Work Clothes (Chic Simple): Casual Dress for Serious Work

by Kim Johnson Gross, Jeff Stone

The once useful formula of pinstripe suits, dress shirts, power ties, and leather wingtips no longer works. Chic Simple Work Clothes shows men and women how to dress in today's new world of work to commmand respect and ensure a professional bearing, and explains why the radically different new work style has developed. Full-color photos & illustations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion

176 pages, Hardcover

Published September 9, 1996

Reviews

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another nice entry in the Chic Simple Guides from Kim Johnson Gross and Jeff Stone.

I'm not keen on the authors' books that feature both male and female clothing because I have to sort through the male sections to find what I want.

This was published in 1996 and seems to reflect the changing styles during that time, which I remember. Once millennials entered the workforce, things began to become much more casual with women wearing provocative attire and no stockings (good riddance). The lines between professional attire and casual clothing began to blur, other than in settings such as finance, law, and politics.

I love a chic, classic outfit on both men and women. I'm not a fan of trendy.

I enjoy the history of clothing and the tips on what to look for in quality clothing. I have a barn coat from the mid-1990s that I adore and still wear.

This is a great introduction to people wanting to learn more about how to dress in the workplace.

[AnaConda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting commentary on office fashion in the 90s and how to dress appropriately at the time.

There is a very fascinating element to this that I am sure Gross did not intend to be there, in which we get a direct comparison of expectations for men and women. Such as men being told not to buy certain fabrics as they cannot just be tossed in the wash, while a the women get a list of skirt lengths, and levels of tightness and how to wear their hair and make up.

The writing is quite charming at times and I love the overall visual experience of reading the book. Very interesting and nicely formatted.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, 'chic' read that brings you back to the basics and to the boring, but must have necessities in your wardrobe. This is a must read for any personal stylist or budding fashionista.

[Eye Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

overall i thought this was a useful, practical book. good for the essentials/capsule wardrobe. the basics.

the biggest, easiest criticism here is that because it was published in the 90's, it is essentially "dated." much has occurred w/ business causal in corporate culture in the last 2 decades. whether its the hoddies of tech companies & start-ups to the tieless, open-collar trend now of the c-suite, b-club global executives ??? we are kind of a long way from Causal Fridays now...

the main thing here is that there is nothing new under the sun. the more thing change the more they stay the same. things come in cycles:

banded/grandad collars, monk strap shoes, timex weekender (& fossil...) watches, & normcore denim shirts etc are trendy again now post-aughties. so maybe you should have kept some of that stuff...?

if you are a young guy & completely clueless I think this book in tandem w/ subscriptions to Esquire & GQ would be a good foundation. for young women fresh out of college that need guidance for a professional work-place I think this is a good starting point.

so if you find this cheap one at a thrift-store or library booksale...

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on personal branding as you manage your career.