Dear GGG, What’s the most appropriate nail color to wear for a “business casual” office environment? Can I do trendy? — Yasmine*, age 24, New York

Hi Yasmine! Business casual can vary widely depending on industry, so it depends where you work. The no-fail, safe strategy is to go with a pale pink or beige, think OPI Bubble Bath, Passion, or Samoan Sand. One coat of these sheer shades always looks elegant and (forgive the pun) polished. In industries like fashion, media, art, and design, you get a lot more leeway with trendy colors—even the dark raisin shades like OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark (at left) or black shades (remember Chanel Black Satin?)– though you might toe the line at bright neons/greens/blues.

Remember, bold color only looks chic on very short nails; the nail should not extend beyond the edge of your fingertip. One big disadvantage of going the non-sheer route is that chips show easily—a major office ‘don’t’. As one fashionable GGG executive once said to me, “You can’t walk into a board meeting with chipped nails!”

Photo: OPI

I’m excited to introduce our guest blogger for the next few months, Cassandra.  She’s 26, hails from San Diego, and graduated from University of California, Irvine (in three years, while working part-time!). She’s got a few GGG goals she wants to accomplish, and will be charting her progress right here. Check out her posts every other week. Here’s her first post below! Debra

For a twenty-something, I could have passed for successful but something wasn’t right.  Plenty of my friends told me it was a quarter-life crisis since many of them asked the same questions I had been asking myself.  Am I succeeding the way I wanted to succeed in life?  Am I passionate about what I do on a regular basis? Am I where (or close to) I saw myself being at this stage of my life?  Of course it is easy to roll one’s eyes and dole out a sarcastic “No” to every question or even go as far to say, “No one is.”  Which is when I say (on a good day), “Well that’s just not good enough.”

I must have been awfully whiny about my situation because it was about this time when a good friend of mine sent me The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide from across the country.  Since then I quit my “successful” position in the staffing industry and landed in education at a fashion college, supporting the creative community and gaining more time for myself to pursue my own creative passion—writing.

I realized early on when reading The GGG Guide that I must have all been closing doors for myself rather than opening them.  I have a small awesome circle of friends and I’ll be honest, I like it that way.  However, there have been many times that I’ve been invited out to a mixer, social outing, even a sporting event and before really even thinking about it answered politely, “No, thank you.”  I hardly ever give an excuse or a reason, to me it was clear: I shouldn’t spend the money, I shouldn’t take the time away from my loved ones who I barely get quality time with, I don’t know anybody there anyway.   Normally here is where I would start to list all the things I have missed out on but the truth is if I didn’t go, I don’t even know what I missed!  So here is my 1^st GGG project for the next three months: Accept rather than decline invitations to social and business events.

Since I will be growing into a beautiful social butterfly, I need give my body and mind a little me time and make sure I have the energy to keep up with my peers out there!  I am setting a goal to go to the gym at least four times a week with the intention of lowering that BMI for long term health and happiness.   As I lean out from my hours at the gym and am being seen around town, I better look pulled together and rockin’.   I’ll be monitoring my closet’s inventory and making sure there is a surplus of fabulous power ensembles.

–Cassandra Altmann

I’m a mid-level manager working in marketing, and some of my employees take the dress code a little too loosely. As a manager, how do you tastefully address what is and is not appropriate to wear to work without getting people all fired up? Beth*, age 36, Phoenix

You want to avoid calling out your employee personally. Instead, send an email to all of your direct reports reminding them of the dress code, with specific do’s and don’ts. You might even attach a non-judgmental magazine article summarizing how to dress-your-best for work. If he or she doesn’t take the hint, try linking a conversation about appearance to a specific work-related event. Let’s say you’re a senior lawyer and your rumpled associate is joining you for an important court date. Say something like, “This judge is extremely picky about how we dress. What you were thinking of wearing?” and then launch into some tips and requests for what to wear.

Susan Fales-Hill knows how to make an entrance. While a senior at Harvard, she had a fortuitous meeting with Bill Cosby– and arrived with a parody script and audio tape she’d prepared. “I knew you don’t just go meet someone and show up with nothing but a smile,” she says. “I thought, this is an opportunity; show him your stuff!” That performance earned her a job as a writer’s apprentice on The Cosby Show.

She went on to work for A Different World–becoming its head writer/co-executive producer– followed by 15 years as a television producer and writer. Next, she shifted to prose, writing the critically-acclaimed memoir, Always Wear Joy, about her late mother, actress and performer Josephine Premice. Now, she’s turned to fiction. Her debut novel, out this month, is One Flight Up, a juicy, fun-filled take on the lives of four multi-cultural girlfriends. Think Sex and the City, with an international twist.

Here, Susan shares a few of her secrets in work and in fashion (she’s been named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame).

Inspired by: friendships; textiles; books by Charles Dickens; the painting of her mother in the mezzanine at the New York Public Library (her go-to writing spot).

Style trademark: blouses with dramatic poet sleeves; bias cut gowns for evening

Writing motto: Don’t get it right; get it written.

Work look: “I get dressed to write: slacks, dresses, maybe even a suit.”

On following your bliss: “Don’t think you’ll necessarily become a multi-millionaire by doing what you love. You might just have the gift that you get to do what you’re passionate about. It’s a risk you’re taking.”

Footwear: Flats by Tod’s. “I don’t believe in wearing flip-flops– except at the beach or leaving the nail salon!”

Fitness routine: Reformer pilates, three times a week.

Beauty must: Perfume. “My first love is Amazone by Hermes.”

To learn more about Susan (and peek inside her swoon-worthy “closet”), visit www.susanfales-hill.com.

The designer of several eponymous collections–including her new affordably-priced Rachel Rachel Roy line at Macy’s– shares a bit of what she’s learned about work, life, and looking great.

What elements does an item of clothing need to look expensive even when it’s not?

As a shopper, you should look for good fabric–how it feels when you touch it–and try the piece on to see how it’s constructed. You still might have to get it altered for a little more cost, but tailoring helps the piece look richer right away. Also, check the stitch. If a designer uses a very thin thread, it looks much cheaper than a nice, thick thread. You hear about thread count with sheets, and it’s the same with stitches. If the thread is thicker, I find it makes the garment look richer. Those are little touches I try to give to my [Macy's] collection.

What did you learn back as an intern at Rocawear that prepared you for running your own business?

I learned so much! I think when you work in every department, even departments you don’t like, you learn to appreciate every position.  Working in, for example, the mailroom and in marketing, I learned seemingly little things like how much messengers cost and what time FedEx closes. But those are the things that you actually need to know to run your own company. Also, I’m used to the long hours because I did intern. Now, I don’t mind the hours because I’m working for myself.

You recently told Vogue that you don’t make the gym an utmost priority given your busy schedule as a mom of two daughters.  How do you keep it all together, so to speak?

It’s not easy. I do take it one day at a time, and try to make time for myself, literally just “mind-melting.” Some people call it meditation; I call it mind-melt. Everyday for a few moments (not even 10 minutes if I don’t have it) I either talk to myself or, since I’m a bit spiritual, I talk to God, just trying to put everything into alignment. I also do deep breathing. All of these things sound so corny that I hate kind of listing them, but if you try it when you’re alone–just a deep breath, or sitting up straight–it works. It calms me, and I’m able to be more present for the people that deserve it, like my two little girls.  They deserve a really active, present mom. So, that’s what keeps me going.

To learn more about Rachel, visit www.rachelroy.com.

Photo Credit: Barry Williams