Manolo blahnik on sale

With fans like Michelle Obama and Kate Hudson, designer Rachel Roy is certainly a name to know in fashion. After six years at Rocawear, where she rose from intern to creative director, Roy launched her eponymous label in 2005. In 2009, she launched a diffusion line, Rachel Rachel Roy, available exclusively at Macy's. And this fall, she introduced a makeup line. On top of her hectic work schedule, and life as a mom to two young daughters, Roy finds the time to be one of the chicest women around (she's made Vanity Fair's Best-Dressed list). Roy shared her fashion tips for the busy career woman and why it's O.K. for women to sit out the fashion trends that just aren't right for them.

How do you think women should approach dressing for work?

It really depends on what industry you are in, and what's appropriate. If you are in the arts, you can dress one way, if you are a lawyer, there are different expectations. One of my cousins is applying for her residency [in medicine]. She's gone on twelve interviews, if not more. I wanted to dress her for those interviews, and what works for me, isn't going to work at Brown and Stanford. But we found a grey dress in my collection that works?with a draped shoulder, in jersey. Then, it's just about the right shoes and purse. Simple and strong options are best. The idea was for the clothes not to be distracting. I wanted the interviewer to look into her eyes, not at her outfit or body, and to be able to discover how well-rounded and smart she is.

What's your office style?

I love trouser pants. I wear them slightly low on the hip and throw on a blouse. There is a certain style of Manolo [Blahnik's] that I can wear for eight hours. I also wear a lot of office dresses with zippers up the back, and then a pea coat.

What are five items you think every woman needs?

Definitely a trench coat. I wear them as dresses, and they instantly make me look thinner, pulled together, sharp. Think Diane Sawyer. A great pair of flats, though I'm not a believer in toe cleavage. A men's blouse. Like what Sharon Stone wore to the Oscars [in 1999]. I have one from Jones Apparel that I wear all of the time. It doesn't wrinkle. Buy one in a smaller size than you would normally wear. Cardigans. I button mine all of the way up and wear them backwards channeling Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s, and pair it with a pencil skirt. And a turtleneck, which you can wear year round. Wear it with a strapless dress or a wispy spring dress right now.