Talk to me about work clothes

mrsk616 · January 2015

the receptionist were i work were given 300 dollars to macys to buy certain clothes.(ie blazers sleeveless shirts and long sleeve shirts). we are to wear this every day. some of the stores do some dont. i dress with black pants a nice top and a cardigan or something close to what we are suppose to wear. the blazer i bought is too small and i turned in my stuff to the manager before changing them out. the damn thing made my shoulder hurt because it was so tight i was always trying to get it to losen up or something.

climbingsingle · January 2015

The Limited usually has good stuff. I skip over NY&Co because I've had bad experiences with their quality. Other stores I always check out:

Banana

Gap

AT Loft

J Crew

TJ Maxx/Marshalls

Macy's

H&M

JC Penney

littlepep · January 2015

I'd recommend the Loft too as some PPs have suggested. I buy almost all of my clothes there. They are modern, stylish and perfect for work. A lot of their pieces can be casual or be dressed up too so I don't feel like I'm only getting work clothes. The key is to wait because they have 40% off almost every other week. NEVER pay full price there. Total waste.

I also get a good bit of stuff at the Limited. I'm not as much of a fan of their tops, but they have great dresses and skirts.

wandajune6 · January 2015

I took a part-time job at New York & Company after college so I could build out my work wardrobe. It was a second job but the discount and few hours/week helped me build a wardrobe. While this was a LONG time ago, I see that they carry a lot of the same things even now. They're affordable basics but pay close attention to what you buy- the quality isn't always great. Everything I bought there was a mess within a few years, often sooner.

I work from home a few days a week and in a casual office the rest of the week. I spend a lot of time visiting clients.

For clients, I go with a simple dress with an interesting blazer or neutral suit (usually black) with a colorful top or plain top and bold jewelry or scarf. My current favorite is black suit with a garnet silk blouse and matching garnet heels (these- I love them!). I look professional but with an edge- and I always get lots of compliments.

Shift dresses - or something similar that's flattering- are great. I can dress it up with a blazer or throw on a comfy cardigan. I may wear riding boots or classic heels. It's easy.

Just remember to focus on fit- if the cut doesn't flatter or the item doesn't fit well, don't buy it. When I was younger I sometimes made the mistake of buying pieces that I thought I should have rather than looking for things that actually looked good on.

When I'm home it's usually yoga pants and a t-shirt.

vulpiepop · January 2015

porkchops926 said:

I think it also depends on where you're working, as in location. If it's a design job in a major city then it's likely to be more professional than a small town.

Don't go nuts yet, though. I'm a designer too and even though I wore professional clothes to my interview and my first day of work, I quickly discovered that my boss and contemporaries wear jean shorts and flip flops. So, now I look like a scumbag on a daily basis and it's awesome.

Get a few things, maybe enough for one week. If you get the job then get a sense of the dress code when you start working.

What kind of design is it? (if you answered and I missed it I'm sorry)

I'm product design but for this company will most likely be doing more graphic design. The company is a pretty big name in a big city and walking in there for the first interview, I saw that everyone was dressed professionally. I'll hold off on getting a whole wardrobe and maybe just get a nice blouse and skirt for the next interview (my current skirt isn't doing so well...the stitching is coming loose and now there are loose threads everywhere).

Talk to me about work clothes

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