Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Yellow, Polka-Dot Bikini

In Good Company

This is what I would wear if I had to meet "good company". Using the finest manners and your best society voice, you would shake hands with a highly distinguished dame. She would comment on your gorgeous bracelet, which accentuates your pale pink manicure. She would remark about your perfume: timeless, classic, and quite like hers. You wore it better because your crisp white shirt, tucked into your pleated navy skirt and topped with a nautical-striped blazer gives you a look of confidence. And lastly but not least, as you cross your legs like a lady would, seated upon her Louis chair, she remarks on your shoes. Darling, she says. That's the power of a pointy red pump. You seamlessly become a part of the ladies who lunch.

Outfit Math: Datenight

Color Story: Oxblood

Oxblood: Shimmering sands, spice, leather. The Orient. Serious, rich, sultry and mysterious. It only takes a look to draw them in. You don't need anything else.

Outfit Math 201: Business Formal

Business formal. It gives the best of us a lingering feeling of dread. But it doesn't have to be that way. 
Be the talk of your office: in a good way, and dress to impress.
The basis of any business formal wear is a nice, tailored suit. A pantsuit, skirt suit, really, any suit is acceptable. It must be in a business color: black, navy, charcoal, dark grey. You want to tell the world, "I mean business! Take me seriously". 
No matter which suit you settle on, you need a shirt under it. It's quite against any dress code without one. A beautiful silk blouse in a flattering color would do your suit justice.
Sensible shoes don't have to be unattractive. Black goes with everything, and a classic style like a mid-heel pointy pump will serve you for your career. Unless the shoes are ruined somehow. Then you ought to get a new pair. 
The purse, the briefcase, the career sac. Whatever you call it, it must match your shoes! This is business formal, and once again, a black bag in a classic silhouette will last forever. It can hold your iPhone, your Blackberry, your pager, your agenda, your personal cell phone, your iPad, your laptop, breath mints, wallet, and spare flats. Basically, it holds your life.
Office perfume should only be strong enough that a person hugging you would be able to smell it. That is all. Not even a person sitting next to you at a boring meeting should smell it. It should be a nice, clean smell, nothing too exciting and nothing gourmand or sexy. (Read: no sweet, fruity, cupcake, cookie, anything you can eat scents). Graduate from middle school.
A great watch, like this minimalist design, will serve you well. You can discreetly check the time during said boring meeting. Counting the seconds till the end of the day always helps it go by faster.

Cheekiness aside, business formal is one of the easiest dress codes to figure out, because it's rather formulaic. Suit, shirt, watch, bag, shoes. Now take those calls with confidence!  

Outfit Math: Casual

Color Story: Citron

Citron: demure, but eye-catching. A fleeting glance, across the dusty lecture hall. The sunlight streaming in through the tall windows, painting the room golden. The gold, the glitz, the glamor. Crisp, exciting, fleeting. Just another day.