How to dress to impress at the office

IS THIS WHAT IT TAKES

to get 

YOUR ATTENTION THESE DAYS?!

I noticed that my new 

popup NEWSLETTER subscription notice 

was covering crucial bits in the photo. 

Aren't you glad I took it out? 

There is a rumour that blogging is dead; people can't be bothered reading anymore. With that in mind, I considered changing Bag and a Beret to a nudie blog with nudie photos all the time, no reading required. But after several seconds of soulful contemplation I decided, no - it is time to grow up and become a serious style blogger. 

Reading is not dead. Many women, especially those over 40, will brave up to 200 words for great styling tips, and who better to dish them out than moi? Welcome to my first post as a Professional Style Blogger.

Mel Kobayashi, Professional Style Blogger

How to Dress to Impress at the Office

Note, my hair is tame, sophisticated, no more tower hair. I am wearing a tailored black blazer over a crisp white blouse, and, ever mindful of current trends, I have added a tasteful splash of colour - one must be careful never to go overboard in this department! - with a new skinny scarf tied like a man's tie. Coffee, glasses, and intellectual reading matter in a foreign language top off the look.

But what you wear with the blazer and blouse is equally, if not more, important. I chose black tights and sensible mid-height heels flattering to my ankles and kind on my feet when rushing to and from top-flight professional meetings with top-drawer people.

There are a few caveats one must keep in mind when dressing with true Professional Style like I am demonstrating here, such as being mindful that the skirt doesn't wipe everything off your colleagues' desks as you walk past and exercising care around handbags, zippers, cufflinks, fingernails, pens, books, cameras, eating utensils, jewellery, other people, and even strollers to prevent snags. Doorways are a challenge. Elevators and cars too. And chairs. 

The pouffy skirt is, however, a perfect tabletop for cradling eyewear and other small smooth objects in a pinch. 

On second thought, maybe I'll just keep blogging the way I always have, flying by the seat of my pants - which are actually getting quite worn now, but at least they haven't come all the way off like my top in that first photo. 

This shoot was a blast. I have so many outtakes.

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I am troubled that people really don't seem to be reading as much anymore. Or maybe it's not true? This was encouraging though: the always-stylish Une Femme d'un Certain Age linked readers to an awesome Instagram account a while ago called Hot Dudes Reading. Am I the last to know of it - 710,000 followers. It's photos of, yeah, hot dudes reading books, real ones. 

Okay, this is INCREDIBLY derivative but the issue of reading has been on my mind, so here is: 

Hot Harridans Reading

Besides, "hot" can have so many meanings for women over 40. This is a photo O took of me reading a fun book by Christina Schwarz called All is Vanity - heh. It's about a man who rips off another man's manuscript and what happens. Comic suspense. (Edit: No, All is Vanity is about a woman who thinks she's a genius writer and quits her day job to write the great novel - I have too many books on the go, mostly about failed and/or seriously flawed writers - what does that mean? - and I can't keep them straight. The ripped-off manuscript is in a book called About the Author by John Colapinto.)

I usually wear double glasses when I read, 

regular prescription glasses and reading glasses. 

I know - so HOT!!

If you have a photo of yourself reading, leave a link in the comments section below so others can drop by. If you're on IG I'll have a hashtag there too. WE READ. WE LOVE READING!!!

I'm hooking a photo from my brief professional style blogging career to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. I try not to miss it; she has the best parties.

I'll also link to Not Dressed as Lamb's #iwillwearwhatilike when it goes live. Thanks Catherine!

I hope you've had a good week, everyone. I'm still getting used to being on IG. So far, so good.

UPDATE
Fellow HOT HARRIDANS:
Ulla-Marie of DUDE (looks like a Lady) HERE
Val of Muse Fondue HERE
Connie of snow in the air HERE and HERE
Señora Allnut of Señora Allnut HERE.
Pao at Project Minima HERE.

Fake life imitates art in a fake life, and Hat Attack! Second try...

Oops, I deleted my whole post by mistake. So... 

NOW I'M REDOING IT!!! THAT'S MY DISRUPTION!!!!

Wearing thrifted mustard muppet coat, thrifted hard-worn tie-dyed cotton top, thrifted stretch tartan skinny jeans, black glitter platform shoes, thrifted silk scarf. Kitty is wearing whatever he likes. I don't remember what caused the disruption (yeah, because I have a new one) - probably a screaming child - but I do remember tearing down the highway in Kitty's red Bugatti before we hightailed it back to Carnegie Hall for his concert. Good times, friends.

Hello harlots - Today I unveil the newest trend which I, moi, have created in my genius-infected brain. Since my fired incompetent assistant Enid is locked in VOGOFF's closet, she pathetically failed to escape and restock my hair products. What choice did I have but to hang upside-down for this photo to achieve hair volume? The Boys are on their way over with the inversion harness on wheels, a hoist, and a truck to take me shopping. I call this "Eco Hair" - volume without the mess. When I think of all nature's precious and usually cute creatures I am saving by hanging upside-down and not using nasty, vile hair products I shudder and a tear escapes my eye and rolls into my eyebrow. My processional route is sterilized in advance but you unfortunates can use Eco Hair to sweep your floors and those little pennies that get stuck in your tangles may help you with the groceries. Poor dears. Ba-bye! Miz Bagg, Your Bagness.

I thought it would be fun to imitate Anne's awesome sketch of Miz Bagg that she posted at Spy Girl so I hung upside down off the table because, seriously, I didn't want to put product in my hair. Not comfortable - product or pose! I had to run and fling on a 10-sec timer. My sunglasses, the biggest pair I have, kept falling up over my forehead - not a usual problem. The dress, though, is divine, a thrifted maxi, made in France, wool/mohair blend with sparkly gold-thread serging and an elegant hoodie hanging up by my ear. I am using the hoodie as a poor excuse to join Judith's Hat Attack 21 at Style Crone. Thanks, Judith!

The view from my coffee shop, one of Vancouver's most upscale clothing department stores, Holt Renfrew:
"ARE YOU AN CON: Legendary moments await." I thought, what an interesting campaign, even though they got the "an" wrong, until I realized that the "I" was concealed by the light post. Boring after all.

So my upside-down photo is life imitating my fake life imitating art imitating Anne's fake life in her fake journal. I love the fake journal project Anne does, and how thrilled I was to see that she had incorporated Her Supreme Betchness in her story of Enid. Thank you, Anne. You have revived Miz Bagg! I look forward to more of Enid's adventures. Tee hee.

And - "What? More jeans? Stop! Stop already!" Blame it on the runners. I have been enjoying the fleet-footed freedom of these shoes, the knowledge that I could bolt at the drop of a chocolate - to catch it before it hits the ground. The words alone - sneakers, runners - conjure up dusty playgrounds, monkey bars and squeaks on gym floors.

These are my thrifted black jeans, $5, thrifted black blazer that fits like a glove, $5, thrifted man's shirt, more than $5, scribbled-on thrifted sneakers, colourful Harlequin socks, retail, and of course my magic loupe from O. A neighbour said I looked boyish in this. Coltish is good too. Not to be confused with the old grey mare. Or mutton. Or any other farm animal. Although I am good at bull.

Thanks for all your comments in my last post about IG. Lots to think about. Also, I'm not ready to give up on blogging.

PS If you have published and then accidentally lost a post, search for it online and you will find the cache that you can copy. Whew!