Shiny Little Things

Since about 80 bajillion people have seen Iron Man, according to the box office numbers anyway, I think I can talk about one of the movie’s characters with the confidence that many of you will have seen the movie, and will therefore, know what I’m talking about.  Virginia “Pepper” Potts is played by Gwyneth Paltrow.  Her character is the assistant to Tony Stark, or Iron Man, as he is known in some circles.  Ew, I know, you didn’t come here for the comedy.  Pepper’s wardrobe in the movie reminded me of why I began my torrid love affair with the color black in the first place.  Throughout the movie, she is smartly clad in black variations of a suit.  Although most us aren’t blessed with the figure that Gwyneth has, the look is easy for anyone to pull off.  So, the next time you’re deliberating about work wear, think of Pepper Potts.

Here is a still from the movie:

Very simple and very chic.  The black pencil skirt (or a similar black knee-length skirt) is a wardrobe staple for the average working woman.  It so versatile and quite flattering.  The key for most women is to keep it at knee length and to be sure that it’s not too tight.  You’ll know it’s too tight if you see ripples right across the hip and thigh area.   The jacket here has an interesting cut and she has added a little color by putting a turquoise-ish top underneath.  The standout here is the fantastic pair of shoes she’s wearing.  I know that some offices don’t allow open shoes of this type, but there are lots of closed toe options that would work well.

Here are a couple of ideas:

The jacket, skirt and blouse are from Forever 21.  This is a great way to get in on the sheer trend without losing your job for indeceny.  You can wear a sheer blouse under a jacket.  You might, of course, want to add a cami too.  The sandals are from Forever 21 as well.  This is an affordable facsimile of Pepper’s great ankle strap heels.  The closed toe shoe is from Alloy.  The bag is Chanel.