Skirts and stilettos: the fine line between chick lit and office style

Fashion Men ClothesThe fashion gospel according to Candace is: "Clothes are anexpression of who we are and where we are." Sex and the City 's scribe, the eternally young Ms. Bushnell, breezed throughToronto last Thursday for the ModWomen Lipstick Jungle CocktailLuncheon, named after her most recent book that's now a televisionseries and a newly released DVD. The networking seminar meets girlie gabfest meets shoe showdownprovided an opportunity to ask the former New York Observercolumnist how chick lit's crossover to television and film hasaffected the way women approach their work wardrobes. After all, her characters approximate Freudian fashion archetypes.Take Sex and the City 's Samantha Jones, a public relations maven whose sexual appetiteis stylistically expressed through bold-coloured belted power suitsà la Thierry Mugler. Lawyer Miranda Hobbes is much moreconservative, although in the movie, she takes risks with printedsheath dresses and chunky accessories. Interestingly, CharlotteYork's prim and polished look is not unlike Michelle Obama'sCamelotesque sartorial strategy. Conversely, Carrie Bradshaw'scosmopolitan hippie vibe is unsuited for conventional workplacesbut is nonetheless inspiring. After a decade of exposure to these characters, women haveinevitably been influenced to varying degrees. At bare minimum, Sex and the City has been responsible for ratcheting up the stiletto quotient. "I always say our goal with the fashion is that women should watchthe show and they should wake up the next morning and want to getdressed for work," said Ms. Bushnell, who happened to be wearing asubtly printed Marc Jacobs long-sleeved tunic and sky-high polkadot Valentino heels. Anyone who is suffering from Sex and the City fatigue can extract dress codes of conduct from such widelydifferent shows as Lipstick Jungle and Mad Men . "We wanted them to be somewhat realistic in the sense that youreally can wear these things to the office," said Ms. Bushnell ofthe outfits in Lipstick Jungle . To that extent, film executive Wendy Healy sports superslim andimpeccably tailored pantsuits that complement her long legs.Magazine editor Nico Reilly often shows off a lower neckline butbalances it with a lower hemline (in sharp contrast to the Ally McBeal era of bandage-sized skirts). Blouses boasting interesting details(ruffles, sharp collars) play a recurring role. Victory Ford is themost eccentric, but, as a fashion designer, this befits herpersona. Mad Men , meanwhile, is only now airing in Canada after a critically laudedseason south of the border. The sixties-era show depicts women lessas power players than secretarial lifelines (the ad guys' lean andmean suits merit a whole other column). There's something aboutimagining what's under the prim sweater and calf-length circleskirt of newbie Peggy Olson that makes her undeniably sexy. NewYork Times fashion writer Ruth La Ferla referred to this aestheticin a January, 2008, article as "the newly uptight." And just to stretch the television-as-office fashion inspirationfurther, an argument can be made that the gals of CSI and their investigative ilk have perfected the art of in-the-fieldfashion: khakis and button downs never fail to flaunt the curves. Peter Papapetrou, a Toronto stylist and fashion director forHazelton Lanes, is a firm believer that professional women canstand to gain from stylish and successful television characters. "I've gone into many workplaces and everyone dresses so boring," hesaid. Mr. Papapetrou recommends women step outside their comfortzone when it comes to everyday dress. This can be as easy as addingcolour accents or opting for a more feminine blouse. "[Women] are prone to say, 'men won't take me seriously,' and Isay, 'well, I'm not telling you to put on a bustier and a shortskirt and killer stilettos,' " Mr. Papapetrou said. "It's a bigissue because they think they're in a man's world and they want tobe respected and they still have the mentality that men will lookat them a certain way if [they're] too overt." Having just returned from New York where she was consulting withclients on Wall Street, Toronto-based personal shopper SarahCollins observed fashion industry types can take the Sex and the City model too far. "It's almost like the episodes and characters gave them licence tobe extreme in their fashionista self-expression beyond the point ofbeing flattering and lifestyle appropriate," she said. But being sartorially safe won't cut it in today's world, Ms.Collins adds. "You're trying to brand and package yourself; I'mdefinitely not a proponent of blending in with the wallpaper," shesaid. "A lot of these television shows and movies give women a sense ofempowerment and allow them to strut their stuff in a morefashion-forward way. It's when [women] cross the line into overlyprovocative and highly sexualized attire that the intellectualmessage gets lost in the shuffle; people do make first impressionswithin two seconds of meeting you." Back at the ModWomen luncheon where twentysomethings and ladies intheir 60s sipped Lipstick Jungle cock-tails (pomegranate juice andProsecco) prior to Ms. Bushnell's appearance, a general conclusioncould be made that black will always be the new black and thatfabulous footwear is the best way to stand out. Of course, a good shade of lipstick is an added bonus. Ms. Bushnelldug into her au courant Balenciaga handbag to find out what brand and shade she waswearing (Lolishine Rouge from Shu Uemura). "I'm surprisingly low maintenance," said the soon-to-be 50-year-oldwhose fifth novel, One Fifth Avenue , will be published this fall. "I'm actually a ChapStick girl."