Wednesday, October 31, 2007

How To Return To Work In Style After Having A Baby

Are you a new mum who has decided to stay at home with your baby? However long you choose to stay home with your baby, the prospect of re-entering the workforce can be daunting. Being away from work for any length of time can be a worrying time. You may feel nervous about being judged on how you look by your work colleagues, you may feel you have forgotten how to dress well and look good for work . There could be additional anxieties of how you will fit back in with your work colleagues, and how you will cope with being the consummate professional and being a parent to your young child. There may be issues about skills that may have grown a little rusty during your leave.

These fears can be compounded by worrying about your appearance when you return to work. You may lack confidence in your appearance and feel that you have let yourself go. Some mums develop a new body shape after having a baby and do not know how to dress to enhance their shape. Pre-baby work clothes may no longer flatter you now or, depending upon the length of the time away from work, may no longer look stylish. Mums tend to adopt a practical style when home with the kids, which is perfect for the home, but when you are returning to work, you need to swap your casual look for a look that means business.

When you are in total control of how others see you, that it is a really powerful feeling and will make the transition of returning to work much easier.

How would you love to have a Personal Stylist working with you, helping you to feel really good about yourself, and projecting a strong sense of your own unique style. How would you like to walk back into your office and your work colleagues say you are looking really well.

To overcome the fears of returning to work, many professional mums rely upon the services of expert personal stylists who show them how create a dazzling, professional look for the office. This will help you to let go of worrying that you may not be taken seriously by your boss or peer group.

There are excellent personal shopping firms such as the Glass Slipper, where expert personal stylists have helped mums return to work in style. While your child may not mind how you look, the board room demands a confident woman with a professional, stylish look. Mums who experience a change in body shape after having a child can often feel uncomfortable wearing their pre-baby clothes. For all of the mums that have used this type of service, a new look has made the transition back to work an amazing, energizing experience. After working with a personal stylist, clients report that they look and feel great about their bodies and express delight at finally learning how to dress to flatter their bodyshape and colouring. Clients approaching their forties and beyond are ecstatic to find that they do not have wear frumpy clothes. Working with a personal stylist helps mothers returning to work project a powerful, confident image that translates to a successful transition back to work and a jump start for the return to their careers.

If you are preparing to return to work after a break to raise your children, you, may be riddled with fears. Creating a stylish look for yourself will help you return to the work world feeling confident. You will feel amazing because you know that you look your best. That confidence in your appearance can bolster your morale and help ease yourself back into the working environment. You have got enough things to worry about; your appearance should not be one of them.

If you are preparing to return to work after a break to raise your children, here are some tips that will help you transform your insecurities, promote a confident, professional image, and help you regain your status at work effortlessly.

1. Spend time and money creating a flawless foundation for your business wardrobe. Undergarments that shape, lift, and smooth can make you look and feel fabulous, and give you tons of confidence. Many celebrities walk the red carpet in Magic Knickers and similar underweas can give you confidence by pulling in your tummy, smoothing your hips and thighs and lifting any sagging areas. Before you buy any clothes that your colleagues or clients will see, invest in some hard-working underwear that they will not see.

2. As you prepare to re-enter the world of work, dig into your wardrobe to see what you need and what you do not need. Try on everything you think you want to keep. Be as objective as possible. You may want to take digital photos of yourself in outfits to see how you look in them. In addition to front and back views, check your silhouette to make sure that your top and bottom halves are in proportion. Clothes that looked fabulous before the baby may no longer flatter your shape or fit properly, or they may look outdated. If an item does not make you look and feel great, donate it to your favorite charity. Once you have narrowed down your wardrobe to only those pieces that flatter you and make you look amazing, you will start finding the gaps in your wardrobe.

3. To fill the gaps in your newly reduced wardrobe, you will need to shop for some replacement items. Make a list of the pieces you need. Most professional women need skirt or trouser suits, shirts, accessories, and a classic, well-cut coat. Preparing a list of your wardrobe must-haves will help you stick to your budget and your plan. This way you are more likely to return home with clothes, bags and shoes that meet your professional wardrobe needs.

4. Before heading out to shop, take a good look at fashion magazines, catalogues, and websites. Pay attention to current trends and think about how you can adapt them to you. Do you suit wide-legged, boot-leg or skinny trousers? Should your skirts be pencil or A-line shape? What is the best skirt length for you? Do cropped or fitted jackets look good on you? What about colours and patterns? Make note of the trends that you like and that appeal to your sense of style, and work out how to adapt them to suit your body shape, size, personality and budget.

5. Head out to the shops early in the day with your list. Look for the styles that you liked in magazines and begin trying on clothes. Your goal is to find the best cuts and styles for your body shape and size, and to choose the colours that make your skin glow and your hair and eyes sparkle and shine. Then you need to start thinking about how to put outfits together, what will go with what and how to accessorise each oufit to make you really stand out from the crowd. It is best to get someone else opinion about what suits you best. Go shopping with someone whose sense of style you trust. This person can give you an objective opinion A friend, salesperson, or even better, a personal stylist can be an objective judge of what looks best on your body. If you must shop alone, take along a digital camera or camera phone and take photos of yourself in various outfits. You will be able to tell which ones are the most flattering and confidence-inspiring.

6. After you have decided which styles and colours suit you best, be prepared to be flexible and creative. If a skirt suit was on your list and you have found a trouser suit that makes you look fabulous, go with the trouser suit. You may find that certain colours lift your skin colour (and your mood) go with them! Be specific and disciplined about what you are buying. If you intended to buy two tops, do not blow your budget on ten tops and have nothing left for a bag or shoes.

If the thought of putting together a uniquely stylish and professional look fills you with dread, book a personal shopping session with a creative and gifted personal stylist. Within a few hours, she will show you how to look and feel amazing everyday at work. A good personal stylist will spend time getting to know you and helping you understand what works best for your body and colouring. A shopping professional can help you steer clear of cuts that are unflattering and show you how to focus on building a wardrobe that will have you returning to work looking and feeling confident and gorgeous. Good stylists will work within your budget to help you create the professional look you need. Plus, in the long run, using the services of an experienced personal stylist can actually save you money by preventing your buying clothes you will never wear (how many pairs of black trousers are in your wardrobe now?) A great stylist will help you spend money wisely on key pieces that you can wear over and over and mix and match to create a whole host of different outfits and looks.

For further information visit http://www.theglassslipper.co.uk