6 new clothing, footwear, and handbag brands every professional woman should know
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Of Mercer
Getting dressed for work as a woman can be difficult; it takes longer to do than the guy who can throw on a suit, and most of the options available are missing the mark between flattering and "cute." Instead of making the clothes women want and need, legacy brands have yet to adapt to accommodate the new lifestyles of modern women.
Totes need smarter, more commuter-friendly designs, and well-made classics in premium materials sound much better than the constant churning out of trends in cheap materials—you know, the ones you hate to be in more than a couple of hours, let alone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or however long your work day really takes).
For many women, even spending that precious, limited free time in a dressing room to find enough different combinations to wear to work is both exhausting and unappealing — a thought that hasn't made a large enough impact on retail, yet. Instead of expending more of their energy and time working with the complexities of the office, don't many of us wish we could just outsource the problem to a professional who gets it, instead? So we can spend our free time doing what we like, like hanging out with our friends, our family, or even getting ahead in our career.
These six women's workwear brands, if you don't know them already, will address each of these concerns and a couple more. Here's proof that some people do get it, and thankfully we can spend the time you might not have to find them for you.
I'm willing to bet you’ll be happy to know them: Dagne Dover, MM.LaFleur, Citizen’s Mark, Cuyana, Of Mercer, and Margaux.
Dagne Dover
Dagne Dover is a relatively new company that has gained notoriety and a bona fide cult following for bags that master sophisticated leather styles and conscious design aimed to simplify the lives of women on the move. Satchels, totes, backpacks, and other products feature commuter-friendly designs without sacrificing style.
On the outside, the bags are beautiful constructions of high-quality materials like leather in flattering neutral shades. We've covered both their Dakota Backpack and Classic Tote in depth, and our unanimous opinion is that Dagne Dover is doing something special. The design team has anticipated your needs, your lifestyle, and the things you'll carry and delivered with smarter execution than we've seen most anywhere else.
"It’s no longer good enough to just be 'arm candy'. Nowadays we expect the services and products we use to multitask, to be data-driven and to work harder," Mash told Business Insider. "Dagne Dover is the only brand in the handbag market that does so while continuing to be stylish and organized."
Take a closer look at Dagne Dover's collections here.
MM.LaFleur
MM.LaFleur works off the same basic assumption that President Barack Obama and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg did when they made the decision to pare down their wardrobe selections to only two colors of suits or the same grey shirt for public appearances. There are simply too many other important decisions to make.
Instead of trying to churn out trends, MM.LaFleur is thoughtfully constructing and improving upon the classics that will become your wardrobe staples.
MM.LaFleur was created to cater to women whose work days can look more like 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and who might not want to devote their limited free time to trying on work dresses in a changing room. As a result, they offer a subscription service called the Bento Box, which is a box of workwear staples handpicked for each customer by a discerning MM stylist based on a short quiz of workwear preferences, prices, and office atmosphere. Don't want to think about the complexities of officewear and wish you could just outsource it? Done.
Women can try on their selections at home, keep what they like, and text a number to get UPS to pick up and return what they don't. They're only charged for what they keep, and 70% of MM.LaFleur's customers are repeat clients.
If you'd like, you can read our full review on MM.LaFleur and their Bento Box here.
Check out the complete MM.LaFleur collections here.
Citizen's Mark
Citizen's Mark might be the one blazer brand to know. While working at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, Citizen’s Mark founder Cynthia Salim realized at 23 the same thing every working woman inevitably does: It’s hard to find high-quality women's workwear that looks credible.
Salim wanted to create the staples she wished existed for a career that the fashion industry didn't seem to know she and her female peers had. But she quickly realized that the problem ran much deeper than expected: When she contacted wool mills to produce for her, they asked if she'd like men's or women's fabrics. When she couldn't find a satisfactory suit factory in the US, most European factories explained that they only did men's tailoring. When even materials and machines are gendered to reserve the highest quality for menswear, no wonder the market for women was so dissatisfying.
All of Salim's blazers are subsequently made with "male" fabrics in factories that specialize in "male" tailoring. The result is stunning. I reviewed the company and two of the blazers myself, and Citizen's Mark is unlike anything else I've ever owned.
To further reflect the working woman Salim set out to design for, Citizen's Mark contributes to a responsible global supply chain with responsibility, sustainability, and transparency.
Take a look at the Citizen's Mark collections here.
Cuyana
Cuyana is another women's workwear brand that is making it in fashion by denying a common practice — many working women don’t want to see more trends in stores. Instead, they want better-made staples, which is why Cuyana creates under the umbrella phrase "fewer, better."
They design essential pieces for the modern woman with premium materials and the finest craftsmanship they can find. The designs are elegant, simplistic, and exceptionally well-made, and the prices are more affordable than the quality would lead you to expect. You can find bags, apparel, and accessories made with quality over quantity in mind.
It seems unusual to encourage buyers to turn away from trends, because it's such an easy way to continue making money, but Cuyana isn't afraid of you embracing a lean closet; simply because they know that, if you come to them at some point, many of those pieces you love to rely on are bound to be Cuyana-made.
Check out the full selection at Cuyana here.
Of Mercer
Of Mercer is a women's workwear brand that would actually like to be known of as a women's clothing brand that happens to be workplace appropriate, thank you very much.
They aim to create the nine-to-five (and then some) wardrobe that makes you feel incredible, with necklines and skirt hems that mean, yes, you can wear something comfortable and flattering into the office without a second thought. Instead of playing the oldies, they're trying to rethink workwear to deliver what women want, rather than what they're given.
The Of Mercer design philosophy is simplistic, flattering, and elegant in its subtlety. You might not have work-life balance, but your Of Mercer clothes will. Plus, everything is made in NYC.
Take a look at the complete Of Mercer selection here.
Margaux
Margaux uses luxurious materials to craft the best workwear shoes available for comfort, design, and material.
Inspired by the crispness and dash of iconic American pieces, and informed by smart design, Margaux makes products that solve problems without compromising their form — "The Heel" is a sculptural block heel that's meant to finally address the need for a truly comfortable classic. There's a thin layer of foam padding and a supportive innersole for all-day comfort, and a rubber-tipped leather sole to extend the overall lifetime of the shoes. For the quality delivered in each design, Margaux manages to create stylish, comfortable footwear for women that's still reasonably priced.
Find the full Margaux selection here.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Have something you think we should know about? Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Have something you think we should know about? Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
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