What to Wear to Work on Wall Street

Ahhh, Wall Street…. home of the New York Stock Exchange, men in suits, women with briefcases, crooks, number crunchers, and so much more.

Wall Street is a pretty conservative place, as far as fashion is considered. Men wear dark suits with ties, and women also wear suits with button up shirts and accessorize lightly with pearls, for example. You’ll see a lot of straight lines when working on Wall Street.

Being in NYC, you tend to have to do a lot of walking. Some women can run a marathon in high heels, but others aren’t as fortunate. Women will often walk to work in tennis shoes, but they will pull their heels out of their purse just before they arrive at the office (just please put them on before you go in the building).

WOMEN how to spice up your typical Wall Street outfit: Wear a lace camisole underneath your suit jacket  to add style and femininity. A pretty camisole can easily transition to happy hour--just take off the jacket and voila! Tie a colorful silk scarf around your neck instead of the pearls that you wear everyday. Wear a pencil skirt with tights that have seams up the back (not like you’d wear with your hooker Halloween costume, instead think circa 1940’s). A sheath dress or DvF wrap dress is another option that is conservative, but still girly and fun. Wear a blazer over the dress during office hours and take it off during happy hours. You could swap it for a faux fur stole or just leave as is. Thick knits are a popular fall trend and perfect for the often nasty weather in NYC. There are some beautiful knit dresses out right now that you can pair with tights and boots for a bit of extra warmth. Sweater tights are also a HOT trend for fall and winter. They're much warmer than the regular tights. Do something different with your hair, like curl it!

MEN how to spice up your typical Wall Street outfit: wear a pocket square, put an antique tie clip on your tie, or put a pin on your lapel that maybe your grandfather gave you. ALWAYS make sure your shoes are polished and buffed. Wear some striped socks from Paul Smith for that extra punch! Also, swap your plain black or brown shoes in for some brogues aka wingtips. Tres, tres, chic!

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