Survive the Heatwave in Style

It's sweltering outside, but thankfully our guest blogger Anne Sowden has some great tips on how to beat the heat in high style.

Hot Weather Style Survival for the Office
By Anne Sowden

It's a tough time of year to look (and feel) cool without sacrificing your business look.

Flat or frizzy hair? Get advice from your hairstylist on products or a style that adaptable for humidity. Or, wear a hat--very stylish and protects your skin.

Keep an extra shirt in your car, at the office or gym. Light colours won't show clamminess--one reason tennis players wear white. A light cotton layer under your shirt helps you feel cooler and avoids embarrassing wet patches.

White pants look great but are magnets for dirt (and as a friend of mine found out, red wine). Make sure they're washable or you'll have to win the lottery to cover cleaning bills. If you're toned, a skin tone thong underneath is best. If you're not, consider full coverage skin tone underwear. Some styles guarantee no panty lines but ask someone before you leave the house what they see. It's easier to change than spend the day carrying your laptop in creative ways.

Think twice before spritzing yourself with cologne to cool off. Perfume reacts with your body heat. Your usual scent will be stronger or not smell the same. Try misting your face with water or using a handheld fan.
Yes, real men have pedicures--not necessarily pink nail polish. Your feet will look, and feel great, in sandals.
Summer is time to show a bit of skin. But, the more skin you show, the less professional you look. Keep a jacket or cardi handy to make that sleeveless dress or top office worthy. How low is too low for necklines? As my colleague Angie Michael says, "No lower than three fingers above your cleavage. Or, three fingers above where you'd like your cleavage to be.

No matter how casual your office is, never show up in surfer shorts (with or without a surfboard), flip flops. sarong, bathing suit, hat adorned with fishing flies, or the worst infraction of all--socks and sandals.

Project your personal and professional best every day!

Anne Sowden is a Professional Image Consultant and President of Here's Looking at You Image Consulting . To learn more about Anne's services please visit www.hereslookingatyou.ca

The G20 Via Videoconference?

All the delays and disruptions surrounding the G20 conference have finally subsided, and everything in Toronto is thankfully back to "business as usual". During the second half of June, the Downtown Toronto financial district experienced numerous inconveniences as security was heightened for this very high-profile summit of world leaders. Over a billion dollars was spent in preparation for the 2010 G20 conference – a staggeringly high figure considering alternative options that would have greatly reduced costs and eliminated unnecessary security-related business disruptions.

In a recent Toronto Star article , Craig Kielburger suggests that holding the summit via videoconference would have made a lot more fiscal sense – and caused far fewer headaches for everyone involved. Kielburger estimates that the cost to hold the G20 Summit by videoconference would be around $420,000. Compare that to the 1.2 billion dollars spent on the Toronto conference, and the benefits of videoconferencing option become quite obvious. Videoconferencing technology has already been utilized for other by other major international symposiums, such as the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change –with excellent results!

Videoconferencing saves both time and money, and is the most environmentally meeting option currently available. This wonderful technology has advanced to a point that is now possible for hundreds of people located around the world to seamlessly interact in real-time HD video. Imagine all the trouble that could have been avoided if the world’s leaders had taken part in the G20 summit via videoconference? For over 10 years The Rostie Group has provided videoconferencing solutions to a diverse customer-base including Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and small business owners. The feedback we have received about this technology has been overwhelmingly positive, and many of our customers have made a permanent transition to videoconferencing as their primary meeting option.

If you are looking for videoconferencing in Toronto or videoconferencing in Mississauga, The Rostie Group can provide you with a range of personalized options that will ensure your next videoconference is a huge success. For more information please call Stacey Carvalho at (416) 214-1840 or 1-800-648-1840.