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Inexpensive work clothes in the DC area?

Mrs. Pterodactyl — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:22:25 -0800

Where can I find inexpensive work clothes in the DC area? I am planning to start a job as a receptionist/administrative assistant in the near future and I've recently lost weight so none of my clothes fit, although I am still plus-size. We are pretty short on money right now so I really really don't want to spend too much; I would very much appreciate any suggestions for decent, inexpensive stores for plus-size women to buy work clothes. The hardest part for me is generally finding things in my size, especially things that will last and are appropriate for my age (twenty-five). Thank you for any suggestions you might have!

Business dress for the casual girl?

Metroid Baby — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:17:31 -0800

After a few years of hoodies and flip-flops, I'm re-entering a business-casual work environment - slightly clueless and very reluctant about dressing up. Help me adhere to the dress code and look good while maximizing comfort and minimizing effort. Corporate dress codes aren't completely foreign to me: my first few jobs were in business-casual offices. However, I guess they were foreign enough to me that I was approached by two different bosses at two different jobs about needing to dress better. (On both occasions, I asked for ideas/examples of how to improve, and both times I heard "You know that suit you wore to your interview? You looked really great then.") I amassed a collection of twinsets and crinkly dry-clean-only skirts, but I felt dowdy and uncomfortable in them. And I got really, really tired of having to think about putting together work outfits. All in all, not a pleasant experience for me, and it's left me with a vague dread of dress codes in general.

The last time anyone cared what I wore to work was early 2006. Since then, my work environments have become increasingly relaxed: from unenforced business-casual, to casual, to working at home. I love having the freedom to wear what I want to work, and I love working for people who are more interested in my ideas than my wardrobe.

It probably goes without saying that my wardrobe has gotten more and more casual over the past couple of years, too. I've given away a lot of my old work clothes, and I haven't needed to replace them with similar pieces. My typical daily outfit is a t-shirt/tank top, a knit skirt or yoga pants, a track-ish jacket or hoodie, and flip-flops or sporty flats.

In a few weeks, however, I'll be back in an office with a business-casual dress code. I can't very well roll up to work in a tracksuit, as much as I wish I could. I have a few nice skirts and sweaters from my old office days, but for the most part I'm starting from scratch.

Trouble is, I don't particularly like styles that are suit-y or dressy. I've gone window-shopping with the intent of getting ideas for what I could wear to work, and every time I find myself getting shrugging at the career clothing and drifting into the juniors' or sportswear departments. I'm also not into wearing clothes or shoes that I can't walk a mile in. And I prefer my clothes to be as low-maintenance as possible – in the past, anything that's required ironing or dry-cleaning has stayed wadded in a stale wrinkly ball in the back of my closet.

Ideally, I'd like to throw on an outfit in under a minute, walk to work, and look awesome. Too unrealistic? I'd settle for not feeling like I'm wearing a uniform and not wanting to change into pajamas the second I get home.

And if that weren't picky enough, I'd like to get my work wardrobe together without spending very much money or adding too much stuff. I know I'll need to buy a few things (I have only one pair of dressy pants, for example) but I'd really rather not get a whole ton of new clothes.

I've never found a resource that has been particularly helpful. Most advice seems to fall either into "you'll know what's appropriate when you see it" or "you should wear whatever upper management is wearing."

So I'm looking for advice on what to wear, what to look for in work clothes, how to plan outfits, etc. I'm not completely new to dressing up for work, but I feel like I could stand to learn a lot, so even the most basic Garanimals-level tips are fine by me.

Help me find a shirt

amethysts — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:53:36 -0800

Ladies - how to find white dress shirts that button flat across the front and aren't sheer? If possible, wrinkle-resistant so I'm not ironing my shirt in the morning and yet still showing up to work all wrinkled up with everything popping out and showing through. I have a problem finding white dress blouses that do what I need them to do. I don't think I have unusual proportions. I'm usually a size 10 or a 12, or a medium or a large and I don't have a big chest compared to the rest of me. But I'm having no luck finding shirts that do these things:
1. Buttons nicely across the front and stays buttoned, without drowning in fabric elsewhere (like around the arms and the stomach)
2. White but NOT see-through
3. No frills or lace or those tie-wrap-things or tie things around the neck.
4. Wrinkle-resistant would be fabulous, but I know this is a tall order.

I need these for work, but I can't ask the other ladies there because I don't think they have all the fitting issues that I seem to have.
I've already checked out every store in the mall but if you can think of something I'm missing. Online shopping is also ok - just tell me where you have found luck so I know where to start. Please tell me this isn't impossible.

UniformFilter! Help me find cool work uniforms.

Jaie — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:24:31 -0800

I work in a public computer lab at the library. We're thinking it might be nice to have an easily-identifiable uniform so the computer users don't have to go around asking people if they work here. We're thinking shirts only, but we don't really want boring polo-style shirts. (And if you have ideas that include bottoms, bring 'em on.) We want something that reflects our general geek-hip coolitude. There are nine of us - five girls, four guys - and we range in size from petite to curvy/stout. We're in the south, so no wool! Outdoor temps vary, but it's usually short-sleeved weather indoors.

Oh, and if it helps, our logo is here.

Belts and you

selfnoise — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 11:30:02 -0800

I've got belt issues. (of the clothing variety) Belts are excellent devices for holding pants up. I think we can all agree on that. And a belt seems to be a good thing to wear with a nice shirt and pants. However, I really dislike belts when I'm sitting down. The buckle makes me uncomfortable, and since my office job requires me to be sitting down for most of the day, this can start to wear on a person.

Suspenders seem like they might be an alternative, but I really thing my coworkers would giggle if I started wearing them.

So... what are my options here? What's the best, most comfortable way to hold your pants up all day long?