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Clothes That Work: Olga Viso

Seven women who always look professional talk about dressing for success—where they shop, what they’re buying, and outfits that go from office to cocktails

By Alycia Kilpatrick Published Sunday, April 01, 2007

Photograph by Matthew Worden

In a workplace filled with color-such as Ellsowrth Kelly's "Red Yellow Blue V"-Viso is known for her black-and-white palette. This Floral Trapeze jacket by Pink Tartan is $625 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Director, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Her style: “Classic with an edge. What matters most is that the clothes be stylish—preferably atypical in cut, fabric, and finish—but practical for business travel.”

Work wardrobe: “I prefer pants and like to mix and match them with jackets. In the spring and summer, I venture more into skirts and color; black still rules in the art world. I like Missoni’s spring palette—beiges, yellows, peaches, browns, creams.”

Brands she likes: “Ann Taylor, Anne Klein, White House/Black Market. I work for a nonprofit, so I’m a bargain buyer, although I love to window-shop for high fashion and I like Italian designers, especially Malo.”

Distinctive jewelry: “I have a set of earrings, a necklace, and a ring that I bought in Mexico by an artist curiously named Olga—they have pearls and silver and an organic, geometric design that works well with black-and-white outfits, which I wear a lot.”