colors (mostly used are Grey, Dark Blue, and Black) and patterns (stripes, checks, and tweed).
Cardigans – Buttoned models are the best; you can wear them on top of a blouse or a dress. Have a few in cotton-blended for the spring-summer and a few for the fall-winter time. The most flattering length on any figure would be to the waistline, but if you like long ones, then they must arrive just a bit under your hips (to avoid creating a horizontal line on the hips, that visually will make your hips look larger than they are).
Trenches – I would recommend in a good cotton blend, and length to your knees, especially if you’re not taller than 165 cm (5’4 feet); but if you are, then a long one will suit you best. For cold tone skin type, I find that you would look more flattering in a dark blue color, while for a warm skin type, I would suggest going for a beige color (although, beige can be of a cool tone too).
Coats – recommend in a mix of wool and other fiber, to keep you warm, and better a model with a belt and sometimes with a hood so that in wintertime, you would not feel the wind blowing. For practical reasons, I would recommend choosing in black, grey or camel. These colors will go well with any shoes and bags of any colors.
Jewelry choose simple, but of high-end materials, less is more; for a modern look, mix silver/platinum pieces with some other in gold. Brooches and foulards are welcomed to complete and add uniqueness to your style.
Bags & shoes I would recommend exclusively in leather, these hold shape the best and always look curated and classy. Have some décolleté with a pointed toe on the medium heel in universal colors like nude, black, brown, dark blue. For the days you need to rush from one side of the city to another, keep a pair of ballerinas or moccasins.
ACCESSIBLE / BUDGET brands (items under 100 € + outerwear under 200€)
MIDDLE-MARKET brands (items under 300€ + outerwear under 500€)
HIGH END brands (the selection is under 1 000€ + bags & outerwear under 3 000€)
Disclaimer: All the selected articles from this post you can find today on one of these online stores: www.yoox.com , www.zalando.it , www.farfetch.com , www.net-a-porter.com , www.luisaviaroma.com , www.matchesfashion.com . This post is NOT sponsored. I am a customer myself of these online shops, and these are the places where I go shopping.
I hope these tips will be useful to you. Have a great shopping experience, and good luck on your path, take the lead, and enjoy your rise as a professional in your career as an Advocate!
Best wishes,
Nadiya
MetropolitanMe Blogger