Ten ways to update your work wardrobe

Spring has arrived so it's time to update your work look. Here are 10 ways to take your office wardrobe into the new season.

1. Work in florals
There's no better time to embrace florals than in spring, and this season floral prints are in full bloom. Add some life to your work clothes with floral printed tops and dresses (capped or short-sleeved versions work best for work wear) and add a lightweight jacket and belt to make them office-ready.

2. Embrace lace
Lace needn't be kept for your lingerie draw; this season the prim fabric is showing up as outerwear. To keep lace looking appropriate in the office, source garments with lace trimming at the collar or sleeves and add a sharp jacket to counteract the sweetness.

3. Add some purple
This regal hue is set to be everywhere this season so inject some brightness into your working world. Purple shades look best teamed with neutral shades, so keep the rest of your outfit (and your make-up) toned down. Don't like the colour? Try orange or emerald green instead.

4. Inject in some ruffles
Ruffles will add some instant style cred to your work wardrobe. Make the look work by balancing ruffles with plainer separates and don't add ruffles to parts of your body you want to keep streamline. Try teaming a Victorian-style ruffle shirt with a pencil skirt and pumps for a dressed-up work look.

5. Invest in a pencil skirts
Pencil skirts are a must-have for any working wardrobe this season. Avoid looking too uptight by adding a V-necked top and long-line necklace, or seek out a coloured or textured version.

6. Accessories with metallics
Metallics have been allowed out during the day this season. But be careful; too much and you'll blind your colleagues. Stick to metallic accessories at work — think belts, bags and shoes.

7. The new sleeveless jacket
With the long line of a jacket and coolness of a vest, this trend is a great addition to your office wardrobe. Try layering one with a sleeveless top and slim-leg trousers.

8. Go sheer
Like lace, sheer fabrics can send off warning bells for the office. But add a base layer and they instantly become workplace-appropriate. So if you have a silk blouse that you're dying to wear to work, make sure you have a camisole to go under it.

9. Add some volume
Volume-heavy silhouettes and quirky shapes (such as puffed sleeves) can be tricky to navigate but they can work for the office. The key is to always team volume with streamline separates. For example, a puffed-up blouse pared with skinny pants and high heels will have you looking sharp.

10. Posh's pixie cut
Victoria Beckham's new dark pixie crop has given short hair renewed life this season. Book an appointment if you dare, but be warned: hair takes more than a season to grow back.

What to do in a style emergency at work

If your workplace calls for you to look polished and preened all day long, a style emergency isn't what you want to suddenly have on your hands. But don't fear  whatever the situation, it can be easily solved in a matter of minutes.

Style emergency: You have a run in your stockings.

Solution: If the run is in an inconspicuous spot, stop it in its tracks by putting clear nail polish around the hole. If the run is in a noticeable area, lose the stockings altogether nothing can save them, and bare legs will look better than pantyhose with gaps.

Style emergency: You've got make-up on your collar.

Solution: Use baby wipes to blot the area until it's clean. Baby wipes (or make-up wipes) are also great for freshening up your skin on hot days, or even to wipe over shoes that have become dirty on rainy days.

Style emergency: You got oil/butter on your shirt just as you're about to rush out the door.

Solution: Don't, and we repeat don't put water anywhere near the stain. Instead, remove the garment, cover with talcum powder and then kitchen paper, and sit something heavy (such as a thick book) on top. Leave for a few minutes before tapping off the powder to reveal grease-free clothing.

Style emergency: Your hem has come down.

Solution: Three words: double-sided tape. Use it to temporarily mend stitching that's come undone, stop a blouse from gaping or keep tops with thin straps from slipping off your shoulders. Strips of Hollywood tape should be in your handbag at all times!

Style emergency: Your hair's gone flat and lifeless.

Solution: Whether you've got this hair problem, or any other one, there is a solution. All that's needed to make hair look full and voluminous is to hang your head upside down under the hand drier for 30 seconds, and to use a fine-toothed comb to tease the area around the crown. Voila hair with volume and bounce.

Style emergency: Your teeth are yellow from lunch, and you have a presentation in five minutes.

Solution: Keep mini teeth whiteners in your handbag. They're great at quickly cleaning your teeth (no toothbrush required) and giving you minty breath at the same time.

Style emergency: You have to go to an after-work event, and there's no time to go home and change.

Solution: Always be prepared by keeping a few style must-haves in your desk drawer: a bright lipstick and black eyeliner to take your look from day to night; a fancy brooch that can add instant glam to a work shirt; sparkly earrings to dress up your look and a comb, clip or ribbon to add interest to your hair. 

Beat bad hair days !

In a poll by  Your Beauty Spot 15 percent of people admitted to having had a sick day at least once because of bad-hair (news that's sure to make any boss unhappy). Ensure that never happens again, with these tips

Problem: It's raining

Rain is the fastest way to put your hair in bad spirits. A few drops and your immaculate blow-dry isn't so immaculate. If it looks like rain, be prepared and skip wearing your hair out, go for a bun or ponytail instead. No can do? Well, steal this tip from beauty editors: carry a hand-bag sized umbrella everywhere you go.

Problem: It's humid

For a lot of women, the mere thought of humidity is enough to make your hair frizz, turning your sleek, polished look into one that resembles a frazzled housewife. If this sounds like you, make an anti-humidity spray your new best friend.

Problem: You've got bed head

Thanks to Kate Moss, bed head isn't the problem it used to be. Hair that's a little dishevelled can look quite sexy, but in a corporate office environment you might want a look that's a little more structured. Solution: a head band will sweep hair off your face, making you look 'done', as will a tousled low-swept bun.

Problem: You're running late

Who hasn't encountered this dilemma at some point? The good news is that with a quality ceramic straightening iron your hair can look fab in under five. But if hitting snooze is a habit of yours, you might want to try planning ahead by plaiting your hair before bed or twisting it into a low bun so you can say, "Hello, soft waves" in the morning.

Problem: Your hair's greasy

If you haven't heard of dry shampoo before, it's time to take notice. Use it if you're scarce on time in the morning, or use it after returning from the gym in your lunch break. It's simply a matter of shaking, spraying and going. Tip: dry shampoo works best on light to medium hair, so if your hair's darker (or you don't have any handy) we suggest a quiff style instead. If your roots are pulled back sleek they'll be less noticeable.

Problem: Your roots look ghastly

With the long hours that work can sometimes bring, finding time to visit the hairdresser to get your colour re-done can be next to impossible. Buy time between salon visits by opting for zig-zag only parts, as they'll draw less attention to your dire need of colour. Another insider tip: sunnies left perched on your head make a great cover-up when it comes to bad hair.

Problem: Your hair's gone flat

A long day filled with dashing from meeting to meeting can leave your hair looking flat and limp. Fix this with one of two tricks. One: head to the ladies and flip your head upside down under the hand dryer (AKA the sneaky girl's hairdryer); or two: use a comb and tease small sections of hair around your crown and voila, you've got hair with life.

15 Style Mistakes You Can Fix Now

Remember, it's not about being trendy, it's about looking good.

Let's face it, we all need help sometimes. And like it or not, we're judged by how we look and how we handle ourselves in social and professional settings.

The 15 style tips below aren't meant to turn you into a metrosexual—none, for instance, will instruct you to blow $600 on a pair of shoes. These tips are for the everyday guy. They're meant to help you gain confidence when you walk into a meeting or the next cocktail party, and they'll help make your wife or girlfriend feel proud to stand next to you. You're a grown man—it's time your wardrobe grew up too.

But, remember, it's not about being trendy, it's about looking good. Just follow these tips to looking better.

1. Match your belt and shoes. If you're wearing black shoes, put on a black belt. And brown shoes demand a brown belt. A good, general rule is to never mix the color of your leathers.

2. For crying out loud, pull your pants down. You may be pushing 40, but you don't need to hike up your pants like you're ready to start walking the mall. And it's even worse if you tuck in your shirt like Napoleon Dynamite.

3. On the flip side, pull up your pants. Seeing some 19-year-old's boxer shorts is bad enough; we don't need to see your tighty whities. You should have stopped buying "baggy cut" jeans years ago.

4. Pay attention to your shoes. You could be wearing $100 jeans with a sharp-looking shirt, but you'll still embarrass your wife or girlfriend with those old loafers that should have been pitched in the 1990s. Buy quality shoes that look smart and stylish. Remember, people check out shoes. Potential employers often will look at them to judge a candidate's attention to detail. Good rule of thumb: Spend your money on shoes, not shirts and pants. Also, make sure your socks are a nice "bridge" from the shoes to the pants. If you're dressing up, match the pants. If you're wearing nicer shoes with jeans -- match the shoes. And save the tube socks for the gym and lounging on weekends.

5. Wear clothes that fit properly. At this age, trying to look trendy is a cry for help. And just because that fitted (another term for "your nipples are showing") medium T-shirt looks good on Jake Gyllenhaal, that doesn't mean it looks good on you.

6. A side note to No. 5; if you're short and stocky, don't wear horizontal stripes—you'll look 3 feet tall. (My wife has to remind me of this once a year).

7. Don't worry if you're a little chunky; just wear what looks good on a guy with a little heft. You can't go wrong with black. It's slimming, classy and makes you reek of confidence.

8. Put away the tank top—even at the gym. You're not 12 years old anymore, and no one wants to smell your pits.

9. If your woman's not happy, you're not happy. After getting ready to go out, if you see concern on her face when she looks you over, change your clothes. There's a 98.9 percent chance she's right.

10. Man boobs are our kryptonite, and we have to fight back. They're an immediate turnoff to women, even though most don't mind a plump guy. Attack the problem head-on: Go to the gym, and wear clothes that don't cling to your body. We have Phil Mickelson to thank for officially raising this to a national emergency. We're at Defcon 1.

11. If you wear glasses, remember they're a window into who you are. Update them at least every other year and consider style when choosing them. And don't skimp. Expensive glasses are infinitely better than those $50 specs on special at the local mall.

12. Drop the baseball hat. Yes, it was standard issue in college, but those days are gone. The only exceptions to this rule: Working in the yard, casually hanging out, or playing drums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

13. If you have to wear cologne, tone it down. You get points for wanting to smell good, but those points are immediately taken away when your co-workers can smell you in the break room—10 minutes after you left. Just spray a small amount into the air and walk through it. Less is more.

14. If you have a hairy chest, you cannot wear a V-neck without an undershirt. This is not 1977 and your name isn't Smokey. Or Simon Cowell, for that matter.

15. No socks with sandals. And if you do wear open-toed sandals, keep your feet groomed. Have you even looked down there since last summer? Trust us on this one.