Professional wardrobe - what do I need?
September 18, 2010 8:33 AM   Subscribe

DressMeFilter. I'm transitioning from California grad student to East Coast professional. What do I need to wear and how can I do it affordably?

Me now: female, early 30s, mommy with low energy/time, currently a grad student in California. I wear jeans/skirts and nice t-shirts with a cardigan on top with flip flops daily. I am more anthropologie than J. Crew.

Me next year: in a professional government office where people are dressed up. Walking in snow. Need to be warm. Will still have toddler to contend with.

What I have:
I own a number of professional pieces (2 suits, ~7 pairs of dress pants, ~4 dress skirts, ~5 dress tops, a million colored dressy cardigans), and these have been for conferences and/or hand-me-downs from friends. Some are the current stylish cuts and others are cuts from the early '00s.
In terms of shoes, I have 2 pairs of not-super-professional boots, 1 pair of tall black leather boots that are not very comfortable, a few pairs of black flats, a few pairs of colored flats, 1 pair of red pumps that are comfortable, ~3 pairs of black heels that are comfortable but summery, and no black heels that are wintery. I am willing to spend money to get comfortable things that will work for a long time.
Coats: I have a wonderful long wool black coat, a red peacoat, and many long and short dark colored down parkas. (I should be set here.)

My plan: Do a personal shopper visit at Nordstrom to get some key pieces, but I need to also assess my current possessions (trying things on as well) to determine where the gaps are. (My local Banana Republic and J. Crew aren't "urban" enough to have this service.)
I'm also going to pay attention when I go for a visit next month to see what my coworkers and boss are working. (Maybe the personal shopper visit should be AFTER that trip, huh?)

So, people of Metafilter, what do I need to be dressed up Monday-Friday?

I'd like to hear something like:
# black pants
# navy pants
# khaki/grey pants

# black skirts
# other colored skirts

# sweaters
# cardigans
# tops (and suggestions for types of tops (long or short sleeved, buttons or not) and I'd like to keep the tops as washable and comfortable as I can. I hate ironing.)

# and type of shoes

I'd also like the following advice:
- where can I cut corners? For example, buy nice pants but get tops at H&M?
- is there a way to subscribe to RSS feeds for new sales/coupons at Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, J. Crew, etc.?
- where can I find a blog like academichic for this sort of professional wardrobe inspiration?
- accessories? I have some random beaded necklaces and stuff, but what sort of scarves, necklaces, etc. should I get? What can I get cheap that doesn't look cheap?
- should I do the personal shopper stuff in my new city rather than here in casual California? I have tons of more flexible time in California, but I wonder if the new city personal shoppers would be more skilled in what I need.
posted by k8t to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (24 answers total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
My main advice would be to do most of your shopping in the city where you will be working. In fact, I'd buy enough to squeeze you through the first work week and then do a big shopping weekend once you're a little bit acclimated to the new city, new weather, new office culture, etc.

Also, where will you be in the Northeast, exactly? That's going to make a big difference in terms of specific items you will need. People in New York, DC, and Boston all dress differently and have different ideas of what "professional" is, not to mention different weather situations to contend with.

Also, when will you be making the transition? October? January? April? If the move will be soon, I wouldn't worry too much about having "winter" black heels and the like - you can buy that stuff as the weather changes.
posted by Sara C. at 8:50 AM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: In response to your question about RSS feeds for coupons, I recommend shopittome. They will send you an email as often a week as you want (I have it come twice a week) with all the new sale items from stores and brands that you've picked out in advance. It includes the brands that you mentioned plus stores like Nordstrom, Saks, etc.
posted by deeparch at 9:00 AM on September 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: DC, December.

I'll probably need a few more tops to get me through the first month.

Now I have much more free time to shop.
posted by k8t at 9:02 AM on September 18, 2010


Response by poster: Like 2 months away December...
posted by k8t at 9:03 AM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: In response to your blog question, you want Corporette. Some of the pieces they recommend buying are, in my opinion, outrageously expensive, but the overall advice is good, and the comments section is populated by big city lawyers and DC government types, so they'll be your fashion colleagues.
posted by decathecting at 9:13 AM on September 18, 2010 [3 favorites]


Oh, and I definitely wouldn't do much, if any, shopping before you visit. Government agencies vary widely in how their employees actually interpret the dress code, especially women. Some places, everyone wears a full suit every day, while some places are more sweater friendly. In some offices, people wear jeans when Congress isn't in session. You need to figure out what sort of place you're working in.

Also, it's not clear whether you've ever lived on the east coast or in DC before, but last year was a huge fluke in terms of snow. Most years, we get about an inch about three times in January/February, and no more. I wouldn't worry much about the snow. What I would worry about is cold. Because it's so humid here, the cold feels about 10 degrees colder than it does in, say, Montana. You're going to want very good gloves, warm socks, a hat, etc.

Feel free to check back in any time. I've lived here on and off for a dozen years and worked in every sort of office, so I'm happy to answer questions now or after you've visited.
posted by decathecting at 9:18 AM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: If you're moving in December, you could probably wait to buy a hat, gloves, and that sort of thing till you get here (except your toddler! your toddler is going to need full winter gear on arrival). Maybe grab a throwaway Target version to pull you through the first few weeks until you can figure out what you really need.

Coworkers are a great resource for stuff like this - "I love your hat; where'd you get it?" will be a million times more helpful than anything we could say.

It sounds like your only emergency need is tops - I'd spend your visit looking at what kinds of shirts people in your office wear, and buy enough of that to tide you over until you'll have time to shop. If you rely on BR, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, etc. a lot, you can just figure out what size you wear in tops and order online as needed. That shouldn't take any real time. You could do that from a smartphone on the toilet if you had to.

H&M did me well when I was 20 and started temping and had zero office clothes. But the clothes often look cheap - if you have an upper echelon sort of job, that will also be what the admin assistants and interns and the like will be wearing, which may or may not work for you. Fast Casual also requires a lot more energy in the way of browsing and trying on (their sizes are almost never standard across the brand), which means that if you don't have time, you shouldn't even darken the door of an H&M.
posted by Sara C. at 9:31 AM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: Heh. I don't associate "walking in snow" with DC winters at all. It doesn't snow that frequently and if it does snow heavily everything tends to shut down, it's not business as usual as it is in more wintry areas.

One thing I notice in your list is that you keep mentioning "tops" but you don't mention jackets or blazers. I suggest investing money in at least one good black jacket or blazer, and have it tailored if necessary for a good fit. The good jacket lets you get away with wearing cheaper pants or skirts, and H&M tops.

In my previous career I was often dealing with government contractors and government employees in the DC area. I had a wardrobe of suits and suit separates. The tops I wore with them came from all kinds of stores, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, Target. Basically it was something to wear under the jacket, so I didn't worry as much about it as the suits or jackets. The women I met were always wearing suits or some kind of suit separates combo (jacket + pants, jacket + skirt, jacket + dress), although I suspect some might have been in cardigan and jeans on days they didn't have to meet with people outside the office.
posted by needled at 9:33 AM on September 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I lived in Vermont and grew up in Michigan, so I'm okay with cold. Glad to hear there won't be much snow walking.

My partner works at an outdoor clothing company, so I have many parkas, down coats, gloves, hats etc. Toddler has multiple snowsuits, coats, hats, etc. (He's currently sample size!) I bought him some Stonz boots the other day.

I have 2 suit jackets and 2 cord blazers. I should probably get another blazer, huh?
posted by k8t at 9:44 AM on September 18, 2010


Honestly, try Goodwill. If you live in an area with a lot of middle class /'professional' women, so much stuff just gets given to Goodwill. I am baffled that it doesn't get suggested very much here. Most of my 'professional clothes' have come from there, I've gotten plenty of Ann Taylor, Dockers, etc. brand name stuff there for $8 tops and $1.49 on their really good sale days. Of course you have to look it over for stains/rips, and you have to be willing to spend a little more time hunting than just grabbing off the rack, but I've gotten so many nice pants/blouses/etc there that looked like they'd been worn once if at all.
posted by nakedmolerats at 9:51 AM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: This is what I did. Cost was my number one concern, finding clothes that were well made and flattering (so designer, more often than not) was a close second. Of course, YMMV.

-Haunt thrift and consignment stores, even garage sales, for professional women's clothing, which they often have in surprisingly large amounts. Women gain/lose weight and cycle in/out of work more than men due to pregnancy, so it's usually easier to find women's stuff. (There was a consignment shop in SE MI that was amazing for work clothes, but alas, you are no where near there.) I dunno if Plato's Closet is still around, but it's like Goodwill for high end designer stuff. My dad bought an Armani suit there for $300, and a couple other, lesser designer suits for less than $200 each.

-eBay, baby. Something like a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress can be had for ~$100 if you look hard. (And if it's used, you aren't supporting her Roman Polanski apologist ass.)

-Avoid anything dry clean only like the plague. Learn how to hand wash blazers, merino and cashmere. (If you want, memail me and I'll explain some stuff.) Go to a craft store, buy a good iron, sleeve rolls, press boards, etc. Get in the habit of taking good care of your stuff on your own. If you can, get a big ass salad spinner to get water out of handwash clothes without wringing, thereby preserving their shape.

-Take what you have, and what you've bought, and put together ten discrete outfits. That's two full weeks of work clothes with no repeats. Figure out what you need from there. After I had been doing this awhile, I started just looking for suits and dresses, as they were the easiest- no thinking. But, I like suits and dresses, so again, YMMV.

-Find a tailor, or make friends with a good seamstress. When in doubt, always go a size up and alter.

-Decide what color (s) leather you are going to wear. I picked chocolate brown, black, and red. Stick to those colors for shoes, handbags, wallets, briefcases, belts. I know a woman who picked black and lime green. She only had a few lime green leather items, but they all went fine with black, and she always looked very polished. She is the person I got the idea from, actually.

-Since it's cold, expect to need at least three pairs of boots.

-Don't ever go cheap on shoes, and find a cobbler.

-Dov Charney is an ass, but scoop neck solid color American Apparel Ts are wonderful for layering.

-Expect to have to fill in around the edges with new stuff. I like catalogs for this. Coldwater Creek and Lands' End don't cost the Earth and have stuff that wears well.

-You can buy six pashminas on eBay for ~$50, which are wonderful for brightening up your face/coat and are as warm as toast. They feel nice on the neck and chin, too.

I spent about three months intensively looking for stuff and building a wardrobe. I spent about $600 on clothes. I already had a good coat, and some pretty nice shoes, so I spent another $250 on two more pairs of shoes and two belts. I got a briefcase as a gift. After that was all over, I spend less than $50 a month (prorated) replacing and maintaining my wardrobe.
posted by Leta at 10:04 AM on September 18, 2010 [12 favorites]


What profession are you in? That's also huge. Are you going to be a scientist, gov exec, doctor, lawyer?

Don't worry about snow here.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:30 AM on September 18, 2010


Another variable to contend with (and why you should wait) is that it depends on the actual building whether the offices (boardrooms etc.) are comfortable, freezing or roasting once the heat is on. Where I work it is so hot in the office that I usually wear what would be considered summer clothes (and layer with a jacket) most of the winter. Then I have my outdoor layers that go over this for outside.
posted by kch at 10:47 AM on September 18, 2010


You'll need to decide where you stand on the "commuting shoes" issue. I think this is more of a DC thing than other East Coast cities.

A lot of women wear shoes specifically for the commute, especially if they ride Metro (the subway system, which is always "Metro" and never "the subway") This is even more true if their endpoint or transfer stations include lots of escalators. Metro is notorious for out-of-service escalators, and some of those mothers are LONG. And even when the escalators are working, a lot of women find that their shoes attract icky escalator grease.

So, you'll see a lot of ladies rockin' the tennis shoes with pantyhose and full suit look. And you'll see people who wear nicer flats to commute but are obviously carrying heels to wear at work-- you can recognize them by their awkwardly cuffed pants. Some people are rabidly anti-commuter shoe (especially when the "shoes" are flip-flops or Crocs).

Related but off-topic: The current Washington Post fashion editor caused a huuuuge to-do when she first got to DC and wrote a column against the tennis shoes with suits thing. HUGE. As in, fifteen years later people still talk about it. A big impression considering this is the person who since then has called out Condoleeza Rice for dressing like a dominatrix and wrote about Hillary Clinton's cleavage.
posted by scarnato at 10:53 AM on September 18, 2010


Response by poster: Analyst for a government agency.

Dislike the sneakers with suit look but like to be comfy.
posted by k8t at 11:42 AM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: I would agree with waiting to do your big shop until you're on the East Coast and have had a chance to let local norms really sink in. My experience moving back and forth between the coasts is that while general trends may still hold (like, I'm sure '80s retro is just as prevalent there right now), there are a lot of local flavor differences. When I lived there, New York was a lot more about black-and-white with subtle accessories, whereas West Coast is more about vivid color.

Ditto for getting a handle on the culture of your workplace. In CA, there is such a thing as "dressy" flip-flops, but in many places even wearing nice sandals is considered unprofessional. Pay attention to whether women wear open-toed shoes, how high heels tend to be, etc.

As for specific pieces, machine-washable, button-up fitted shirts are an easy "professional" look. If you get them in white or subtle pinstripe (and without floofy sleeves or anything like that), they will be less susceptible to the fashion cycle. Knee-length pencil skirts (especially gray or black) are also pretty timeless. And of course straight-leg gray and black slacks are forever.

Do you have any blazers? They're great for a notch above cardigan but not suit-level dressy.
posted by amberwb at 2:31 PM on September 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh no, New York does the commute shoes too. In fact, some people just wear sneakers with a suit all day.
posted by amberwb at 2:32 PM on September 18, 2010


Since it's cold, expect to need at least three pairs of boots.

This might be different in a more formal work environment, but I've pulled through 10 winters in New York City with only one or two pairs of boots (in any given winter). I don't think you're going to need more than three unless you are a severe boot addict. Especially considering how car-centric the DC metro area is. It's unlikely that you're going to be trudging miles and miles on icy city streets; heels, flats, oxfords, or whatever you usually like to wear would all be fine.
posted by Sara C. at 6:31 PM on September 18, 2010


And even when the escalators are working, a lot of women find that their shoes attract icky escalator grease.

Man, I will NEVER understand the things people in DC worry about. See, this is how you know your city is too clean.
posted by Sara C. at 6:34 PM on September 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh, and merino wool does not require either dry cleaning or hand washing. You can machine wash on the delicate cycle and lay flat to dry.

Cashmere, on the other hand, you will want to hand wash exclusively - I've had cashmere sweaters ruined by dry cleaning. Which sucks considering how expensive both cashmere sweaters and dry cleaners are.

I highly recommend Uniqlo's cashmere sweaters over J. Crew's btw. If there is a Uniqlo in DC. If they have an outlet near you now, you should go. Especially if you are petite. You could also take a road trip to NYC if you are intrigued.
posted by Sara C. at 6:41 PM on September 18, 2010


Best answer: You might want to check the Lucky Shopping Manual out of the library--it is explicitly structured like what you're asking for, with number of pants and what colors they should be, number of work-friendly bras, shoes, hose, etc. to get you set for anything during the week, with brief explanations as to why you'd want, say, a back up pair of this kind of slacks or why owning one fun patterned dress makes sense, etc. It also has a thing on how to pack for trips the most efficiently. It was good for me when I started out working professionally because like you I was used to dressing kind of student-y and young and whimsical/cute (sooo hear you on "more anthropologie than J. Crew"!) and it helped me wrap my head around the minimum basics I'd need to look grown up and polished, and how to put them together in the most useful and varied way possible.
posted by ifjuly at 8:53 AM on September 19, 2010


Response by poster: This piece from Jezebel was sort of helpful (for future people.)
posted by k8t at 5:05 PM on September 19, 2010


Response by poster: And more from Jezebel:

Dress code at work I
Dress code at work II (gives #s)
posted by k8t at 5:10 PM on September 19, 2010


Response by poster: And shopping Polyvore is a good way to look for particular items without having to go to the specific store's page.
posted by k8t at 5:14 PM on September 19, 2010


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