Two boutiques that wowed the runway crowd were Retique and Lorena Sarbu. We’re featuring the fashions that were instant crowd favorites–lots of applause and you’ll see why!

Retique offers a twist to the boutique scene with it’s racks of designer consignment treasures—and when coordinated together creates a whole new look!

Congrats–you’ve graduated! It’s finally time to turn in the t-shirts, jeans and flip flops you wore to class for a new work appropriate attire. But before you hit the shopping mall to stock up on suits, blouses and stockings, you may want to review your company’s dress code policies.

With every industry comes a new office culture. “I think the relationship between productivity and dress code is very dependent on the industry,” says Nicole Crimaldi, founder of Ms. Career Girl. Some workplaces such as banks and law firms continue to uphold the business professional attire of a two-piece suit, a nice blouse, stockings and pumps. More creative industries such as publishing or advertising, on the other hand, tend to be more relaxed about their dress code, allowing jeans and a nice blouse. Just keep in mind that a more relaxed dress code never means torn up jeans, T-shirts with obscenities or lounge wear for around the house.

Although many industries do not have formal dress code policies anymore, they often rely on you to make the appropriate decision of what to wear. “We trust our employees to exercise good judgment,” says a spokesperson for Microsoft, “and wear whatever they choose to work provided that they are dressed appropriately for customer contact. We’re proud to be one of the originators of the casual workplace.”

To get a sense of what is appropriate workplace attire, it often helps to observe your co-workers. After all, simply because there isn’t a formal dress code doesn’t mean you aren’t expected to look professional. “Dress for Success” is still the reigning motto in place for many corporate offices. “Bank of America does not have a formal dress code,” says Kelly E. Sapp, spokeswoman at Bank of America. “[They] request that associates exercise good judgment and maintain a professional image.”

However, the trend of the suit may be heading out due to some companies feeling that a relaxed atmosphere does not affect being productive and successful. “At Google, we know that being successful has little to do with what an employee is wearing,” a Google spokesperson says. “We believe one can be serious without a suit, so we don’t have a dress code for our employees other than that they must wear something!”

But is Generation Y forcing corporations towards a more relaxed dress code? “I highly doubt the dress code is becoming more relaxed,” Crimaldi says. “Gen Y’ers are just choosing to abuse it more. I definitely push the dress code at times. I have a big personality and have always had a distinct personal style. I feel more productive and satisfied with my job if I push the dress code a little bit.”

Just because some offices allow a more relaxed look doesn’t mean you can walk in for an interview with jeans and a button-down shirt either. A 2005 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 49% said their opinion of the candidate would be strongly influenced by non-traditional attire. Dressing for success may always be necessary until you find your place in the office.

So where do you strike a balance between your attire and your work? “I think that Gen Y’ers need to be careful about pushing the dress code,” Crimaldi says. “Gen Y’ers should also know when to STOP pushing. If you are pulled aside by a manager to discuss your image, please listen and make appropriate changes! You are not above the rules. Although if no one is complaining and you are doing a stellar job for the company, I don’t see why a little flair would hurt anyone.”

“For as long as I could remember, I have always been passionate about fashion,” Anna Medeiros said when explaining her love for aesthetics. Only after her sudden layoff at a software company was Anna able to take this passion to the next step. Her situation, an all-too-familiar circumstance in our struggling economy, can leave many a reserved person completely bewildered but Anna concentrated on the positive.

As she attempted to come up with a new professional strategy, Anna’s focus began to flit back to the idea of pursuing living on another continent. She had been toying with the idea of moving to England to enroll as a student at the University of the Arts in London.

Her dream of living in London became a reality when she earned her postgraduate Fashion certificate in Fashion Marketing and lived seven months in London. “I always wanted to live overseas,” she said. “I definitely think that it enhanced my career.” Her fashion portfolio was also improved when she worked for Nordstrom’s and Anne Taylor. Her time in London broadened her fashion knowledge by not only attending school but also by working for Ralph Lauren located within the world-famous Harrods.

Starting Point: London and Harrods!

“It feels almost like an amusement park,” Anna said of her environment at Harrods. When she tried to compare the store to that of one in the states, she said she would compare Harrods to Neimen Marcus but really it’s a store of its own. The customer service was also amazing. “If you want it they’ll get it for you,” she said. Another perk to her job at Harrods was making some great contacts with people in the industry. Some of the people she came across were more quirky then others.

Harrods is known for telling a story and they create stories around their merchandising she said. One manager in particular that she worked with had an interesting way of interpreting how to tell the story of her clothes. The manager would name all her mannequins and she also created story plots.

Though she found her time at Harrod’s rewarding, she knew she couldn’t stay indefinitely. Before she moved to London she had already started thinking about opening a boutique but wasn’t ready financially. “Honestly I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur,” she said. “I sort of kept hitting this wall in my professional life and I didn’t see a direct track for growth.” Opening her own boutique would afford her the ability to showcase all she had to offer and she thought she could do it all on her own.

The start of her launching her business, Muito Fino, was a lot of work and for a year and a few months she continued to work full-time while trying to launch her business in her free time. “I worked in the evenings and weekends. I could have worked 80 hours in a week and I would use my vacation time to fly to speak to vendors,” she said. Although it was work, she said that it was also fun.

Reality Star: Muito Fina

As for her clientele, Anna said that the majority of her customers are based on the east coast. She believes the reason behind this may be that the clothes that Muito Fina (which means very fine) features are dressier. Californians tend to be a little more casual possibly due to the climate.

In regards to fashion and her target audience, she tends to think of the Sex and the City girls but her inspiration also stems from her experiences abroad.

“Being in London completely opened my eyes to a different consumer,” she said. While living abroad she realized the differences in American fashion as compared to European fashion. “Americans are a little more conservative and are pretty simple when it comes to fashion,” she observed. She also got a lot of her fashion inspiration when she visited Portugal. On a particular trip when she was five years old, she remembers being so excited about the shoes she got while there because the shoes were completely different from what her classmates were wearing. “I like being different, a little more fashion forward,” she said.

Her style has matured and the clothes she sells reflect that fact. Anna characterizes the clothes sold through her online boutique as young contemporary fashion items for women who are are transitioning from college to the workplace. Her pieces are a little more conservative but at the same time classic with staying power.

As for parting wisdom that she feels she could share with other young professionals, she said that knowing your market and who your competitors can be instrumental in making or breaking a business. In addition, knowing your resources can be very beneficial to a company’s growth and so is educating yourself when it comes to the industry. “One thing I would say is I definitely did my homework,” she said. In looking back, she could have done things a little differently and there were times when she had been in tough situations but no matter what her mistakes she always found that no matter what position she was in that she always had an opportunity to learn and grow.