Whether olive drab or hunter, fern or artichoke, subdued shades of green were worked across everything from tailored pieces to smart-casual separates.The writer is a film maker, design junkie, marketing whiz with an eye for fashion, lifestyle and style. Remember, office parties are also a great way of impressing those that hold the puppet strings, with just how “well put together” you are.Designers like Stella McCartney, Ann Taylor, Ted Baker, Micheal Kors, etc; sit smack at the centre and here’s what their dishing out this festive season.  

This time, it was all about neutrals and muted shades, complemented by rich jewel tones. What we can do is give you a set of pointers on how to “kill it” by putting your best foot forward.What has changed drastically over the past years is the definition of appropriate work wear. To say military green is trending in menswear is a bit like calling the devout Pope a Catholic: from cuts to utilitarian details, battlefield uniforms have come to set the foundation of the contemporary wardrobe. These are your peeps, your competition, your break buddies, your car pool Miti Black Rabbit Hair faux fur fabric buddies; that you average 10 hour days with deadlines hanging over your heads like swords.

It’s holiday time and your work place is completely doused in revelry.Toned-down huesSyncing with the New York Fashion Week, forecasters at Pantone released their colour report for the season, predicting that the trending palette for fall will include dried herb, desert sage, stormy weather blue, oak buff, Biscay Bay teal, reflecting pond (a cool blue), cadmium orange, cashmere rose, amethyst orchid and marsala, the Pantone colour of the year for 2015. It’s no longer neck ties and corporate get up. We cover the top trends making impressions on the runway for AW15 work and party wear styles. Fall winter 2015 fashion trends across the globe embrace fabric, texture, fit and structure with more layers and festivity, but muted colours. Perception management people.. We all remember a “drunk Ruby” doing the Macarena from last year’s revelry! While we can give you the old “maintain decorum” speech, that’s pretty much all in your hands.  

You brave through together — the canteen food, evening rush hour, morning hangovers, afternoon lethargy, crisis meetings that never seem to end and endure together the excruciating (read with a grave and ominous baritone) “Death by ppt ”And now, you get to let your hair down and call it a year with your battalion — right  Wrong!Statistically, some of the most embarrassing moments in a person’s professional environment take place in a casual office party, leaving enough ammunition for a year full of gossip till someone tips the scales the year after. Designers seemed to agree, taking a break from sugary winter pastels and bright colour pops that were popular on fall and winter runways in recent years. Some of the leading designers in Europe and America have showcased outfits replete with textures muted colour palettes and layers. With most of the work places taking a “smart casual” approach to work wear, the mix of casual with a hint of formal is what does it.