Ladies - work clothes?

[riverwed070707]

I work in a corporate environment. I can get away with business casual when I'm in the office, but for business meetings and such I need a more polished business look. Currently, almost all of my dress clothes are from the jr.'s section at Gordman's and Kohls. I have a really hard time spending money on clothes becuase I feel guilty, but I really need to polish up my wardrobe and get a few versatile grown up pieces to wear to my meetings and conventions. Where do you shop that has nice, quality (and modern too please!) clothes without breaking the bank?

[snafu]

Have you checked the consignment shops in your community? They often have new clothes 'jobbed' down from exclusive ladies wear shops. It takes patience but both Goodwill and Value Village often have lightly worn or shop soiled apparel that have come from wealthy closets. You will need to find a seamstress who can do small alterations at a reasonable cost.

If you have a plan it helps. I've noticed women who dress beautifully wear classic clothes combined with trendy accessories like the chunky jewelry and wide belts that are so popular just now

[Frugal]

I like Dress Barn on the slightly more expensive end. They are nearby, and you can get good sales if you sign up for their email list.

[Coronet]

I really like NY&Co which is in most malls. They're not outrageously priced and often do 40% off storewide sales during holidays (like the upcoming 4th of July!). They have really classy looking work apparel that isn't crazy expensive, especially with sales.

[krantcents]

Depending on your age, and style there a number of vintage stores, discount stores and stores like H & M. I suggest you go for quality clothes, but buy very few and mix and match. I bought a Hugo Boss suit at Marshall's, but I looked for it before I needed it. It did take a while before I found it.

[papa_squat]

I typically just shop JCPenny. They are not high-quality, but for where I work, it is quality enough, even when I travel to conferences and meetings. This could depend on your age and location though.

Occassionally I get some good deals through Shop It To Me, a site where you plug in the designer brands you like and your sizes and they send you a email or two a week with deals on things in stock in your size. Some brands are still pricey as heck even with the discount, but Ralph Lauren routinely has very classy style at reasonble quality and prices and they runn some pretty nice prices with Shop It To Me.

[Frugal]

I was able to get some very nice business-casual to business-dressy dresses, suit jackets, and skirts at Penney's last October for some very reasonable prices (I actually paid $10.00 for one dress, and $5 for another!). You have to know when to shop and how to really combine your discounts and sales at Penney's to do this well. I also like to shop the 50-75% off clearance racks at Target. Otherwise, their regularly-priced clothes are a bit overpriced.

Also, I just found some nice shirts at Walmart last week for $1.00, $1.50, and $2.50. I found a couple in the $1.00-$1.50 range. They close out a lot of their inventory apparently in June and the summer months, in my area. I was able to get shirts for about 80-90% off, which you could pair under jackets as work clothes.

[BMEPhDinCO]

I like NY&Company, Express, Ann Taylor Loft, and so forth - for business wear, get a good three piece suit in black or grey and it'll last you forever. Three piece meaning skirt, jacket, and pants. If you need to, have the pants tailored to fit you - the expense is worth it.

In addition to the suit, get a basic white blouse, a colored blouse, and a cardigan in black or grey (to match the suit). Get a pair of low black pumps and/or flats. A nice colored scarf is also helpful. Finally, a thin black belt really pulls the outfit together. And don't forget the hose! No bare skin with formal office wear.

With this you can do at least 6 semi-formal (no jacket or cardigan instead) or 4 formal outfits (full suit). That should last you for a week of business meetings. Wear the jacket 2-3 times before dry cleaning and the pants/skirt 1-2 times. Make sure you remove and hang up as soon as you get home (or take a change of clothes if you have a long commute). Spray with febreez to get out small wrinkles and quick iron before leaving the house if needed. I also use at home dry cleaning kits and so stretch out dry cleaning to once per month.

Hope that helps!

[riverwed070707]

Originally Posted by BMEPhDinCO

I like NY&Company, Express, Ann Taylor Loft, and so forth - for business wear, get a good three piece suit in black or grey and it'll last you forever. Three piece meaning skirt, jacket, and pants. If you need to, have the pants tailored to fit you - the expense is worth it.

In addition to the suit, get a basic white blouse, a colored blouse, and a cardigan in black or grey (to match the suit). Get a pair of low black pumps and/or flats. A nice colored scarf is also helpful. Finally, a thin black belt really pulls the outfit together. And don't forget the hose! No bare skin with formal office wear.

With this you can do at least 6 semi-formal (no jacket or cardigan instead) or 4 formal outfits (full suit). That should last you for a week of business meetings. Wear the jacket 2-3 times before dry cleaning and the pants/skirt 1-2 times. Make sure you remove and hang up as soon as you get home (or take a change of clothes if you have a long commute). Spray with febreez to get out small wrinkles and quick iron before leaving the house if needed. I also use at home dry cleaning kits and so stretch out dry cleaning to once per month.

Hope that helps!

Tremendously! Thanks

[sandrark]

- Coldwater Creek outlets

- Chico's

- Macy's - Jones NY and Tahari

- TJ Maxx has good sell-offs, as does Nordstrom Rack if you're diligent about checking.

- Liz Claiborne outlet

- Off 5th outlets

- Ann Taylor Loft

Sandi

[juniehyatt]

Old Navy has come nice office/corpo outfits from time to time as well..

[toys]

I am amazed at the selection of clothing on eBay... not just used, but new as well. Often the prices can not be beat. Ever since eBay started allowing (up to 50 per user) listings to be posted free of charge, the variety on there has increased tremendously.

Sometimes, you find a good deal on an outfit and then scroll to the shipping and go into shock. No big... check the items in that user's store. Chances are they have similar quality and size available. Most sellers state on their listing if they combine on shipping and if not, it never hurts to ask.

[Lexie11]

I don't have any pictures to share with you, but I had to just buy a whole new work wardrobe after getting my first real job! I bought tons of pants at Kohl's. I went there as a last ditch effort, because I was so disappointed with prices elsewhere. I have also bought 3 or 4 pairs at Target that are awesome. I refuse to spend more than twenty on work clothes, so I consider myself pretty frugal. Oh yeah, and don't forget TJ Maxx or Marshall's. Happy shopping!

[Mjenn]

I have done very well wirh work clothes at Ann Taylor during sales. Orten they have pretty basic classic pieces at 50 to 70% off and tend to last a long time.