The New Girl Upstairs - Your Working Wardrobe

Let’s face it, for most of us, getting ready for work in the morning leaves little time for being creative with our wardrobe.   I used to work in the City and, not being the best timekeeper in the world and so always facing a last-minute dash to catch the Northern Line in the morning, I found the key to a successful working wardrobe was just to keep it very simple.    Well-made classic separates – a white shirt, a trouser suit, a smart dress, a black polo-neck, a well-made skirt, a good blazer and a trench coat, all worn on rotation, would see me through the week and save me precious minutes in the morning.  I went for failsafe colours too – black, charcoal grey, beige, camel, navy and white.

But while my little capsule ticked the boxes (hopefully) looking both smart and office-appropriate, it could get a little BORING.   I think that’s where my obsession with scarves began.   Adding a beautiful scarf allowed me to bring a little of my own personality into the mix but without going too mad (I worked in a very sober male-only environment) and also helped lift my outfits without the expense of buying something completely new.   More than anything, having always adored fashion, adding a scarf to my outfits allowed me to have a bit of fun without compromising my professionalism.

And now that I work for the UK’s largest online retailer of scarves, I am spoilt for choice!    The uniform in our little office in lovely Lytham St Annes is much more relaxed.   It’s smart-casual which allows me to be way more experimental with my wardrobe and wear scarves to my heart’s content.  Nonetheless, I thought a working wardrobe edit would be useful to those of our customers who do work in a more formal environment.  With this in mind, I’ve selected five of my favourite scarves from our number 37 collection – one for each day of the week – to help enhance and personalise a few simple classic work outfits.    I love what a difference a scarf can make!

And don’t forget we have produced a wonderful How to Tie a Silk Scarf blog if you want some more inspiration for tying your scarves!!!

Silk Scarf – Animal & Tropical Print – Orange & Brown 

This pure silk scarf features an elegant and eye-catching animal print body in a rich palette of orange and brown. As you can see from the photograph, it adds a beautiful pop of colour to an otherwise very understated and simple dress and navy blazer combo.   

Zebra Print Grey and Black Italian MicroModal Scarf

The grey and black zebra print in this scarf looks great against office-friendly black separates.   If you have never worn MicroModal before, and like to be creative with your scarves, I urge you to give it a whirl.  It has a unique feel, soft but with a certain hold to the fabric which means it is easy to style.   It is also a great choice for scarf-wearing during the summer as it is both absorbent and breathable, staying cool to the touch.

Pale Pink and Cream Linen Scarf

This beautiful, ultra-feminine linen scarf taps into this season’s seemingly never-ending love-affair with pink.   We have styled this with a simple trench but it would look equally good over jeans and a fitted top for a weekend wardrobe.   I think it looks great!

Silk Scarf – Chinoiserie Pink & Navy

Another day.  Another silk!    This work-of-art scarf in on-trend chinoiserie is tied with a simple knot and adjusted so that the knot sits on one side, looks elegant over a simple grey dress.   This simple layer is an effective way to wear a sleeveless dress if you are not completely comfortable going for a total bare-arms exposure!  It also taps into this season’s unending obsession with florals!