I read this article the other week about how, as times get tight and it becomes every man (and woman) for themself in the work place, people are starting to abandon ‘office casual’ clothes and return to smarter times of shirts, ties and suits in the hope of hanging on to their jobs.

I do think there’s a lot to be said for wearing smart clothes for work. It’s important to make a good impression, especially when you’re meeting customers or patients face to face. Then again, you don’t want intimidate anybody either. Well, I don’t anyway! Also, if you’re wearing something all day long you need to be comfortable. I’m glad I’m a woman and can choose from so many styles of clothes - I always hated wearing a shirt and tie at school. Hot, uncomfortable - and boring!

Marisota makes dressing for work easy - I love their plus size range of soft tailoring. You can mix and match to suit your mood and it’s got just the right blend of smart and feminine.

I love these plus size linen suit separates. You can choose stretch linen trousers or a pencil skirt to go with the ladies’ linen jacket and there’s a choice of cream or coral - perfect for the spring/summer season. And, because it’s Marisota, both the skirt and the trousers are available in a shorter length option. Hurray!

According to the Telegraph this week, a top accountancy firm has sent about 400 female employees on a course to be taught how to dress appropriately for work. Some of the things they were told to avoid included strong perfume, low cut tops and evening bags for daytime meetings, as well as bright make-up and very high heeled shoes.

I think their ‘Head of diversity’ has a point when they say workwear is easier for men than women. What to wear for work can be a minefield! You’ve got find just the right balance of clothes that look smart and presentable but that still complement your shape and retain a little bit of your personality. But you don’t want to go too far and look too sexy either.

As a speech therapist I need to look approachable but still retain that air of professionalism – I find Marisota’s mix and match plus size suits just perfect. With a few key pieces I can wear the suit in many different ways and just add a colourful, feminine top. That’s my formula and I’m sticking to it! Makes dressing in the morning quick and easy. And what I love best is that Marisota’s tailored skirts and trousers are available in short leg lengths – perfect for petite people like me!

For example take these suit separates (I always go for black as it goes with everything but this camel colour is a nice alternative)

Trust me, with this plus size workwear you can’t go wrong!

Claire x

I really, really love shopping. For tops, that is. Trouble is I’m a big fan of trousers – I love bootcut jeans but talk about frustrating trying to find a pair in my size! Jo and I took ourselves into town last Saturday and after bagging a couple of tops (for Jo!!!) I tried on a great pair of jeans in a rather trendy shop. You can imagine my disappointment when I had about 6 inches of fabric dangling over the end of my shoes. Jo was laughing but having short legs isn’t funny. Bootcut trousers can’t be altered very easily as they loose their shape – besides, I hate forking out for a professional to shorten stuff after I’ve bought it. Luckily for me I had my latest copy of Marisota to hand and guess what – an almost identical pair of jeans was in there.

2/3 of all trouser styles are available in shorter leg lengths so ‘titches’ like me can look as stylish as leggier girls in perfectly proportioned trousers tailored to fit.

Jo has the opposite problem to me – she’s a lanky kid. Not that she’d admit it to her friends but I caught her eyeing up a gorgeous maxidress in my Marisota catalogue the other day. Maxidresses look gorgeous on her, I might even pinch it when she’s not looking.