Work Clothes: Casual Dress for Serious Work

by Kim Johnson Gross, Jeff Stone, J. Scott Omelianuk

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679447164
• ISBN13: 9780679447160
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Fashion Advice for Beginners

This is the sort of book one gives to new grads, people re-entering the workforce, people starting a new job in a different company/region/field/etc. Lots of visuals, which is always a good thing in fashion advice books. Some of the printed info could have been better arranged. (The creators need to sit down with all three of Edward Tufte's books.) The type face of some pages was waaaaaay too small! Another thing. This isn't really a book for women. The section containing advice for women is just thirty pages out of a total of 174. (hmm.) Still, I'm glad I bought it a few years back. It has lots of good, basic info on clothing construction, fabric, color, classic style, etc., none of which has dated at all. (Actually, I think I need to re-read it.)

a visual treat, with a focus on quality clothes

This book boasts the catchy, elegant chic simple layout, with fully accessorized outfits laid out against a white background. The focus is on classic (and expensive), quality clothing (cashmere twin sets, Chanel flats, $300 Hermes scarves)-- but you could copy the ideas using less expensive basics. The idea is to pare down your wardrobe to the essentials, accessorizing the essentials to look polished & perfectly put together. The text is interesting, filled with quotes from movie stars and other famous people, with witty comments about the clothes, what one leans in business school, etc. However, you'll probably be drawn to the photographs and captions the first time through. Only about a third of the book is devoted to female attire, so if you're a woman, looking for advice about women's wardrobe concerns, you might be better served looking elsewhere.

Inspiring Outfits

I really like how the Chic Simple books have no models. Looking at super trim men and women could have taken away from the real purpose in these books. While I can't exactly duplicate each outfit at Walmart, I can use these pictures as guides. Each outfit may not be your "style," but you can pick and choose which clothing and colors will make you look your best, and go from there. One day I'll be brave enough to carry the Chic Simple books around with me when I'm shopping!

Stylish photos and useful information

This book is a visual treat of stylish photos of beautifully put together clothes. The text gives useful information about a topic that has caused confusion in many offices. The information is practical and sensible. The only minuses I found is the book can be very self-consciously "hip", and there is an overuse of words such as "urban" and "edge". I would recommend this book to anyone who works in an office environment, and wants some ideas about casual dressing.