Dressing without worrying about age in the area of career wear can be a lot of fun if you are given to such style naturally as are Capricorn, Taurus, some Virgo and Libra-type dressers. We can take hints from people who dress for these signs to give us ideas as to what always works in the office, boardroom and in meetings that are conservative. Many times situations have toned down the need for “career wear” as a relaxed style that America is famous for becomes stronger. Still there are people who love this style dressing and who dress this way for comfort regardless of what is “in” and what is “out.” I love seeing this sort of “proper” dresser who has a level of comfort (Taurus) while showing a certain amount of decorum (Capricorn) in a lovely way (Libra) and a way that works no matter where they go (Virgo). Let’s look at pieces you can collect that are ageless, even timeless, so you can invest if this is your style always or at times!

Starting with basics we can look at separates. Having more tops than bottoms is wise for a working career wardrobe. Investing in those ageless pieces that never go out of style and do not age you is best, and having pieces that you can wear until they wear out is great. Tops for career wear span from sweaters to blouses and shirts. Owning the very best turtleneck sweater in a perfect fit and fabric such as wool, wool blends, silk or even other fabrics such as high end cotton, is a great idea. Buying them in fail-safe colors like black, grey, navy, white and red is best. Using the same color palette and looking at scoop neck sweaters of light and heavy weight to cover you for all seasons is wise as well. I am not talking about a scoop neck that shows your cleavage for that is for another kind of ageless dressing. I am talking here about your scoop neck that covers everything up top but gives you a nice shape because it is fitted a bit. None of these sweaters should be skin tight for that is not ageless dressing and can look a bit desperate at any age!

Cashmere sweaters and sweater sets that come to your hip are always useful and should be bought in the above color palette unless you have a signature color that is not too loud! As far as separates for the top, blouses also are timeless and ageless. Button-down shirts that are a bit fitted and that are not worn unbuttoned too far work every time and with everything. Finding those that can be laundered might be your preference, but at times dropping these off at the drycleaners to be washed and pressed can be a timesaver and not too expensive. Remember that every time you dry-clean a sweater or item it breaks down the fiber a bit, so don’t dry-clean every time you wear a piece and don’t be afraid to use the “at home” dry cleaning kits for your dryer to freshen up a piece between drycleanings. Blouses that have collars that are classic such as regular size collars, collars that can be tied at the neck and no-collar blouses that don’t show cleavage are great while avoiding the trendy collars that go from big to small by the season. You’ll want to find a color grouping that works for you or use all the classic colors if you are more of a color person. Avoid things like tee shirts that look sloppy and wear out easily. Vests are ageless, but buy vests that are classic such as argyle, pinstriped or the colors black or grey. It is a fine line for vests so avoid any trendy vest or vests of bright colors. In blouses we have the exception of animal prints that are subtle and suitable being fine in a blouse or sweater. If it does not look like it can bite you, go ahead and wear it. If it does not look like a cartoon, wear it! If the color is not hurting your eyes, it’s good choice and any classic print will usually work.

Pants and skirts are best for career wear and the best pant styles are the high-waisted slack that opens into a wide leg, flat front, trim-legged pant, pants with a slightly below bellybutton closure with legs of any sort, even a slight flare (avoid the big flare which is aging), and plenty of leggings, tights and hose for dresses. Do not wear a skin-toned pantyhose with a dress if you can avoid it, for it is aging and completely unattractive. There are the rare offices that require skin-toned pantyhose but I’d go with a light, barely there black before I’d to with skin-tone hose. With these style pants you can wear the above tops easily and mix and match. As for skirts the classic and ageless styles are to the knee, right below the knee and slightly above the knee. Find the right hemline for your leg and stick with it. Some very lucky people can wear all three hemlines and if you are one, go for it! Styles that never fail on any age are pencil skirts, slight, not exaggerated, “A line” skirts, floppy or pleated skirts if they are long enough as above and made of fabrics named above, and straight skirts that are not as close fitting as pencil skirts but are straight as well. The long skirt is just not career wear in the style I am speaking of but can be used in casual offices. Do not buy skirts or pants in colors that are bright and not conservative for it will take away from your professionalism and you run the risk of looking like you are trying too hard whether you are younger or older. A bright yellow skirt will fail, for example, most of the time, no matter what your age, in the conservative office.

Suits should and can be worn, of course, in the office in spades. Take a page from the pant styles, blazer styles and blouse styles to get and idea of shapes and patterns for suits.

Dresses in career wear that are ageless are endless but I can give you some great suggestions. Try hourglass-shaped dresses with necklines that do not show cleavage. Again, avoid cleavage for it makes one look too young or too old and never works in this type of dressing. Short sleeved dresses should always have a sweater or blazer over them unless you are one of the lucky 1% that have toned arms after age 21! Most women’s arms go a bit soft after youth so don’t bother with a dress with no sleeves unless you are blessed with great arms or you have a light sweater on over your arms with the dress, even in spring. Sleeves on dresses can be long, three quarter length or above the elbow. Cap sleeves can work but stay away from any puffy sleeve for they are aging or make you look too young. Boxy dresses are not professional and should not be worn for career, but dresses that are hourglass and a bit loose can be belted so long as your belt is classic, meaning brown, black or grey, and thin or average width. Avoid any decoration on belts because they tend to take away from your style and can age you or make you appear too young depending on the “bling.” The exceptions are vintage or made to look like vintage, all bling, thin belts that dress up an otherwise plain dress. If your dress is patterned, it is best to stick with smaller patterns and avoid big loud prints. Colors for dresses can go the rainbow but all colors should be muted, pastel or dark colors that are of the classic palette I listed above. A bit of sheen to your dress is ageless and nice but avoid big blocks of gold, silver or any type of animal skin. Small patches in the pattern of gold, silver or animal skin can make the dress sing in the office while big blocks of these touches will make you look, again, older or younger. Sheath dresses are great when they have the feel of the famous “Jackie O” shape and style.

Over your clothing it’s important to have a wardrobe of blazers and office worthy sweaters. Again going with classic colors, and here I would not even try for red in a blazer unless it was blood red, one should think classic instead of trendy. Blazers that have a shape that is not too severe are best. Having a slight nip at the waist is best with long sleeves and a lining. A lining works in so many ways but so far as how they look, remember that pushing up the sleeves on your blazer looks so much more attractive if that sleeve is lined. A lining keeps a blazer in shape, helps it slide over clothing and just has more class. Stay away from loud liners in your blazers and watch out for printed liners unless you plan on wearing it with only solid color dresses. Blazers should have lapels that are of many widths and lengths. The blazer can reach to just below the waist, to the hip or all the way to your mid hip. Too long of a blazer will age you younger or older as silver or gold, wild lapels that are best worn on glam nights. We are speaking here, again, of office wear so classic is better to dress agelessly and appropriately.

Sweaters for office or career should be from the waist, or to the top of the hip and even some cardigans that reach a bit over the hip. Avoid the long coat sweater for career dressing because it brings down the outfit and they can look like bath robes in the office setting. Buy sweaters of all weights so you can throw on a sweater every day if you want and even wear them under your blazers or on a summer day. Buy sweaters made from the very best yarn you can afford and make sure they lay on the body and do not take a shape of their own. If your sweater is too thick, it can ruin your line and become your outfit instead of complimenting your outfit. Even if your sweater is wool, make sure it is a light or loose-knit wool for best results.

I have to mention here in what you wear over your career wear the classic trench and any military style cut coat works so long as it is not over the top in military style. Coats that are car coats to wear with pants, skirt length for skirts and dresses or even long will work so long as the cut is classic and you plan on removing it when you reach the office. Coats can have a bit more color and be a bit fun because you take them off when you are working, so have a bit of fun with them on the way to the office. Leopard, animal prints of any sort as well as gold and silver are too over the top for career dressing. Colors are fine so long as they are in good taste and muted a bit. Even a mustard-colored coat is fine so long as you remove it and don’t wear it all day. If they coat matches the dress and has a classic line it should be fine. Patterned coats are great and add a bit of interest. Bright colored coats are not so welcome in this area of dressing but have their place in another post!

Shoes for career wear should have heels ranging from flat to three inch, max! Platform pumps are out unless the platform is subtle and not exaggerated in the least! Boots that fit the leg and are of thin, quality leather work fine but the heel should be, again, from one to two and a half inches for your best look. Avoid any shoe or boot that has too much decoration and even a little decoration can be too much. A small classic buckle is fine or a jewel placed in just the right place can pass and look great. No animal skin or metal shoes or boots can work for career. Thin or thicker heels work well but be careful when it comes to wedges and platforms for career wear at all. Here I am sticking to conservative office wear and there is a place for a wedge in a later post.

Take a hint from the Taurus and look for comfortable, quality fabrics that wear well. The Taurus loves the feel of fine fabric and likes quality for their money. Watch Virgo for clothing that goes just about anywhere in the uniform fashion because they usually know what looks good on them and try to stick with it. The Virgo never becomes bored with the right clothing for them and this is a great thing when it comes to career wear. A page from Libra tells us about linings in jackets, perfect hems on dresses and patterns that are small and subtle. Mixing this with that is a Libra dream and they can teach the career dresser much about decorating their body! Capricorn can show us how to present ourselves looking professional, capable and classic. The Capricorn dresses for where they are going not where they are and tends to step it up a bit in what they wear no matter what their job. Classic is the Cappy way and they tend to dress ageless as they get older.

Good luck with the classic career wardrobe. Please post your comments and questions here while we learn to dress in a style that is ageless. Your clothing can last you a long time if you weigh what you buy, so as you read these blog posts look for your style and buy what suits you. I love career dressing being a Capricorn rising myself, and I admire someone who presents well. Throwing a kick into classic wear is my specialty but that, again, is for another post. If you are a classic, career dresser tell us about your style. I love to hear it. And include your astrology if you like, for that makes this all so interesting!