Summer work wear: What's hot and what's not

With summer looming, it's time to update your wardrobe and Rotorua retailers are offering all  sorts of advice - but what's appropriate to wear to work and what's not?  The Daily Post reporter KRISTY MARTIN finds out.
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As long as women are well groomed this summer, just about anything goes for appropriate work wear.
However, if you're thinking of throwing on some jandals to wear to work, rubber or casual jandals simply won't cut it. Neither will clothing that is too casual or accessories that are too busy.
Instead, Rotorua women are being told to keep it simple for work this summer.
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce Return2Work co-ordinator Denise Emery advises professionals to keep skirts knee-length but says slightly above or below is also acceptable.
To express your personality and accentuate your best features, Denise suggests adding accessories such as a scarf or necklace - but keep it simple.
Denise says most women wear too many accessories at once such as earrings, necklaces and rings.
Worn in moderation, she says accessories can accentuate your personality.
This summer, the fashionnz.co.nz forecast is seeing lots of bold colours and graphic prints and is advising Kiwi women to let go of the drab winter greys and get a burst of colour into their wardrobes.
Summer clothing is set to get interesting and women are advised to invest in key pieces with bold, graphic prints.
Bossy B owner Linda Bell says no one is dressing in the "professional" look anymore.
Shirts are out and anything goes - as long as you wear it well, she says.

"You can wear something different, but carry it well."
If you work in a professional setting there are ways make a tunic or dress classy - combine with leggings and a T-shirt.
Linda says skirts are not as big anymore and tights are taking over.
Her hot picks for this summer are tunics, three-quarter pants with longer tops and layering is the key to everything.
Shoe-wise, she says jandals are acceptable for women - but there's no way they should be rubber jandals or ones you get from surf shops.
She says they have to be classy and dressy.
"You can pick up some really classy jandals," she says.
Carolyne Alton, of St Bruno's Rotorua, who has worked in the fashion industry for 12 years, agrees that anything goes as long as it's well groomed.
Holes, crinkles and dirty marks on clothes are unacceptable, she says.
Clothing should be clean, crisp and white clothes should be white.
Supre Rotorua manager Kharl Wirepa says it's important to dress appropriately for your workplace and to avoid looking too casual.
Women should always wear high heels because they're classy and feminine, he says. "Women should always dress feminine."
Kharl says women who want to look professional should avoid cheap-looking accessories and go for something simple like a watch and/or a necklace. Professionals should also avoid wearing too much colour at one time and pay attention to what types of materials they're wearing.
According to Glassons Rotorua manager Kylie Gunn, blazers are good for professionals and those wanting to inject a bit of colour could go for a white blazer.
Kylie agrees it's important to dress for your job.
She says professionals should keep it simple but someone in retail can turn it up a notch.
 
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Summer style tips from Simply You editor Natalie Bridges:
The first rule of work dressing is to check yourself in a full -length mirror. Ask yourself: "Would customers/colleagues feel I am here to help if they saw me wearing this?" Finish your look with good accessories - a statement necklace or an amazing cuff and good sandals - and you'll look cool and professional, not hot and bothered.
Thankfully most offices do not have year-round hosiery dress codes, but there is a limit to how much bare leg to display. Save the pelmet minis and cropped shorts for weekends, but, by all means, if you have toned and tanned pins, you can show a bit of leg. A city short or just above the knee skirt with a dressy sandal - or even bootie - is cool and smart.
Unless yours is a casual or designery workplace, it's time to ease back into tops with more shoulder coverage than your strappiest numbers. Again, substitute the weekend sundresses for something that's still cool and summery: wrap dress, a shirt dress, draped or structured tunic-type tops with soft tailoring or a more structured belted shift.