Building a Professional Wardrobe - Pt. 1

On January 21st, I got some exciting news. A recruiter I had interviewed with called to officially offer me the internship. We go over the typical business matters: getting background and drug test, the salary, and housing and transportation. But then she mentioned the dress code: “You’ll be expected to wear business professional attire Monday through Thursday. And Friday we can wear jeans.”

And I immediately started my shopping list.

But before I delve into my worries and goals for my professional wardrobe, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Analisa Price, and I’m a junior psychology major and business minor from Elon, NC. I’m also a Student Ambassador for UNC Career Services, and an image coach at Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that provides interview suiting and coaching for unemployed women. For the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging about my experience building my own professional wardrobe.

Now, I know some of you are thinking, “But gosh, Analisa, it really doesn’t seem that complicated.”

And you’re right. It’s possible to buy two suits, five light button down shirts, two pairs of pumps, two pairs of flats, a set of pearls, and a watch and rotate through your options. But for a number of reasons, this doesn’t work for me:

I’m an awkward fit. The tough thing about women’s clothing is that it’s supposed to be tailored and fitted, but women come in all different shapes and sizes. For me, my shoulders are the widest part of my body, so sometimes I have to buy tops a size larger than I usually wear to fit my shoulders and then I have them taken in through the waist. When it comes to pants, some of mine still come from the kid’s section. So I’m looking for suiting that won’t make me look like a linebacker and will create balance – less shoulder padding and wide leg trousers.

I want my clothes to represent me well.­ This requirement is twofold. On one hand, I want to dress like myself. I’m 20 years old and I want to look my age. I like bold colors and patterns and wearing clothes I like makes me feel comfortable and confident. On the other hand, I know that being an employee is a lot like playing basketball: you have to wear the uniform and know the rules in order to get in the game. I think that there is a delicate balance between blending in and standing out, and styling yourself at this balance point is what makes you well dressed.

I’m a self-admitted cheapskate, but I want quality pieces. My friends can all tell you that I’m a bargain hunter. I rarely pay full price for anything, which helps me stick to my college student-sized budget. But at the same time, I want items that will last through the summer and a few years into my career. And through my volunteering at Dress For Success, I’ve seen numerous times how much better women look in a well crafted suit because they’re well structured and create a tight silhouette. So I’ll also be looking for how to maximize quality at the lowest price for the next few weeks, letting you know where I find name brands and designer pieces on the cheap.

I hate being an outfit repeater, but I’m limited to two fifty pound suitcases. Now, let me clarify, this doesn’t mean that my wardrobe is expansive or that I only wear my clothes once or twice. I do like the challenge of creating new outfits with existing pieces: mixing and matching, layering, and the like. I’ll be working in Minneapolis this summer, and I’ll be travelling by plane, so my work pieces will have to fit in my luggage, along with my casual Friday outfits, and weekend wear. Not to mention, again, I’m trying to stick to a budget. So I’ll also be looking for pieces that can be mixed and matched: like scarves and jewelry that can create a completely new look with the same basic outfit, or finding shirts that can do double duty under a suit and for a night out at a concert.

This week, I’m starting with the most fundamental part of a professional wardrobe – the suit. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at if you have any questions or topics you’d like to see addressed over the next few weeks.