Let Amal Clooney, Icon, Inspire You to Wear Dark Lipstick to the Boardroom

Amal Clooney was at the United Nations headquarters in New York yesterday (opens in new tab), speaking to the UN Security Council. The human rights lawyer, who made another recent public appearance at the UN (opens in new tab) in December of last year to accept the Global Citizen of the Year award, spoke in favor of a resolution against sexual violence in war and conflict. It's just her latest work in favor of women's rights, including an announcement last month that she's collaborating with the Prince Charles' Trust on the Amal Clooney Award to celebrate young women (opens in new tab) who defy the odds and make a difference in their communities.

It's well-established that Amal is a style icon, both on the red carpet and off. She has a gift for pairing her outfit to match perfectly to whatever event she attends—and in the process, gives the rest of us lessons on the ideal outfit to wear for every occasion.

At last year's UN event, she wore a striking two-tone J. Mendel dress. It was a black-tie affair, so she channeled the seriousness of the ceremony but still left a little room for her own personal style, including her hair down (which is a favorite style of hers) and a bright lip.

Yesterday, also at the UN headquarters but for a very different occasion, Amal emanated workday professionalism. Her black dress with oversize buttons looked polished and streamlined (UPDATE: it's a William Vintage Balenciaga black wool dress, circa 1958, with wooden buttons), and she wore her hair down with a little wave to it. But my absolutely favorite part is Amal's plum-colored lipstick, which is a little darker than her go-to colors and also is utterly gorgeous. Other than a bit of blush, Amal let the lipstick be the focus as the only true (and muted) color in her ensemble.

For anyone who needs real-life inspiration for what to wear to the office, welcome to your mood board–this look is an extension of Amal's calm, confident energy whenever she speaks publicly. If I ever have a job where I might be called upon to deliver speeches (shudder), it's exactly how I want to present myself.

Here's a better look at her full outfit:

And you can go here (opens in new tab) to watch the full video of Amal's speech to the UN Security Council. Amal's done incredible work in this area, and shows no sign of slowing down.

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