After seven years in the professional world, Erica Cauterucci has learned from her beginner’s professional fashion faux pas.
“I joined a sales training program for a large health insurance company right after college,” says the sales rep for a medical diagnostic company in Manhattan. “Looking back at pictures, a lot of fashion errors were made that summer – I put dress pants in the wash, wore blazers that were two sizes too big,” the list goes on.
But now, all of that has changed. Cauterucci, who splits her workweek between her home office – i.e. “a tiny desk in the corner of my living room,” – and visiting hospitals and labs, has ditched the bulky suits for the iconic sheath dresses and heels. With such a classic style it’s no wonder that Cauterucci’s celebrity fashion icon is Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. “I love the tailored dresses and coats that she selects. In my book, nothing beats a well-fitting dress and heels.”
As for television’s best-dressed women, this hospital equipment rep names a few female characters who standout, but her favorite: Julia Louis-Dreyfus on HBO’s Veep. “She wears some serious power dresses with beautiful details.”
And it’s not just Veep. Cauterucci knows that TV’s professional women are finally having their day in the sun. “There are strong characters on The Good Wife and Mad Men [um, hello Peggy] who show the tenacity and strength of today’s businesswomen,” she explains. “One certainly does not need to wear a drab suit to get things done around here. Just look at the Mad Men Collection at Banana Republic and Kate Hudson at Ann Taylor.”
However, this businesswoman knows that style is more than just the right dress. For the office and hospital visits, she recommends choosing an outfit “you feel good in so that you can portray confidence. While most of that comes from inside, but the way you walk in to a meeting or how you stand during a presentation is a fake-it-till-you-make-it trick.”
For Cauterruci, poise starts with the right shoes. “I always pick something with a heel – not too high, but enough to straighten your posture and give you a little strut. These powerful ladies on TV aren’t shuffling into meetings slouched over! My two staples are a nude pump and a black patent leather pump. Standing tall and feeling in charge makes any outfit shine to its full potential.”
Photos courtesy of Pete Souza and HBO
TAGS: dressing like the stars Mad Men Sheath Dress Veep Women in entertainment