Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Guys, It’s December!! Where did the last 11 months go in 2017!? With Thanksgiving just in our rear-view window, Christmas is hovering around the corner. Which means you’ve been getting invitations for Christmas parties from friends and families! But not all holiday parties are created equal, and especially not the Company/Employer-hosted kind. The age-old “what to wear” question takes on an entirely different meaning and so much more is at stake if you were to wear the wrong thing. Still thinking about what to wear to your company holiday party this coming weekend or the next? I got you covered!

Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Product details:Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Product details: Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Outfit details: Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Eliza J is My Go-To Brand for All Special Occasion Dresses

Let me just preface this by saying this is not sponsored in any way shape or form! If you’ve been following me for a while you know how many times I’ve blogged about their dresses. It’s A Cubicle Chic tradition! I blogged about it in 2015, 2016, and this Christmas is no exception!I have a few outfit ideas to share with you this week.  In particular, this Eliza J  floral lace dress has these cute flare sleeves and is INCREDIBLY FLATTERING. If you are looking for a dress that will cover a food baby bump, this is it!!

You can find this exact Eliza J fit and flare dress from a variety of sources – compare & contrast before you buy. Some of them are actually discounted right now!! Eliza Eliza J dresses are almost always form-fitting enough and still flattering no matter your figure. If you like the style above but aren’t into this color or the sleeves, here are a bunch other choices that are pretty similar, ALSO made by Eliza J!

So now that we got the outfit selection out of the way, let’s talk other fashion-related etiquette for the event. I’m calling these faux-pas because I’ve seen them happened in the handful of company hosted holiday party myself. Some are embarrassing while others are downright tragic.

Avoid Cotton Dresses unless You’re a Boho Goddess

There may be a very flattering and company party appropriate cotton dress out there, I just personally have never seen one. The problem with cotton dresses is that they wrinkle easily, don’t normally flatter you (at least not the party dresses), and usually make you look very casual. Casual is the codeword for sloppy at a company holiday party. So avoid it at all costs.

Got a Big Butt and Want to Flaunt it? Don’t.

This is simply not the right occasion. I know you work out. I know you’re very proud of it. Heck, I wish I had your butt. But no. If you want to be respected for your professional competency, don’t let the impression of your nice butt tamper with people’s image of you. They say men are visual animals… I say people are visual animals. Especially when it comes to a woman’s figure. I think the line needs to be drawn at what do you want people to remember you of.

This is potentially a controversial stance to take on this topic. If you disagree with me, what are your thoughts?

Pick the right color of dress for YOU

This is a tough one. Everyone’s complexion is different, so there is not a one-color-fits-all solution here. There are general principles out there like warm skin tone is complimented by warm colors and cool skin tone is complimented by cool colors. Also, there are simply psychological associations that we unconsciously form when seeing different colors. Honestly, if I was ever to give ONE fashion advice to everyone who wants to know out there, it’s find the right color that compliments you. For me, I stick with feminine colors (white, gray, blush/light pink) and for the right occasion, I will rock bold colors like royal blue, dark green, or bright red. This is a general rule of thumb but I think everyone should have colors they always stick with!

That’s a wrap! I have another outfit coming your way later this week so stay tuned. In the mean time, if you want to find inspiration on what to wear to a company holiday party, here are all the other posts I’ve done over the years:

2015: Outfit featuring Dailylook faux-fur and jumpsuit

2015: Outfit featuring Eliza J two pieces dress 

2015: Outfit featuring Dailylook Juliette Dress

2016: Outfit featuring Morning Lavender Dress

2016: Outfit featuring Maison Jules 

Let me know which dress you picked to wear to your company holiday party!

All photography by Natalie Alvarado  @ Stylenfuse 

The post What to Wear to a Company Holiday Party & Style Faux Pas to Avoid appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

I think I was lucky. I didn’t start my career in the corporate world until I was 26 because of grad school, so I think I got into the working world a little more matured and a little more ready. Maybe I was more ready to become, shall we say, a #GirlBoss?

But thrown into the midst of the workplace without much experience, I was facing a steep learning curve and some real growing pains. Like my manager told me on the day I started, “Be ready to drink from the fire hose.” She was not exaggerating. And this was how my career in biotech marketing began.

It wasn’t just the workload or the new processes and jargons I had to pick up. It wasn’t even the fact that I was hired to fill a position that required at least 2–3 more years of experience than I had. It was the fact that this is now a new environment where things operate based on completely different rules. I came to learn that the work place is a complex ecosystem with hidden intricacies. From what you casually mention to your boss, what you use as desk decor, to what perfume you are wearing; everything adds to or detracts from your reputation. And reputation, as I’ve come to know, could mean the difference between promotion and layoff, getting visibility and never being noticed, moving on and up and staying static in your position.

So here are a few things that I have learned from 5 years of working in the corporate environment. If I could go back in time and chat with my 25-year-old self, I would tell her:

1. Choose your work friends carefully

Your work friends are people you eat lunch with, seen going on coffee runs with, people that you actually directly work with (which you have less control over), and people that you do happy hour with. This is simple: birds of a feather flock together. If you associate with people that are lazy, overly casual, “loose”, and careless, you will be perceived as the same.

2. Don’t be labeled as “The Young One”

Even if you are the youngest on the team, don’t ever settle for a label as such. Labels like this often come with the association that you lack experience or even skills. Just because you are younger in age, doesn’t mean you don’t have more to offer. Labels like this are also very hard to get out of once you have it.  What’s worse, is that “the young one” is often used as a psychological crutch that hinders people’s growth. Stay away from it, for your development’s sake.

3. Know your core competency, and find ways to make it shine

In the early phase of your employment, try to find out why you were hired. Is it your analytical skills, sales experience, or technical know-how that got you your job? Find it out, and stick to what you are best at. Are you good at Excel? Add data to your presentation. Are you really good with PowerPoint? Create a presentation even when you don’t need to. And in your spare time, develop other missing skills. Not great at presentations? Volunteer to present. Not good at Excel? Find a co-worker who is, and ask nicely or bribe them – do whatever you have to do to have them teach you.

4. Know the job after this one

This doesn’t mean you start looking for the next job as soon as you find one. This means that the job you are interviewing for and preparing for should pave the way for your next one.  Never leave “figuring out what my next thing is” till after you get a job; you should do that prior to your interview. The reason is that so you negotiate terms that allow you to develop skills you are lacking (refer to the last point) and make you more prepared to go for a more senior, but similar position, or switch to a tangential kind of function.

Shoes: Kenneth Cole; similar here, here, here Blazer vest: Chelsea28 x Olivia Palermo; similar here, here, here Bag: Louis Vuitton Bag; similar here, here, here

5. Find a mentor

A good mentor can guide you through uncertain times and difficult decisions. They may have been in your shoes and know the consequences of taking certain directions  But finding a good mentor is not easy. Mentors are not floating around waiting to teach you the ropes or how best to climb the corporate ladder. Mentorships have to be sought out, fostered, and maintained. But mentorships could also come from places you least expect. If you’re lucky, your boss could be your mentor. Or our co-worker could be your mentor. The best mentor is the kind that is personally invested in your development.

Whichever direction you go in to look for a mentor, know to always prepare questions before you meet with your mentor. Your mentorship is as good as you make it out to be. It takes work.

6. Your boss is not your buddy

Don’t get me wrong – friendship can certainly exist between you and your boss. You can even have a friendship outside of work.  Your boss is there to make sure, as a team, you deliver results. Your boss may even be there to motivate you, encourage you, and help the team be efficient. What they’re not required to be, is to be your friend. They may look out for your benefits and crack jokes with you and that would be great, but they’re certainly not obligated to.  The point is to never default your boss to be your friend, or worse, your equal.  Because they are not.

7. If you think you are being underpaid… prove it

Rather than complaining about being underpaid, spend your time investigating your “worth”. Simply put, in the working environment, your “worth” is equal to what an employer is willing to pay you. Different employers may have different opinions. So if you think you are being underpaid, prove it by looking for other jobs and seeing if others are willing to pay you your ideal salary. If you do, you either have found a new employer or solid evidence that you deserve higher pay at your current job. If you don’t find an employer willing to pay you your ideal salary, then maybe it’s time to explore options to enhance your value and skillset, so that eventually you can find offers with your ideal salary.

Top: Zara; similar here, here, here Blazer vest: Chelsea28 x Olivia Palermo; similar here, here, here Bag: Louis Vuitton Bag; similar here, here, here

So what do you think? I used very specific examples that related to my particular experience. Do you have anything else that you’d share with your 25-year-old self if you could go back in time?

The post 7 Pieces of Career Advice I Would Give to My 20-something-Self appeared first on Cubicle Chic.