Women's Business Basics

[Miss Neecerie]

Ok, I need some help here, and I know that many of you are far better at shopping then I am.

I work in aerospace, its very casual. I like dressing retro, but currently this consists of trousers and a cardigan set or a cute short sleeved sweater. I have a few skirts but these usually elicit 'job interview' comments when I wear them.

I have been losing weight, and so am in the predicament where I need to slowly start buying things to replace too big items. My budget is quite limited for this.

So, with all those caveats, ideas, links, and advice.

What do you consider essential to a woman's retro business wardrobe?

Thanks in advance for any ideas,

Denise

 

[jitterbugdoll]

The office I work in is very casual too, so I am always somewhat overdressed.

I always keep 2-3 pairs of wide-leg trousers in my closet, which I like to pair with sweater, blouses, and/or jackets. It's always good to have a couple of a-line skirts in your wardrobe as well, as they can be easily mixed with various tops. In addition, I wear a lot of tailored vintage dresses that can be dressed up or down.

For shoes, I'll wear nice pumps or wedges, which can be mixed with any of the pieces I mentioned above quite easily.

 

[Paisley]

I agree with everything that Jitterbugdoll said and will add a few things.

Color
One strategy that has worked for me is to have a color scheme based on men's suit colors that are flattering on me. My pants, skirts and jackets are in navy, tan, gray and chocolate brown. My shirts and sweaters are in coordinating colors: pink, red, white, ivory and blue. This way, I don't need a lot of clothes--they all pretty much coordinate with one piece or another. I don't need a ton of shoes and accessories, either.

Patterns
This is a matter of individual preference, but I've found I rarely wear patterned shirts and that patterned pants are hard for me to coordinate with tops and jackets. I prefer solid pants, skirts and tops and jackets in tweed, plaid, checks, or solid. (But for casual clothes, I prefer patterned skirts or pants and solid tops. Go figure.)

Style
Since my clothes are in pretty basic styles, they usually aren't that hard to replace. When I wear out one ivory knit top, I get another one. And a basic style (like an A-line skirt or a simple jacket) isn't going to be way out of style, even when fashion changes.

Where to Buy
Since you are losing weight and on a budget, I suggest shopping at thrift stores. Consignment stores are OK, but their stuff is about the same price as internet specials at some really good quality stores. Once you are finished losing weight, I recommend talbots.com, lizclaiborne.com, and anntaylorloft.com, in that order. Talbots has semiannual sales; if you sign up for their e-mail list, they'll tell you when the sales are.

 

[Donna Stewart]

I've bought most of my business wardrobe second hand from charity stores, I really recommend it if you're losing weight and want to buy clothes for the in between-stage.

I mostly wear modern clothes with a timeless look to the office, my staples consist of black pencil skirts, well-cut black trousers, cardigan sets, collared shirts and leather ballet flats.

I've found that the easiest way to add a vintage touch to a business wardrobe without attracting too much attention (I work in finance, so I don't get much leeway) is by using vintage accessories, things like vintage silk scarves tied around the neck and tucked into a collared shirt, costume jewellery brooches attached to cardigans, and flowered hair clips. Vintage handbags and shoes are also very easy to incorporate into most outfits, and during the colder seasons I always wear a vintage wool overcoat.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I agree with everything in the previous posts.
I'm not working right now, but when I do work, I have to wear scrubs (yuck, truly unflattering).
Before I became a hygienist I was in sales. My company had buisness casual attire. I often wore an a-line skirt with either a fitted light weight sweater or a sweater set. Sometimes if I wanted to do a little dressier I'd wear a light weight wool jacket and blouse with the skirt, but this was usually only when I had meetings.
I think, and this is just my opinion, you can't go wrong with a few nice pairs of wide-leg, flat front trousers. Black, grey, and I nice pair in a lighter color for the warmer months are often the essentials. These, like a nice a-line skirt, can be dressed down or dressed up depending on the top, shoes, and accesories. But, even dressed down, they are nice and flattering. A better alternative for you, since you get comments about job interviews when you wear a skirt. I think that's such a shame. You are a lady, and if you want to wear a skirt you should be able to without getting negative comments from co-workers. What do they know about style? I say, wear one every day for a week, let them get used to it, and maybe they'll get off your back.
But, as said in other posts, wide leg trousers are a very nice looking alternative to a skirt. If I remember correctly, you are of a nice height, so your legs will look great in these pants.
As for shoes, at work I'm sure you want to be comfortable. I have seen a lot of very cute flats lately, and they look so cute with above said trousers. If you want a little more height, a wedge is also a good choice.

Now for the price. I know there is a thread somewhere about Target. I must say they have the cutest clothes and shoes right now, all at great prices, a lot of it is on sale right now too. They have everything from very reasonably priced suits to nice slacks and skirts. A lot of the items they sell can be mixed and matched, so you can get a lot of different outfits out of a few pieces. One of the outfits they have on sale that I really liked was a navy cotton pant suit. It had a short sleeved fitted waist jacket with a very cute pair of slacks. I couldn't find this on-line, but they did have it at the store near me in the Isaac Mizrahi collection. This was the only item in the store that I couldn't find on-line. Other than that, their online selection is great. They have a lot of very cute items for great prices. I have gotten a few things from them recently and am very happy with not only the price, but the quality.
Hope you find this a little helpful. And don't let what your co-workers say about you dressing up get to you. Just know that you are a classier person than they are.

 

[Lady Day]

I've bought most of my business wardrobe second hand from charity stores, I really recommend it if you're losing weight and want to buy clothes for the in between-stage.

.

So true. Im fluxing down is size as well, and I tend to stick to skirts that I make, they are easier to tailor
I work as a desk and right now Im in a cotton shirt with dove tail sleeves, a pencil skirt I made (that is now too big) and netted hose. Im always overdressd at this job, but what you gonna do . .

LD

 

[Caledonia]

I'm also downsizing! Essential to a retro wardobe? Accessories. Bags, shoes, gloves (if appropriate, but they're not always in my opinion), hair accessories, hats (if you can brave them but they're not essential), hair clips, jewellery and other costume accoutrements, hair style (but keep it becoming), and lingerie. Put them together then see how the outer layer works. Even if the outer layer isn't vintage, fashion doesn't change that much. Most of our current fashions are derivative so choose the best one that slides in with the vintage accessories and you'll look both different and elegant. For ladies lucky enough to not be downsizing but still asking the same question. The same.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

In my old job, I could wear what I wanted and my style was somewhat less refined then, so I usually lived in jeans. I was of the opinion that while I always wanted to look nice (hair done, made-up, reasonably turned out, unlike some girls there who seemed to think work didn't count) I didn't want to wear my best clothes there because they were "not special" then when I wanted to go out. But then my going out clothes weren't anything that special either.

But now, though there's no dress code other than "no denim!" but I have gathered a wardrobe of pencil skirts and smart, higher waisted capris that I usually wear with cardigans and flats, and a couple of pairs of nice trousers. But these are now the only clothes I like to wear, with the exception of one vintage dress that I am saving for best. I just kind of wondered if other girls wore their best clothes to work too? (obviously a lot of you gals have a lot of spectacular vintage things that only are suitable for going out in, but I am kind of at a loss of how to keep my work and leisure look separate!)

My wardrobe is slightly limited though, because I walk a fair way through London, at a hike, I always arrive at work very hot and sweaty. So my every day look is a sleeveless top of some kind, sometimes tanks, or camisole type tops, that I strip off to until I cool down and then cover back up with a cardigan. If I were to wear a nice shirt with sleeves I would be paranoid that I smell for the rest of the day! I'm not sure what the solution to this problem is...sorry for the graphic grossness though. Maybe I should change when I get in, it's too hot to wear a sleeveless top underneath. But then the shirt might be creased...Gah.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Thanks for all the great ideas...

But where in the heck does one find high waisted trousers these days?

Everything is low rise.....even the ones they think are 'fits at the waist' are not at -my- waist......

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I find ones that are pretty close to high-waisted at New York and Co. (not sure what size you are now--I think they go up to about a size 16.) The City Crepe line comes out every fall, and I usually pick up a new pair each year (they last forever though.)

I do believe that higher waistlines are coming into style again, so we may get lucky this year when it comes to pants

Otherwise, Stop Staring had a pair out:
http://mybabyjo.com/clothes/avapant.htm

These are semi-custom:
http://shadyladyclothing.com/pinuppant.html

For when you are at or closer to your goal weight, check out this option (they are a little pricier):
http://revampvintage.com/hscpslacks.html

 

[Rosie]

I believe...(I'm looking but can't find it online) Jones New York Collection has some high waisters for the fall, I know I was looking at a pair in my size, and I'm higher end plus sized. Here: http://www.jonesnewyork.com/main_content52584848.do

Another thing, if you're relatively good at drawing, you can take apart a "cheap" pair of pants and fashion a pattern out of them, tweaking them as you see fit. I plan on doing that, once I've done the other thousand things on my list.

 

[decodoll]

A friend of mine has these from Newport News and likes them. They are polyester, but she says they don't look like polyester.

 

[Lady Day]

But where in the heck does one find high waisted trousers these days?

Everything is low rise.....even the ones they think are 'fits at the waist' are not at -my- waist......

*gasp and swoon*

Im in the exact same boat! You cant find them! :rage:
I HATE slacks that sit below my belly button. I guess youre gonna have to make some.

LD

 

[Shimmy Sally]

I've bought most of my business wardrobe second hand from charity stores

That's the way to go.
The office I work in is more professional; there's an unspoken rule that ladies wear high heels, but not strappy sandal style. So my wardrobe works perfectly! I just go with the film-noir private-detectives-secretary look, when in doubt. I'm not sure if that would fit your style or your job?

 

[Paisley]

Ann Taylor Loft sailor pants--$19.88

http://www.anntaylorloft.com/atlLMProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=139&Product_Id=88961

Liz Claiborne Kylie pants on sale (I've tried these--they do sit at my waist)

http://www.lizclaiborne.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2187409&cp=1986595.2203656.2004222&parentPage=family