Bank holidays and British Summer Time

For all you working mothers out there, here is a link to find your local school term dates: Find School Term Dates

Below is an overview of the Bank Holidays, during which you will hopefully not have to decide what to wear to work in the morning - instead have a lovely day off (we hope!) This info is from the DirecGov website, so should be accurate!

Bank holiday dates

The expected dates of bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland are listed below.

When the usual date of a bank or public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a 'substitute day' is given, normally the following Monday. For example in 2009, Boxing Day was on Saturday, 26 December, so there was a substitute bank holiday on Monday, 28 December.

England and Wales

There are currently eight permanent bank holidays in England and Wales and an additional one in 2012:

England and Wales	2010	2011	2012
New Year's Day	1 January	3 January*	2 January*
Good Friday	2 April	22 April	6 April
Easter Monday	5 April	25 April	9 April
Early May Bank Holiday	3 May	2 May	7 May
Spring Bank Holiday	31 May	30 May	4 June*
Queen's Diamond Jubilee	-	-	5 June
Summer Bank Holiday	30 August	29 August	27 August
Christmas Day	27 December*	26 December*	25 December
Boxing Day	28 December*	27 December*	26 December
* substitute day

Scotland

There are nine statutory bank holidays across the whole of Scotland. There are also other public or local holidays which can be determined by local authorities, based on local tradition. Since 2007, St Andrew's Day has been an alternative, voluntary public holiday, which can replace an existing local holiday.

Businesses and schools are not necessarily closed on Scottish bank holidays, and the Scottish banks follow the English and Welsh bank holidays for business reasons.

Scotland	2010	2011	2012
New Year's Day	1 January	3 January*	2 January*
2nd January	4 January*	4 January*	3 January
Good Friday	2 April	22 April	6 April
Early May Bank Holiday	3 May	2 May	7 May
Spring Bank Holiday	31 May	30 May	4 June*
Queen's Diamond Jubilee	-	-	5 June
Summer Bank Holiday	2 August	1 August	6 August
St Andrew's Day	30 November	30 November	30 November
Christmas Day	27 December*	26 December*	25 December
Boxing Day	28 December*	27 December*	26 December
* substitute day

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Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, there are ten permanent bank holidays - the same eight as in England and Wales, plus St Patrick's Day and the Anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. For more information see the nidirect website.

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Special bank holidays

There are laws that allow the dates of bank holidays to be changed, or other holidays to be declared, for example to celebrate special occasions.

It has been announced that there will be a special bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012. 

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Time off for employees

You don't have an automatic right to paid leave on bank and public holidays, though many people receive the day off work. Any right to time off or extra pay for working on a bank holiday depends on the terms of your contract of employment.

For more information about your right to paid leave, see 'Holiday entitlements'.

British Summer Time

British Summer Time (BST) starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October, at 1.00 am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT):

• in spring the clocks go forward, losing an hour - at 1.00 am GMT the UK moves to 2.00 am BST
• in autumn the clocks go back, giving an extra hour - at 2.00 am BST the UK moves to 1.00 am GMT

Summer time periods begin and end on the following dates:

	2010	2011	2012
Clocks go forward	28 March	27 March	25 March
Clocks go back	31 October	30 October	28 October

By: www.wearittowork.co.uk; the online shop for stylish business clothing


Walking through London, its hard to miss the Barclays Bicycle racks throughout the city. Earlier this month, the initiative, aptly (but not so sexy) named, 'Barclays Cycle Hire', celebrated its 1 millionth trip, and currently enjoys 90.000+ members of the scheme. We love the fact that its environmentally friendly, and great to get out in the fresh air, no parking fees, or cramming in on the tube.

Later this year the scheme is due to open for casual use, in the meantime one must register as a member, using a Debit or Credit Card and a UK billing address. A membership key costs £3. Members must pay an access fee to use the scheme which is £1 for 24 hours, £5 for seven days or £45 for a year. Great news for short trips, as the first 30 minutes of any journey are free from usage charges.
People who sign up for 24-hour, seven-day or annual membership can choose to auto-renew, which means they can start a new hire period whenever they want, by simply inserting their cycle hire key into a docking point and taking a bike.

Of the 92,000 people who have signed up for membership to date, 42 per cent have opted for daily access, four per cent for weekly access and 54 per cent for annual membership, which means they can use the scheme for as little as 12 pence per day.

David Brown, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: 'The popularity of our new cycle hire scheme has been phenomenal.

'With one million cycle journeys on the clock and already more than 90,000 members, it is clear that Londoners have embraced the newest addition to the Capital's transport system and are enjoying the freedom and flexibility it gives.

'The vast majority of journeys being made are under the 30 minute mark which means that people are paying no more than a daily, weekly or annual access fee to use the scheme.

'This illustrates that as well as offering those who live or work in London an alternative way to make short trips around the city, they're also getting great value for money too.'

Members of the scheme must be at least 18 years old, and you need to be at least 14 years old to use the scheme

Barclays Cycle Hire operates across central London. Docking stations and hire bicycles are available in Camden, City of London, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster and several of the Royal Parks

How does it work in practice?

For members:

• Approach a docking point which has no lights illuminated
• Insert your membership key into the docking point key slot
• Amber light will illuminate while your account is being verified
• Green light: undock your cycle and set off
• Redock the cycle at any docking station at the end of your journey and ensure that the docking point lights turn green

For occasional/ casual users:
Later this year you will be able to buy access to the bikes as an occasional/ casual user. You can make this payment at any of the docking stations or online at tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire. A day's access will cost £1 and a week's will be £5. Once you've paid the journey costs are the same as above, so once again, if you cycle for no longer than 30 minutes on each trip use of the bikes are free. When you pay for access you will be given an access code which will unlock the bikes.

• Purchase your access fee online or at the docking station terminal
• Go to the docking station of your choice and follow the instructions on the terminal screen
• You will be issued with a 5 digit cycle release code
• Enter this code on to the pad on a docking point where no light is illuninated to release the cycle
• Amber light will illuminate when the code is being verified
• Green light: undock your cycle and set off
• Redock the cycle at the end of your journey and ensure that the light turns green

Concerns?
If your nearest docking station is full then the terminal will direct you to the nearest one (they are every 300m so this should never be too much trouble). If this means you will go over your 30 minutes you will automatically gain an extra 15 minutes to get your bike to another docking station. Given that there are 10200 docking places for 6000 bikes this scenario shouldn't be a common one.
The bikes will be constantly repaired and redistributed by staff. If your bike breaks down in any way you can return it to the nearest docking station and press the fault button to alert staff to it.

For those a bit nervous about taking a bike out in London then Transport for London are running training schemes given by qualified National Standards instructors. You can find your nearest training scheme at tfl.gov.uk/cycletraining

There's an app for that!

London Cycle: Maps and Routes is an app made for any i-device that directs people to and from the cycle docking stations around London. It is currently free to download onto an i-phone, i-pad or i-pod touch and is hopefully coming to Android and Blackberry devices soon.
Why not visit the handy journey planner on the TFL website: http://cyclejourneyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/cycle/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

Now, all you have to do is figure out how to get on that bike wearing your pencil skirt ;)

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The Michelle Obama Effect - by wearittowork.co.uk

image by Harvard Business Review

Celebrity endorsements for clothing are nothing new, but Michelle Obama seems to be the best marketing tool a clothing company can have.
A recent study, published in Harvard Business Review, looks at the impact on brands and their stock shares of clothing brands that are worn by the first lady. An analyst at the Stern School of Business in New York has assessed the effect the First Lady brings to the designer labels that she is seen in, and worked out that the total economic benefit that she has brought to her chosen brands is around $2.7 billion (£1.7 billion).


Brands worn by Mrs Obama rose by 2.3 per cent, while those not hanging in her closet were down 0.4 per cent.

It's no secret that we love Mrs Obama's style here at www.wearittowork.co.uk, and clearly a large number of shoppers out there strongly agree with us.
Through Internet shopping and immediate publicity with modern day technology, clothing she wears out in public is often sold out within hours of her appearing in it.

The key to her success, and likability seems to be her authenticity. Also, crucial is the fact that she mixes her designer brands with high street labels, making her shopping habits accessible to many women. Professor Yermack's study also considers Mrs Obama's French counterpart, Carla Bruni, who is similarly held up as a style icon among politicians' wives. But Ms Bruni is usually seen in high-end designer labels (Christian Dior's creative director, John Galliano, personally selected her clothes for her recent trip to London), so does not have the same consumer appeal or economic impact at the American First Lady.

Now the question is, how do we get her shopping at www.wearittowork.co.uk ;)


Are you a fan of Michelle Obama's Style? Let us know by leaving a comment on our blog, or visit our Facebook Page and leave a comment.


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The new series of the Apprentice has started on BBC,  almost 7 million viewers tuned in for the launch episode two weeks ago, when the 16 candidates were introduced. So far Lord Sugar has fired two candidates, with 14 remaining.

As a business woman, the ladies team has been painful to watch. Having won the first task, they failed miserably for the second task, making some crucial mistakes.
Mostly, however, the way the ladies conducted themselves during their meetings, was cringeworthy. This continued into the boardroom, when the teammates started to blame one another for their failure of the task. Lord Sugar and Karren Brady gave the female candidates an ear bashing;

 Karren told the girls: “Can I just say something? You are representing businesswomen today and I have to say that it is outrageous the way that you are behaving. 70% of my management team are women and I’ve never come across anything like this.

“I think you have to remember who you are representing in this process, young women out there who want to have an opportunity like this. You should set an example.”

Lord Sugar backed up Karren, adding:: “Some people get confused and think this is all about who can shout loudest and that is not what I’m looking for. All I’m hearing is a group of ladies in turmoil.”

He continued: “Listen to Karren’s words. I think that’s the most sensible thing said here today.”



Let's hope these women get their act together and start behaving like business people.


The Apprentice continues on BBC1, wednesdays at 9PM.

Let us know what you think of the new series and the candidates!

See the Video here: BBC1 The apprentice clip
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CocoRose Foldable pumps - why we love them, and you should too!



You've seen them, those ingenious little shoes that fold up into a cute purse to pop into your handbag, use them for after a night out, or in our case, for the commute to work.
Looking good for the office means wearing high heels for most of us women, however, they can be quite uncomfortable to wear when getting to and from the office, or running a quick errand.
Janan Leo, founder of Cocorose foldable ballet pumps, used her background in new product development, to bring us a great solution to this problem!
At wearittowork.co.uk we fell in love with the foldable ballet pumps the minute we saw them. Not only do they come in fabulous designs, and fold into a stylish little purse, they are also sturdy and well put together. This is one of the main reasons why we felt they would be right to sell online to working women. Other models of foldable shoes in the market just don't offer the strong soles and comfort that cocorose does, meaning this is a foldable shoe that will last! Another advantage is that the elastic is perfectly comfortable around the foot, and doesn't feel tighter than it should. These gems are made to last! So save your lovely heels from the commuting wear and tear, and save your feet and back from pain - love these foldable shoes by Cocorose!

Further information:

Cocorose London's original and unique concept for foldable ballet pumps offers women a stylish alternative to wearing high heels, when their feet ache. The innovative shoes fold into their own compact purse which also holds a foldable shoulder bag in its hidden back pocket. Ideal for handbags, travel case and glove compartments, the wearer can easily swap her footwear when desired and slide her high heels into the accompanying shoulder bag.
Our foldable flats have been designed with comfort and style in mind. Cocorose London’s shoes come in 3 sizes; petite (UK 3-4, EU 36-37), regular (UK 5-6, EU 38-39) and grande (UK 7-8, EU 40-41). We’ve put extra padding in the shoes to make them soft and spongy. The outer soles are thin enough so the shoes are a compact size but thick enough so that you can wear these shoes all day long. The shoes have a deep enough plunge at the front, revealing just a hint of toe cleavage. Cocorose London's shoes have an almond shaped toe, an elasticated opening and simply slip on. Upper – PU; Inner sole – leather; Outer sole – TPR.

See all designs: click here!



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October 1st is Jeans for Genes Day! Wear your jeans to work for a great cause!

Make your Jeans for Genes Day a huge success.  Our 'ten reasons’ will get everyone behind you.

1.  It's fun and simple to organise.  All you have to do is ask people to come to work in their jeans and make a donation of £2.

2.  It’s a great way to bring a team, a floor or the whole company together.

3.  It can help to raise the profile of your organisation – highlight your fundraising in your annual report, on your website and in your local paper or trade magazine.

4.  Staff will think it’s great – the boss will look good for letting you all wear your jeans.

5.  Although, individually, genetic disorders are rare, together they are the biggest killer of children 14 and under.

"We act for a number of children and so we see first hand how genetic problems can affect them and their families.  Whilst this is just a small way we can help, we are committed to providing continual support for such a good cause"Deena Watkins, partner at Wilson Browne Solicitors

6.  Create a bit of role reversal and give the boss a 'day off' – sponsor him or her to make the tea or do the photocopying.

7.  £250 pays for a child and their family to be seen at home by a clinical nurse specialist, an expert in their child's condition, who can help with every aspect of their care.

8.  Wearing jeans and having some fun in the office starts the weekend that bit earlier.

9.  Raising money on Jeans for Genes Day helps your company to meet its corporate social responsibility targets.

10.  The fun and fundraising don't have to stop at 5.30pm.  Make a night of it and hold a pub quiz or karaoke night at the local pub.

http://www.jeansforgenesday.com


Don't forget we have this fabulous designer tee for sale for £12.99 at www.wearittowork.co.uk, of which everything goes right back to Jeans for Genes!


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A bold necklace is the quickest way to upgrade an outfit. The piece must be stylish, not too gaudy, and versatile enough for both business lunches and after-work drinks.

Top Pick: Pearl cluster bib necklaces ( A reinvention of the classic pearl strand, the chain-mail bib meshes muted tones and subtle sparkle. This necklace adds a hefty dose of shine to an otherwise simple outfit. It looks equally polished when you're in the office, wooing clients, or out on the town—no matter what the season.


Basic rules on how to wear a bold necklace to the office

Rule 1: Wear a solid-colored clothing, a monochromatic and simple business suit or shift dress is ideal. Avoid  prints and stripes, as these are distracting.

Rule 2: Choose the right neckline. As its for the office, don't pair it with anything low-cut; you're better off wearing a classic scoop-neck shirt. Generally it works with most necklines, as long as the lines of the garments are simple and clean.

Rule 3: Keep all other jewelry to a minimum, wear only the bare necessities in rings, bracelets, and earrings. The necklace is the focal point of your outfit, and adding more bold jewelry will look too flashy for the office.

Rule 4: Pair with a casual outfit. You'll probably feel more comfortable if the rest of your outfit is understated and monochromatic so that you don't wind up looking overdressed. A simple bib necklace without too much glitter can look beautiful for daytime.

By www.wearittowork.co.uk, the online shop for stylish business clothing for women.


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We all have specific issues with our bodies. Short legs, or perhaps longer legs, bigger breast, bigger upper arms, tiny waist... Generally retail shops cater for standard sizes, and this is where a tailor can become a woman's best friend.

The first thing that comes to mind when considering a tailor, is 'expensive', but - au contraire! It will save you money in the long run, and here is why. We tend to only wear 20% of our wardrobe. Why is this? Wrong shopping choices are probably one of the main reasons. BUt we tend to wear our favourite and most trusted pieces - we know they look good, fit well and are comfortable. So 80% is just waiting around, one day maybe to be worn or discarded. This 80% could be decreased by your tailor. Have a rummage through, and figure out why you are not wearing many of those numbers - doesn't fit quite right? Take it to the tailors, and it will be like you have a new wardrobe.
Not worth it on cheaper/ sale clothing? Think again! These clothes are clearly made for a mass market, and with a bit of tweaking, you can make it look designer, for a fraction of the price of designer clothing. So don't immediately dismiss taking your 'Sale' pieces to be altered, it may save them from dissapearing into the back of the closet forever, and turn them into one of your favourite items to wear!

When it comes to business clothing, it's often better to purchase a size up, as it is always easier to have clothing taken in than let out.
Hemming is the most common alteration, but there are a multitude of options for adjusting clothing. For example, petites may have problems with sleves being too long, which can be shortened.

Here are some of the common ways to make the most of your tailor;


Sleeve cuffs & Hems
Sleeves are frequently too long for many of us. Shortening plain sleeves is probably the least costly, as its done with a simple hem. Cuffs can be removed, a sleeve shortened, and then the cuff re-attached. If the bottom of the sleeve has an elaborate placket or buttons and buttonholes, the sleeve should be shortened from the top, rather than hemmed at the bottom. Expect this type of alteration to be more costly.

Narrowing Sleeves
For a neater appearance and better fit, petites often can benefit from having sleeves narrowed, especially jacket sleeves. A sleeker sleeve makes the wearer look sleeker too. This is normally a simple alteration involving taking in one seam.

Taking in Seams
When purchasing clothing, always but garments to fit your widest part because current commercial clothing construction methods leave little room for making anything bigger, so letting out a garment in the bust or hips is seldom possible. Taking in seams is another matter. It's a fairly simple alteration, which should be done equally on both sides.

Shortening Tops, Trousers or Dresses
Most hemming alterations are simple, and home sewers can do a professional looking job with straightforward hemming. There are a few exceptions, which become more complicated.

Removing pockets
Pockets in side seams can create a little bit of extra bulk, which may be good to get rid of, especially for those pear shaped women. This is another easy alteration involving removing the pocket and stitching up the side seam where the pocket was originally. This type of clothing alteration will not disrupt the original design of the garment.

Adding or removing shoulder pads
Shoulder pads are back in fashion, however not suitable for us all. It's great for women with a pear shaped or straight up and down figure, to add some curve and balance out the hips.
It's difficult to add shoulder pads that are significantly bigger than the shoulder pads the garment had originally because extra fabric may be needed. Completely eliminating large shoulder pads may also involve narrowing some seams so that the garment will drape properly.









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Let's face it, corporate companies are not going to hang up their suits and replace these with jeans! However, there are many offices that you can get away with wearing a nice pair of jeans. And nice being the keyword here. Very few work places would suit the ripped, embellished or super short kind.

Here are some tips for wearing your denim to work:

Shape:
Choose the right cut for your body type. The skinny jean, as much as we love it, is just not right for some of us. The straight legged jean may be a safer bet for most women, and if you're trying to even out those curvy hips, you may want to choose a slight bootcut. Too tight ain't right... and opposite to what many may think, tighter clothing has the opposite of a slimming effect. Go for something with more room, not only is it more comfortable, but it will make you look slimmer.

Colour
Opt for a one-colour pair, avoiding the 'distressed' look. A dark denim is our preference, not ruling out black, brown, white or even red jeans.  

Pairing
To create a 'professional' look, opt for a structured top garment. A blazer is ideal, with  a collared shirt or just a simple top. Avoid matching it with 'jersey' material tops, as your look will be 'weekend' instead of 'workweek'. A simple crisp white blouse is always a winner, especially accompanied by some classy jewelry, such as a string of pearls. A belt is a great, and perhaps necessary, accessory with denim. For belts, follow the general rule, large size woman, larger size belt and petite lady, petite belt, but ultimately it must be something that adds to your outfit, and doesn't distract.

Shoes
Parisian chic is what comes to mind.. a slim pair of jeans, white shirt, large sunglasses and killer heels.  Now 'killer heels' aren't the easiest option for working women, especially the commuting type, however, a nice pair of black pumps are a strong choice with your jeans. Ballet flats have made a massive comeback recently, and they are available in great colours and designs, and excellent choice for a professional look, and great to match with your jeans, if you are avoiding heels.


For a GOOD Cause
Get your work place involved in Jeans for Genes Day 2010, held on October 1st 2010. Not only a great excuse to wear jeans to the office, but also a fun and easy way to help children with genetic disorders.
Find out more on how to get involved here: http://www.jeansforgenesday.com/

Wear It To Work www.wearittowork.co.uk  is proud partner of Jeans for Genes. We'll give £1 of every order to the Charity.

Some celebs donning their classy demin looks.

A former Citibank employee has filed a lawsuit against her employers for allegedly firing her because her male colleagues found her "too distracting".
Debrahlee Lorenzana, 33, who worked in a New York branch of the bank, also claimed she was not allowed to wear certain clothes because it was "too distracting" for her bosses and co-workers.
"My entire life, I hav e been dealing with this. I couldn't take it anymore!" Lorenzana told the Village Voice, which did a cover story on her.
"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I said, 'You gotta be kidding me!' I was like, 'Too distracting? For who? For you? My clients don't seem to have any problem."
So, Lorenzana was asked to stop wearing things like pencil skirts turtlenecks, 3-inch heels or fitted business suits.
"If it wasn't my shirt, it was my pants. If it wasn't my pants, it was my shoes. They picked on me every single day," she said.
Lorenzana, who is also a mother, stated that her female colleagues were allowed to wear the clothing she was told not to because of her "body type".
She even described some of her female co-workers dressing far more provocatively than herself.
Lorenzana filed a lawsuit against Citigroup for the unlawful termination. Citibank has issued a statement regarding the allegation levied against it.
"Lorenzana has chosen to make numerous unfounded accusations and inaccurate statements against Citibank and several of our employees," the bank said.
"While we will not discuss the details of her case, we can say that her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire. We are confident that when all of the facts and documentation are presented, the claim will be dismissed," it added.
The media here have been fascinated by Lorenzana's story and her potential lawsuit on sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
The Village Voice described her as having "JLo curves meets Jessica Simpson rack meets Audrey Hepburn elegance."
ABC news, however, reported that it is unlikely that Lorenzana will get her day in court because of something called the "mandatory arbitration clause", which means that in her contract she agreed that any dispute will be settled through arbitration.
But Lorenzana's lawyer, Jack Tuckner, said he and his client would have preferred a jury trial.
"A jury will act [more] with their heart and their emotions than an arbitrator ever will," he told ABC. "You're far less likely to ever see a penny of punitive (damages) with an arbitrator."

In your opinion, do any of your colleagues dress too sexy for the office?

Vote in our Facebook Poll: vote now!

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