My office building is largely populated by fancy interior designers.…
What to Wear: Conservative Job
The real world! How exciting. Here is Val’s request:
I just graduated from college in May & took the whole summer off to take a break & relax. Next month I’m going to start a position with a very conservative company & I have no idea what to wear! I’ve never had to dress up for a job before so I’m almost starting from scratch. I basically can’t wear most of my clothes! I want to look professional, but not have to wear slacks & a collared shirt everyday. Also, do you know of a really good/comfortable pair of black heeled shoes that’s also cute? I know this may be a lot to ask, but I don’t know what to wear! Please help me!
p.s. I don’t mind spending more money on staple pieces like shoes or a blazer, but please keep in mind that I’m a recent graduate so I don’t have too much money to spend!! I’m going to have to start paying for my loan soon!
My suggestion is to invest in a nice three piece suit to get yourself started. Find something where you’re comfortable wearing the skirt, blazer and pants in combination and with other pieces. The tops can be a lot less expensive if you have a good base to start:
Suit – This trio is wool crepe from J.Crew in dark grey. It’s on sale but still not cheap. Try Club Monaco (and even maybe Express) for other great options. You could wear the blazer with tweed pants, other skirts or trouser jeans. And the pants and skirt with almost any top.
Turtleneck – My new favorite from Forever21.
Ruffled Shirt – So fun. Pair with a cardigan on top during the colder months.
Cardigan – Always great for the office. From Old Navy.
Sweater – White cableknit is a warm way to dress for the office in the winter.
Shoes – These black pumps from Naturalizer are going to be super comfortable. The twist detail and patent finish keeps them looking young.
Good luck with your new job Val!
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I walk to work every day, and am on my feet most of the time, and the one thing I’ve found to be enormously helpful is RUBBER SOLES! Camper makes beautiful, durable shoes with low heels and rubber soles that still look really nice. They are pricey, but last for years. And they always polish them for free if you have a store near you.
Ditto on express – they have the BEST work pants. I’ve survived since college on their black and grey dressy pants. They’re affordable and last forever, and love how they fit. (I sound like an ad)
Emily you’re awesome!! Thanks so much! Thanks to everyone else for their advice too. I’m going to have to check all these things out this weekend because I start work Monday! There’s something about shopping & thinking of new clothes that makes all my new-job-nerves go away!
Classic pieces all… and they can be dressed up with lots of things to make them splashy for after work! Very cute!
Why are there no dresses included, and why are these, and most of all the other clothes shown recently all so dark? What’s wrong with having basics in color, or at least a color other than black?
I love dresses for work, but they’re can be expensive. Same goes for different colors. The idea here was to give Val some basics that she could mix and match and then build on with new pieces. You could do the same with a blue or brown suit and other colors if you wanted but it’s a little harder.
Anonymous–
Why spew so much negativity? It’s an outfit suggestion! Lighten up. (figuratively, not literally–I like dark clothes. Ha, ha.)
Good ol’ anonymous. Always dependable for an irrelevant or dumb comment.
Sorry anonymous, your last comment was just getting too negative for my taste 🙂