Today’s Outfit Idea: Tulle of the Trade

All right, all you ladies who push your style aside because you’re too dang busy just trying to get your kids or your partner or yourself out the door in the morning – the Fastionista is here to ease your style fear.

In keeping with the resurgence of grunge, I’m finding more ways to cross the look over into my professional wardrobe. Believe me, that’s not such an easy task, since grunge is pretty much the antithesis of professionalism. So I’m going to step outside of the normal flannel/denim motifs (which I took on last week in “A Little Bit Grunge, A Little Bit Glam”) and embrace one of the more general ideas of grunge-inspired fashion: pairing the pretty with the punk. So here’s what’s in my closet today:

· Spaghetti-strap Dress with a Touch of Tulle: My dress is black, with a fitted, detailed top, and even though the skirt is comprised of tulle, it’s relaxed; there’s nothing tutu about it. This gives me the fabric I want but in an office-appropriate way. If you want to do tulle, subtle is the way to go.

· White-and-Black Plaid Jacket: This will bring in the plaid associated with grunge, but do it in a way that does something a little different with the look—because it’s white and black, and not the same variation of red plaid many true-grunge flannel shirts feature. The jacket is purely professional with notched lapels, and the single-breasted cut allows the edgier top of my dress to be visible.

· Accessories: From here on out I’ll incorporate a little more to push up the grunge factor, starting with a black braided leather cuff bracelet that says total grunge: all the toughness of punk with a more hippie-esque feel. I’ll also go with a red knit headband, reminiscent of those wonderful knit caps, and I’ll finish with a black, silver, and faux diamond necklace. It has a long chain, and the pendant (a combination of metal roses and delicate metal strands) hangs just over where my jacket buttons.

· Purse: My denim drawstring tote is perfect for this outfit: its style as well as its fabric plays on the grunge idea.

· SHOES!: The shoes are an important finishing touch, because if I were to go with a swanky pump, or even a heeled bootie, I would totally lose whatever headway I’ve made with bringing the grunge into my office. I need to go with a black flat ankle boot. It doesn’t need to be entirely the heavy black boot of grunge, but there needs to be something about the style that mimics that idea. My ankle boot slouches, and the only detailing it has are monochromatic ribbons of fabric crossed around it, which I actually think adds to both the professionalism of the look (there’s some style there) and the grunge factor (if you squint, it’s almost like I had to use something to tie my boots to my feet...and if that’s not grunge, I don’t know what is).

Voila! There you have it: great fashion fast. And you, gorgeous lady, are ready to take on the world, Fastionista Style!

Be ahead of the trend and work these styles into your ensemble before they hit the mainstream.

Today’s Trend: The Cropped Top

We saw it a little this fall with sweaters hitting right at the waist, and with grunge starting to creep back en vogue we’re seeing it even more: shirts cropped the belly. I most associate the midriff-bearing trend with 90210 (the original one), but for spring, designers are taking it a step further than simply raising that hemline. Now they’re showing styles like button-down shirts only buttoned halfway down, and the really conceptual stuff just has holes cut out around the belly button area. I don’t see many of us taking the trend quite that far, especially around the office. Just a hunch. But we can certainly stick to the cropped style. One thing’s for sure, though: I see a lot more abdominal crunches in my future.