Well, if you were expecting a professional fashionista…..not! My pedigree is distinctly corporate. I have a several decade track record of leadership in some big name companies, and I continue to advise at the senior executive and board level of large businesses and professional firms in North America and Europe.

But while I’m certainly no fashion expert, I HAVE learned a thing or two about professional attire along the way. And often the very best advice I received came from other female executives. They understood that the issue of attire at the C-suite level can be a lot more challenging for women than men. Presence and impact are important components of these roles. Efficiency and versatility are critical in lives that are as busy and demanding as ours are. And by the way, we don’t want to lose our originality and creativity in the process. That’s a complex mix of factors to work through.

As difficult as it can be to figure this all out, we also don’t have many opportunities in or outside the workplace to get some guidance. Too often we’re reduced to finding our solutions through time-consuming (and sometimes embarassing) trial and error. You see the irony, don’t you? We wouldn’t use that approach in our business decisions. Why should we use it in our business images? It’s time we had a discreet and even fun forum where we can talk to each other about these issues.

So why the pseudonym? Well, what would my various (and mainly male) constituencies think if they Googled my name and saw this blog? Right….you get the picture!

However, that doesn’t mean that I’m hiding out all of you. I think the Executive Chic blog is a pretty cool idea (if I do say so myself), and I’m looking forward to hanging with an equally cool group of readers. You can always respond, comment, and provide suggestions right here on the site itself, and you’re free to use a pseudonym just like me. However, if you ever want to track me down directly, just shoot me a note at info@sla-llc.com, and I’ll be happy to respond using my real name.