What would you wear? I own and work at my own bar/grill on the beach. It's very casual, as customers often come in their swimsuits. (It's in the Caribbean). In the winter, I wear jeans and a shirt. In the summer, I used to wear shorts and top. But, it gets really hot. I want to dress appropriately for a restaurant AND as an owner. But, good clothes get stained. I am bookkeeper/bartender/waitress and also help my husband in the kitchen. I'm "whomever didn't come to work". This is a picture of me at work, with my son. It's two years old, but it shows what I wear...which I'm not happy with.

Life in the Caribbean, Oh how fun that must be!

It seems to me that you could wear skirts as long as they weren't too flowy for the kitchen. Maybe look for a pencil skirt and/or denim skirts. There's an animal printed denim skirt at Coldwater Creek this season that I've been lusting after :-) Maybe you could nab it when it goes on sale.

You could also try some of the colored denim that is so trendy right now. It would hold up to tough wear better but also give you a nice base to coordinate with.

Are there thrift stores nearby? Maybe it will be easier to get nicer clothes dirty if you haven't paid an arm and a leg for them?

Since it's warm, I would rely on jewelry to create outfits. Scarves and jackets or sweaters are probably way too hot for where you are. I'd focus on necklaces and earrings -- bracelets get caught on things too easily.

Hope this helps a little!

Elaine in CO

My hairstylist friends are always buy their cool, trendy outfits at Goodwill or other local thrift shops. That way, when they inevitably get permanent hair color on their clothes, they can shrug casually and say, "Oh well, I only paid 3 bucks for this". In the summer, they usually wear a lot of dark color lightweight denims, or fine wale corduroy - which is probably too heavy for the Caribbean. So maybe wear stretchy dance-inspired pants. Max Studio makes some cute ones, I have two pairs that I have worn weekly for 2-3 years now.

Whatever you wear, don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets on your work clothes! My ex was a military pilot, and we were warned that fabric softener and dryer sheets can strip away the flame/fire retardant properties of fabric. So his flight suits were always hung to dry.

I suggest some cute dresses. If you get prints, dirt won't show so much. Paisley, floral, etc. You could also get some colorful or black t shirts, bowling shirts, or polos made with the name of the bar on them. At Tropical Smoothie Cafe here in Florida, they wear Hawaiian-print camp shirts, and never look messy.