8 Ways to Channel “Girl Boss” Style

I came of age in the 90s, when office wear meant wearing a suit to work. Yes, complete with stockings and heels. I mean, who wears that these days? Especially in this heat. But back during my time, a banker girl with dreams of rising up the ladder would wear her black opaque tights and heels with a tailored pencil skirt, a blouse and jacket. That’s just how it was. 

Maybe we were trying to channel the Hong Kong office girls, maybe it was an offshoot of the grunge influence when we'd wear tights with Doc Martens, I really don’t know what got into our heads then. But thankfully these days, office wear has relaxed to a point that girls don’t have to subject themselves to wearing heels, jackets and pencil skirts unless we want to. 

Today, the rules of work have also changed in the sense that people can work from home, in a coffee shop, a co-working space, even in the car while on the phone. 

But that doesn’t mean you’ve got to let your workwear wardrobe slide. No matter where you hold court, be it in a corner office, or your client’s conference room, it’s important to make a good first impression, and look professional throughout. 

Here are 8 tips to remember, to rock that “Girl Boss” style: 

Never underestimate the power of a shift dress 

- I have a friend with an arsenal of shift dresses that she slips into whenever she has an important presentation. It’s a piece that makes you look instantly polished, without having to compromise on comfort, allowing you to focus on the task at hand. 

Sheryl Sandberg is a proponent of shift dresses. Shift from F&F

Buy multiples of the perfect tailored pants 

- It’s a wardrobe staple that will serve you well. The possibilities are endless. Wear it to the airport with a t-shirt and sneakers, to the boardroom with a blazer, silk top and heels. Tailored trousers are a key piece that gets you dressed up in record time. 

Victoria Beckham keeps it sleek and simple in a white shirt, tailored trousers and heels. F&F zip trousers 

Invest in a good jacket 

- Jackets don’t just keep you warm, they have the power to transform. A well-constructed jacket should feel like second skin, with the shoulder pads resting on your shoulders, the sleeve falling right before the wristbone, and the hem hitting the hips. 

Jenna Lyons relies on well-constructed jackets to dress her up instantly. Jacket by F&F

Go easy on the accessories 

- Invest in a few key pieces and leave it at that. When it comes to looking professional, less is always more. 

Anna Wintour, the most powerful woman in fashion, knows the essentials. 

Wear some color, try new fabrics

- While loud colors can be tricky, there are subdued tones that can add just the right amount of pizzazz to an outfit.  That said, explore new fabric options. Who says chambray shirts are only meant for rough and tumble weekends. When paired with a printed or colored pencil skirt, it ups the fun factor to office dressing.

Hanneli Mustaparta makes a case for the mustard skirt. Check out F&F for a similar mustard skirt and chambray shirt

Consider a personal uniform 

- Just take a look at Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs. It’s one less thing to think about in the morning. 

Take inspiration from Steve Jobs himself. Turtleneck by F&F 

No need to be perfect, just be polished 

- Who wants to be perfect? Garance Dore says “Nobody perfect is cool. And nobody cool is perfect.” What we ought to aim for shouldn’t just be cool, but polish as well. A good skin care regimen, nice hair and a touch of makeup is a great way to show politeness to the world. 

When I grow up, I want to be as polished as Carolina Herrera, the ultimate icon of cool. polished elegance. 

There are no rules. 

- Do gamechangers and disruptors follow rules? Thought so. At the end of the day, there are no hard and fast rules. Go with your heart, stay true to your core. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. 

Stay true to your own personal style. Being comfortable in your own skin is what matters, as seen by the varied but equally alluring styles of Julie Sarinana, Miroslava Duma and Garance Dore.

Shop SSI Stores, Online!

Back when I was in high school and college, my favorite place above all was the mall. Ahihi. 

So, you can just imagine what online shopping has done to my life. It has brought temptation right to my doorstep. Eeep!

I mostly shop US online stores, and a few homegrown sites like Chicify, Elin, Seek the Uniq, Ava, Taste Central and such. But I've found another locally based online store to add to the list - www.ssilife.com.ph, and it's not just any online store.

It's like an online mall of SSI brands!

Crazy good right?

Of course, I shopped it already. Bought a tea scoop, the crowd-pleasing TWG Silver Moon tea to serve to guests at home, a bottle of balsamic vinegar and a stainless steel funnel from O & Co., and of course, my ever trusted K-Palette eyebrow liner from Beauty Bar.

Buying is so easy. As with the typical online store, I just registered to create an account, browsed the site (they do need to add more brands and products to the merchandise mix), added my choices to cart, checked out, inputted all pertinent information, paid and received an order confirmation. That's it!

In two days, I received this well packed box...

So well packed, all the items were individually bubble wrapped inside.

And when I opened each one, each was so pristine, it was like I shopped and chose the items with care myself. Love, love, love.

With most of the SSI brands under the ssilife.com.ph umbrella, customers have the option to purchase online, or browse online and purchase offline in stores.

Says Anton Huang, President of SSI Group, Inc., "We are the only e-commerce participant that is able to implement an omni-channel apporach, where are bricks and mortar will complement the online shopping experience of our customers and vice versa".

In this day and age where "customer experience" happens to be the retail buzzword, SSI is definitely on the right track, with a digital shopping experience like no other. Especially as there are more SSI brands to be added in the following months.

To shop SSI stores online, visit www.ssilife.com.ph

A Preview of Tod's Fall/Winter 2014 Collection

brightly colored Tod's Pin Gommino moccasins for F/W 2014

Tod's continues to push the envelope for Fall/Winter 2014, with Alessandra Facchinetti's second collection for the label called "Italian Set". 

While the clothes made from laser-cut leather are gorgeous, they are not exactly weather appropriate for our kind of clime, so can I just wax poetic about F/W 2014 shoes and a tiny D-cube bag that is the epitome of cute?

For the coming season, the classic Gommino moccasins are reincarnated with a safety pin like gold buckle, also in white, powdery blue and the lightest of blush, apart from the bright ones I showed earlier.

These heeled sandals will start the ball rolling for Tod's F/W 2014 series of shoe hits. One look, and you'll fall in love! These will look fantastic with A-line midi skirts, even plain 'ol pencil skirts.

These knee-high boots have that throwback to the 70s vibe. Glamorous and guaranteed to keep your gams warm.

Like Tod's moccasins, these ballerina flats will forever be here to stay. You'd want them in all colors too.

Now these loafers are the same ones I spotted in Issue #4 of Porter Magazine. The leftmost one, paired with a sorbet colored jacket and peach pants from Gucci is enough to convince any woman that these are closet must haves.

These pull on booties meanwhile, straddle the fine divide between practical and cool. Imagine this with super skinny jeans, a silk shirt and a boucle cocoon coat. Or even just an oversized sweater. I can totally see Alexa Chung rocking this.

As for the bags, the traditional D-Cube bag gets jazzed up with geometric patterns, or come in two-toned mink.

You'd kind of want to hug your bag tight when it's freezing, not just to protect your valuables but also because they look so perfect to snuggle into.

But I've got to say, I will willingly skip the bags for these adorable mini D-Cubes.

It can work as a coin purse, or some kind of minaudiere that can fit  a card, cash, lipstick and your keys perhaps. Your little girl wouldn't be able to resist playing with it too, I betcha.

In the Philippines, Tod's is exclusively distributed by Store Specialists, Inc. (SSI) and are available at Tod's boutiques in Greenbelt 4, Rustan's Makati, and Rustan's Tower Shangri-la Plaza Mall.

Let Me Take You Around Pottery Barn Manila

When Dada and I started furnishing our starter home, we shopped mostly at IKEA, but Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware served as my inspiration. 

I would visit the stores to browse, and keep catalogs I received in the mail as reference, convinced that if I studied them hard enough, I can totally recreate the rooms in our own home without any help from an interior decorator. Ahihihi.

When we moved back to Manila, I belatedly realized that with the lack of choices here, and the prohibitive costs of shipping things from abroad, I had missed my chance of bringing home the accessories and accent pieces from these US stores that I've always wanted for my own home - jute rugs, lanterns, the perfect table linens, party/entertaining essentials and such.

So thank goodness for SSI, Pottery Barn is finally Manila!

Anton Huang and Elizabeth Quiambao of Stores Specialists, Inc. with executives from Williams Sonoma Inc. which owns Pottery Barn (from L-R): Michelle Hummel – VP of Global Merchandising, Jennifer Ozark-Blanton – VP Global Inventory Management and Franchise Operations, and Leigh Oshirak - Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Not even Typhoon Glenda could stop me from going to the press launch. I excitedly went to meet my friend Cecile at her home so we could go together. I wanted to see what they had in store, and of course, usisa what the prices would be like here in Manila.

I am happy to share that prices in general are not so bad. The ones that I liked were reasonably priced. The furniture though, well, knowing how locally made furniture costs, are on the high end.

But that's expected given that these are mostly made in the US, North Carolina if I remember right.

And now, for a tour. I started on the right side of the store and walked around the entire ground floor before heading up the stairs to the second floor. Here's what you can find:

cozy seating and natural fiber rug, very "cottage in The Hamptons"

nautical glassware & barware starting at Php395

throw pillows Php1,950 (inserts start at Php595)

everything you need for a chic dining room is here, dining chairs start at Php12,500

linen napkins, Php1,950 for a set of 4. White catering napkins are Php1,450 for 6

blues and whites and more table linens here

resin corals starting at Php2,250 

wax candles and candle stands, they have flameless battery operated candles too

artisan made lanterns starting at Php995 for the glass lanterns

love this linen couch set

outdoor seating, wouldn't this be fantastic to have by the pool?

Jaraiza! This is what you've been looking for! Drink dispensers made from glass, Php4,500

Chic way to see what everyone's up to with that wall whiteboard calendar

Outdoor entertaining essentials

barware & glassware

wouldn't this make a sosyal lemonade stand?

Up on the second floor is the Bedroom section, the Bath section and the Design Studio.

From thick, fluffy towels to accessories, bathroom furniture and mirrors, the Bathroom section makes you want to redecorate your bath and start afresh.

washcloths start at Php295, hand towels at Php495 and bath towels at Php1,450

that hat stand where the bath robe hangs is about Php9,000+ if I remember right

get all these as a set - makes for cute and inexpensive wedding or housewarming present

The heart of Pottery Barn is Design Studio, where specially trained Design Specialists offer complimentary decorating and entertaining advice to customers. 

Whether you simply need to select fabrics, throw pillows for your couch or want help in decorating an entire room, a Design Specialist will be happy to help you.

I actually asked the Design Specialist on how I can care for this jute rug I have my eye on, and she deftly advised that it was easy to maintain and just needed regular vacuuming.

jute rugs range from Php2,950 for a 3x5' to Php34,500 for a 9x12'

Of course, I was told it was best to use with a rug pad underneath, which should be coming in August.

Yes, while there's already plenty of eye candy in store, there's actually more pieces to come as Pottery Barn brings in more products in the coming months. Expect more colors and prints of slipcovers for their Anywhere Chairs and plenty of other items that you might see online or in catalogs but aren't here yet!

Next up... my finds from Pottery Barn Kids!

Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids are exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists Inc. and are located at Central Square, Bonifacio High Street Central, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City.