Author |
Message |
|
|
Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:53 pm |
anyone here working for a corporate firm? If so i need tips and help.
First of all this will be my first job after uni working for a corporate professional firm. I shall be starting with them soon. And very confused with the wardrobe. I know for me if im dressed out of place then it will defiantly affect my confidence in the job at work. Most importantly I want to fit in with everyone
So need alot of help and tips for the wardrobe.
I want to create a professional and chic image.
1) First of all should i get the suits tailor made or off the rack...does it matter? (i bought a suit off the rack for interviews and that fit pretty well, wasnt a designer label)
2) Should i go for designer labels or it doesnt matter? Will anyone care in the workplace? Is it better to buy the more expensive the better?
3) I dont think i would mostly be wearing skirts m more of the pant suit type. So what colors should i go for? And styles?
4) How many suits should i actually get?
5) Shoes....what kind of shoes to get?
6) This is for those from new zealand, auckland. Please tell me which shops do i go to to purchase them?!!
Thanks for any help |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
|
Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:12 pm |
Hi Simran! I remember getting my first job and buying my first suit--- how stressful! Actually, how formal you dress really depends on your office. When you went there to interview, did you get a good look at what the other women in the office were wearing? It's also OK to ask your new boss or supervisor what kind of dress will be expected.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that you won't actually have to wear a suit every day. In almost any office environment I've seen, it's more than OK for women to also wear blouses or nice sweaters with slacks too, so don't feel hemmed in by buying just suits. My advice would be to buy a couple neutral suits that can go with anything (for example, black and grey), and then you can mix and match those pieces with other semi-dressy pieces and the aforementioned blouses and sweaters and end up with a pretty workable wardrobe. Feel free to show a little of your own style too, as long as you still look neat, modest, and presentable. For example, I have this sweater and love how it looks with slacks and pearls:
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=9F-229719&cgname=OSKEYCLOZZZ&rfnbr=2201
A velveteen blazer is a pretty way to add texture to an office look:
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=9F-231717&page=1&cgname=OSCLOJACZZZ&rfnbr=2250
With some trial and error you'll find what works for you. And don't get hung up on brand names---- as long as the clothes are tasteful and fit you well, it doesn't matter what brand they are.
Lastly, shoes: Technically speaking, it's a good idea to avoid open-toed shoes. (I know some people are going to throw rotten tomatoes at me for that, but I'm old fashioned, LOL!) And you ABSOLUTELY MUST have something going around the back of your heel, so NO clogs or mules under any circumstances. I would get something like a neutral-colored kitten heel slingback or a grown up mary jane. (I've been wearing grown up Mary Janes to the office for years now--- love em!)
You are going to do just fine--- keep us updated!
PS-- Just cut n paste to make the links work.... |
_________________ 27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
|
|
|
Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:39 pm |
hi manslayerliz....thanks for your tips...
from what i am aware the dress code is business casual. You are right suit is not a requirement everyday but it is when meeting clients...and at times that could be everyday
unfortunately i dint get to see any women at work lol i was interviewed by a manager and partner of the firm...both were males. The only women i saw was at the reception and she was dressed in very well...in a suit i think.
Its also good to know i dont necessarily need to buy designers...as that wont be good for my budget
i will update more when i start buying |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
|
Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:51 pm |
Depending on where you live... I would look into discount stores for the expensive stuff... even 2nds... You just have to REALLY shop... Also, lots of stores have shoppers... that are free... Macy's, Nordstroms ETC... you tell them what you're looking for... just say Bus. Casual... give them your size... they'll have a room full of clothes waiting for you. Generally they are not high pressure. If you develop a relationship... they will call you when favorite items go on sale. ETC.
Start with basics... that you can mix and match. Slacks, skirts, jackets... different blouses etc... |
_________________ Fitmama.... |
|
|
|
Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:46 pm |
Hi Simran
I'm in Auckland!
If you don't mind, can you tell me what sort of position or firm you'll be working in? Do you see clients at all? It just gives me a better idea of what level of formality that particular place might expect in dress code.
I recently started working in the CBD and before that I have never needed corporate attire because we had uniforms. I was trying to be very observant when I went for my first and second interviews, to see what my colleagues would wear so I wouldn't be OVER or UNDER dressed. Unfortunately, first interview, my manager and senior colleague were in very proper outfits - probably because they were interviewing that day, and at the second interview it was Casual Friday so even the Head of department was in jeans and sneakers... not much to observe.
I don't know how concerned you should be about getting tailored or labelled clothing, obviously sticking to the medium + range will give you nicer cuts and fabrics. I am a size 6 so I can't find any clothes to fit unless I shop at more specialised stores, even then I end up spending a small fortune for resizing.
If your budget allows, CUE does good and decent priced items, although I have seen the odd $400+ items there which are really not worth it. One problem is, if you feel that you need to make an impression, items from Cue and Max etc are quite generic, you might find a bunch of people walking around in the same stuff.
As for colours, stick with greys and fine dark plead prints for pants, and white (with or without patterns) shirts will always match any pants.
Fortunately for me, after only a few days of working in my department, I realise how casual everyone is. We dress semi smart casual, at times it doesn't even cut smart! I confess sometimes I turn up in sneakers and don't even bother changing out of them for the day... no one notices or cares.
I could provide more advice about specific items of clothing and accessories if I know more about your work environment. But as for stores to look at -
Mainstream - Jacqui E, Cue, Max (not often good items), many stores in Westfield malls like St Lukes, Sylvia Park, Albany.
Speciality stores - K'rd boutiques, Kingsland boutiques, High Street/Little High street boutiques, there are also several independent Asian import stores all over Queen St (BNZ tower, Elliot St arcades, behind Whitcoulls Queen St). Also Broadway Newmarket will be a great place. The Strand, which is near the end of Broadway, passing Parnell going to Beach road towards the city has some stores as well. Also surely Takapuna beachside will have many speciality boutiques.
Most of the speciality stores will sell shoes, or shops near them will have shoes (imports). |
|
|
|
|
Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:14 am |
hi miranets,
thanks for your advice
mine is a graduate position as a consultant in one of the big four professional auditing firm.
And yes i would have to see clients.....in terms how often in a week that would depend on the projects that they have currently running and yep my work would be located in the CBD.
from what i have read about them on the net the attire is said to be Business Casual......But i guess when meeting clients it would have to be very more formal i.e suit.
The suit that i wore for my interview.....was i bought from Portmans and it fit very well and was a size 6. I am a petite very slim person so most clothes can be very loose on me......for my casual wear i usually vary from sizes 6-8. |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
|
Sun Nov 02, 2008 4:58 am |
I worked at one of the Big 4 until a couple of years ago. Most days the dress was business casual (slacks and blouse/sweater). When at a client, we were expected to dress as the upper management of the company dressed. If on the first day you weren't sure of the dress code, you always wore a suit. A lot of companies are less formal these days, but even if a client had dress down Fridays, we would never dress below business casual. No denim fabric was allowed, no matter the color. I always brought a suit jacket with me to throw on in case something came up, so I tended to stick with pants and jackets that I could mix and match and be able to remove the jacket if I didn't need it. |
|
|
|
|
Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:46 pm |
And don't forget the saying..."Dress for the job you WANT to have, not the one you currently have." |
_________________ No longer answering PM's due to numerous weird messages. |
|
|
|
Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:55 pm |
i have had a look around the stores you guys mentioned. I also checked out some suits at Country Road.........and i have to say i like the pinstripe suits at CountryRoad the best...in terms of color and material. But the price would go towards $600-700 one one pair of suit jacket and pants... lol im hoping they will have a sale during xmas and i can get some bargains for the suit.
Yesterday i went into cue as well decided to look at their discounted stuff.......and i got talked into buying these pants and vest combo (full price not discounted)......she told me it is very good for the summer and when i tried it on it looked very cute and chic on me.......couldnt resist so i bought it full price and this pair cost me $400. Hmm i love this outfit but im thinking i could have gotten possible the pants and suit jacket for this price rather than a vest....but i really loved the outfit above n it just looked great lol i never actually spent that much on a pants/vest before actually on any clothing at one time so feeling guilty here
I also tried on this corporate dress with a short sleeve shirt inside and wow it just looked amazing........the dress was $260 i think.......i really wanted to buy it but i thought m maybe they will have some xmas specials and i can get some bargains then?
Btw what do you guys think about wearing corporate dresses to work? Is it too much? Maybe a lil sexy?
Hmm i just feel like shopping NOW......but maybe i should wait abit more for some xmas/new year sales & discounts otherwise i may be broke very soon
by the way im a size 6 in NZ......and often its hard to find a size 6 clothing during discounts/specials actually some stores dont even sell size 6 . I find size 8 is a lil bit loose on me however my causal jeans and clothes stuf i often go for size 8........but with this corporate clothing i feel if i go bigger then size 6 i tend to look a lil less smart and bit sloppy if you know what i mean |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
|
Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:34 am |
simran wrote: |
Yesterday i went into cue as well decided to look at their discounted stuff.......and i got talked into buying these pants and vest combo (full price not discounted)......she told me it is very good for the summer and when i tried it on it looked very cute and chic on me.......couldnt resist so i bought it full price and this pair cost me $400. Hmm i love this outfit but im thinking i could have gotten possible the pants and suit jacket for this price rather than a vest....but i really loved the outfit above n it just looked great lol i never actually spent that much on a pants/vest before actually on any clothing at one time so feeling guilty here
|
Don’t feel guilty simran, you are doing a good thing - helping the depressed economy with more consumer spending
And if it looks great on you and you love it and wear it a lot, it can often work out “less expensive” to spend a little more, in terms of cost per wear.
I too did my duty as a good citizen helping the economy and also bought a new work suit on Friday, from Theory (not sure if you can get this brand in NZ, but they make great basic work co-ordinates, simple lines and nice fabrics). I got a black pants suit with a longish jacket that just covers the butt, low-rise pants (I find them more comfortable to wear all day), in a lightweight wool that can be worn winter or summer. And with 3% stretch fibre - I always buy suits with that small bit of stretch, as it’s more comfortable and the pants seems to crease less when you’ve been sitting a while.
I’m very happy with my purchase. Hope you also enjoy yours |
|
|
|
|
Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:34 pm |
Find a dressmaker who does alterations. That way you'll be able to buy some size 8 garments and easily have them tailored to fit. Inexpensive items to have altered are pants and skirts. Jackets can be expensive although unlined jackets can be a fairly easy fix. My mother and I are short so nearly everything we buy has to be altered somewhat. Luckily I can sew, but even I have had slightly trickier garments altered by a dressmaker.
Also if you're not averse to second hand, have a look at consignment shops. |
|
|
|
|
Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:21 am |
oh man i always rush geez why why why.......Cue had a sale today 20%....so i went to one of their stores.......wasnt gonna buy just to look but they said its a sale and only today so i tried on some dresses and gues what i ended up buying those SA are good!.....now why do i say i rush....well first of all my purchase above if i had waited a week i could have had 20%...second reason not even 20% but more than that lol on todays purchase and the full price one i bought one week earliar...
well i went into Smith & Coughey........they are also having a sale 25%.....and guess what there is Cue in there. I also looked at some dresses that they had already on discount aside from the 25%.......The style was very very very similar if not exactly the same to the one i bought and it was half price 50% off! aaah if i had just waited an hour and gone to Cue at Smith & Coughey I would have had a better bargain. I dint wana go and return my dress at the other store lol just cause i got a lil ripped off in a way. Why is the same dress half price at one store and another full price i feel bit cheated in a way....... wel i dint buy the dress at Smith & Coughey cause then i would have ended up with 2 dresses i ended up buying another work outfit and well it was better i got 25% instead of the 20% off cause smith and coughey was having their own sell....
i have to learn learn learn. Patience is virtue. And I guess one must really shop round. Not to mention my feet was so hurting at the end of the day from all this walking ......as goes the saying shop till you drop! well i did drop lol....i dont feel like walking for a week now. my feet hurts |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
|
Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:48 pm |
simran, if it helps with the sizing, Cue and Jacqui E size 6 is an Australian size (perhaps this will be the same for COuntry Road too), and on the labels on most Cue items it says Aus size 6, NZ size 8, so it is still a small size 8 technically... Cue pants cuts are very strange, anything medium waist height even size 6 is too wide for me, although high waisted size 6 is perfect. |
|
|
|
|
Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:45 am |
miranets wrote: |
simran, if it helps with the sizing, Cue and Jacqui E size 6 is an Australian size (perhaps this will be the same for COuntry Road too), and on the labels on most Cue items it says Aus size 6, NZ size 8, so it is still a small size 8 technically... Cue pants cuts are very strange, anything medium waist height even size 6 is too wide for me, although high waisted size 6 is perfect. |
What’s up with those australian sizes getting bigger and bigger? I have a friend in sydney who admittedly is tiny, around 5’ and 100 pounds, and she complains she can’t find anything to fit her and has to shop in the children’s department. I lived in Aus in the 80s and always wore a size 12. Went back a few years ago and had to buy size 8! And I've definitely not lost weight ... |
|
|
|
|
Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:53 pm |
australian sizing is weird.......at cue i fit a size 6 well......at country road i tried on a suit size 4 and that fit me!...i dint even know size 4 existed in nz! And i tried a size 6 skirt from country road and that was slight big for me
My work wardrobe is coming along well.
I have now 1 black suit with pants
1 pinstripe suit in black with pants
1 greyish suit and skirt
1 brownish pants with vest
Pants (black, grey)
2 black dresses
5 shirts long sleeve
2 shirts 3 quarter sleeve
1 shirt short sleeve
Boy did I shop on boxing day and sale period
Hmm i think I need one more suit (looking for pinstripe in black)
maybe 2 pants more
2 shirts (3quarter and short sleeve) for summer
And i think I need to buy a black belt to go with the pants.
By the way when wearing dress/skirt to work is it a MUST to wear stockings/pantyhose ?? |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
|
Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:41 pm |
whats the general consensus on wearing corporate dresses/skirts to work - do we need to wear skin color match stockings/pantyhose with it? |
_________________ age 33 .. skin dry with odd breakout now and then. skin color best i can describe is golden brown..tans easily |
|
|
Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:55 am |
If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.
Click Here to join our community.
If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site. |
|
|
|