Fashion dilemma candidate Emily works at a university, so her wardrobe looks more student than professional. She asked us to help her put together a polished professional look for an upcoming conference. Model-turned-designer Monika Schnarre judges our efforts.

   Our Style Mission

Emily’s bookish, boring beige wardrobe is passable in a university setting where student casual is the norm. But for an upcoming conference, she wants to dial up her style quotient and get ready for networking in a polished professional outfit. We take on all 5’11″ of her challenge.

Our guest expert is former supermodel turned tall women’s fashion designer Monika Schnarre had these tips for dressing our long-legged, hourglass-shaped Emily:

• Tall women can shop in a regular size store, but the fit is not going to be right. I recommend shopping at a shop for taller women to find some good pieces.

• Choose items that are appropriate for her profession. Be careful about going too sexy for the office!

   Our Look Book

For Emily, we started with an idea for a pencil skirt. We wanted to find sleek yet edgy pieces that she could mix and match, but that would also give her confidence for networking and making connections with colleagues. We also wanted some colour to complement her pale skin and blonde, blue-eyed complexion.

We switched gears almost immediately when we were out in the field and ended up choosing washable, wide-leg pants as our polished professional foundation.

Outfit details

• Lavender silk, v-neck, sleeveless top: $85 at Banana Republic
• Light grey, frill collar cardigan: $110 at Banana Republic
• Grey wool plaid, wide-leg trousers: $60 at Tall Girl
• Enzo Angiolini faux croc heels in dark silver metallic: $150 at Nine West
• Rose-grey satchel purse: $63 at Nine West
• Black bead, metal and chain necklace: $20 at Aldo
• Silver metal earrings: $6 at Aldo

Monika Schnarre’s opinion

• This look isn’t really professional. It’s a bit too casual.

• Instead of the cardigan, a fitted jacket would have been better for a more professional look.

• The necklace interferes with the neckline of the top. I would have gone with something shorter.

• The rose purse with copper detail is too disparate with the rest of the outfit. It’s fighting the lavender top and grey sweater and pants.

• The earrings are fine, although they get lost in her long hair.

• The heels are good. She’s 5’11″ so she doesn’t need a lot more height, especially in a professional capacity.

• I wouldn’t have done a pattern on a pant. On a tall person, it’s too much. A plain dark colour would have been better.

   Did our style picks make the “Do List” or “Don’t List”?

Compared to her current wardrobe, Emily thought we really punched up and polished off her look. She was excited to show it off to her colleagues the next day.

Monika Schnarre, on the other hand, didn’t think we pulled off a polished professional look this time, and gave us some great tips on how to achieve it next time.

   Tips we learned on this episode

• If you’re tall, be careful with patterns. Long-legged ladies wearing prints can end up looking like they’re overwhelmed with fabric.

• When in doubt, suit up for those job interviews. A great, well-tailored jacket will get you a polished, positive first impression as soon as you walk in the door. The second interview, however, is all about your resume!

• Dress for the job you want!

   Other Show Segments

• Product Test: Brown Spot Creams
• Style Tips: Dressing for a job interview
• Health Tips: Is your office making you ugly?

Please note: opinions expressed about fashion and beauty in this article are just that: our opinions. Feeling beautiful on the inside is what matters most, but we like to do what we can on the outside too.