I've reflected a little bit about our post about attire, posted yesterday. It was clearly about white-collar and professional work dress, but the general point about signaling is well-taken. People signal their real, or wannabe, personae.
It's impossible not to be signaling. It's what animals do. And if we wear nothing at all, that's a strong signal too.
A friend recently showed me his new Elmer Fudd hat that he bought on a skiing trip in Jackson Hole. A red-and-black-checked thing with a black tassel on top. Canadian hat. Hilarious-looking thing, but he could pull it off. He called it a Beaver-Trapping Hat...and I'm sure it attracts female glances of various sorts. It looks sort-of like this, but black and red checks:
For professional women in the early-mid stages of their careers (ie pre-Chanel and pre-St. John), we recommend Nora Gardner's line of conservative but flexible day-to-night attire for gals who are going places in life: