The Art of Power Dressing

Dressing for work is, for some, one of the greatest mysteries the world has to offer : How corporate is 'too corporate?' ? How 'revealing' can you dare within office dress code boundaries? And how can those who work in male dominated industries find a compromise between a love for fashion and the right to be taken seriously? In a sense, it is surprising to be having these sort of conversations in 2017, but there is power in confidence and a little attention to detail can put the 'girl power' in power dressing and give us that extra boost when going about our day and smashing glass ceilings (no biggie!).

After all, power dressing is no surprise or new fashion fad ; some of the most successful women in the world (think Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sofia Amoruso, Beyonce or journalist Arianna Huffington) have made an art of power dressing not as something detracting from their message or work but, instead, adding to it and reinforcing an ethos or branding of strength, resilience and fearlessness. 

Our power dressing inspiration? The AW17 catwalk of course which mixes masculine details and rigid tailoring with ultra feminine details and touches with remind us all that a woman's place is wherever she wants it to be.

Suited and Booted

Suits have dominated the catwalks this AW17 ; emphasis on shoulders with a slouchy feel on the bottom half up the emphasis with a clever game of contrasting which can be carefully offset with minimal make up and sticking to monochrome palettes as seen as Calvin Klein and Christian Dior. (Pictures via Vogue).

Our extra tip? Pair a suit with a slouchy tote to keep the look minimal and fuss - free.

Similarly, a clutch in a pretty pastel colour is an interesting contrast and ideal to add an element of glamour to an evening look. 

And the ultimate stylish way to keep your office essentials together? One of our luxury pencil cases of course!

                                                  Love, 

Pepper Alley HQ X 

Hello September - an Autumn Checklist!

Autumn is one of our favourite seasons ; the new fashion, nature and the city scape changing all around us, warm drinks and concoctions returning to our coffee shops and the slow chase towards Winter inviting us all to embrace reflection, gratitude and mindfulness are only some of the factors making this season so remarkable. Perhaps, it all comes down to the youthful mentality of the brand and a childhood reverie sweeping the whole office taking us back to those first days of school, the pride in unpacking our new stationery for September and ultimately, the promise of a season to embrace change and truly give our deepest desires a shot.

In no particular order, this Autumn we will be:

Buying Into the Back to School Mentality (Literally!)

New shoes, new uniform, new stationery...how many of these things did you look forward to as a child before the beginning of the New School Year? This year, we will be sticking to stationery and treating ourselves to all the office goodies - gorgeous pencil cases included!

Spreading the Pepper Alley Love

Yes, the rumours are true, by joining our exclusive mailing list you will be able to receive a 10% discount from your next purchase on the website. Think of it as our little September gift from us to you - oh and do excuse us while we tell all our friends about it!

Escaping the Autumn Rain & Appreciating All Things Indoors

While the Autumn weather in London is not necessarily something to celebrate, all the excuses we have to be retreating indoors certainly are. This Autumn we will be enjoying drinks in Covent Garden (picture courtesy of @charlottesimone) and visiting the Electric Cinema in Soho for some well deserved shelter from the rain (picture courtesy of @seryfortu).

Embracing Autumn Fashion

From the art of power dressing (blog post coming very soon!) to leather being back in (as if we need an excuse to wear more of it!) , we will be wearing and documenting all our AW17 favourites! Oh and if the run up to Bonfire Night means we will have to embrace our inner magpie, we will do so with our gorgeous metallic clutches.

Trying (and hopefully succeeding!) to Be More Mindful

Excuse us for thinking a little too far ahead on this one but the run up to Christmas / End of the Year always makes us stressed, completely exhausted and burnt out. However, this year, we vow to do things differently and remember to take some time off to ourselves from the start of the season. A solo coffee here and a yoga session there will remind us to grab some mindful moments and will make the end of year festivities easier to manage and all the more enjoyable.

What is on your to - do list this Autumn?

Love,

Pepper Alley HQ X