News & Politics

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

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. Photograph by Matthew Worden.

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.”

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