Accessory Necessities - Pt 1 - Belts

Over the past two weeks, while shopping for separates and shirts, you may have noticed that I’ve strayed from my strategized, “make a list, buy what you need” type of shopping. With the number of tops you need in your wardrobe and the sheer variety of options, it’s hard to plan ahead.

However, the game changes with bags, belts, and shoes. There is still a ton of variety. However, little of it is work appropriate. And if you’re only buying one or two of each, you need to be sure they’re the best fit for you and the office.

For the first post, I'll start with belts - bags and shoes are up next:

Buy two basic belts – one in black and brown – that keep your pants up. Because one time, my boss got a delivery, and when she crouched to pick the box up off the floor, she put her fairly racy underwear on display and didn’t even realize it. Always wear a belt if you’re wearing low-rise pants or a shirt that you keep un-tucked and you’ll avoid the embarrassment. Leather is best since they won't stretch or crack as easily.

Belts can also be decorative and worn on top of a blazer to give it a different look. I became obsessed with this look after seeing it on Express’s website. Because my blazers are so plain, belting them makes them look like completely different pieces and it gives me some help creating a feminine shape. Best part? Just about any belt works: skinny belts, wide belts, stretchy belts, chain belts, d-ring belts, braided, colored, etc. They can also make a cardigan look more professional and put together since they give a flimsy knit more structure. My favorites are a set of skinny belts I lifted from my mom’s closet. Most of them are probably from the late 70’s and early 80’s, but they’re all made of great leather that’s held up throughout the years.

Building a Professional Wardrobe - Shirts

This week is my favorite week! Time to shop for tops! Why the enthusiasm? Unlike pants, it’s really easy for me to find shirts that fit well straight off the rack. And there are so many options; with the wide variety of colors, patterns,  styles, necklines, collars, buttons, ruching, and ruffles, it’s easy to use my top as a way to inject some creative flair.

Unlike suits and separates, I already had a ton of tops in my wardrobe. So most of my shopping this week was done in the form of rooting through my closet, determining what could be worn under a suit and what was office appropriate. My “suitable” tops (pun most definitely intended) fall into the several categories. I’ll go through them from the most accepted styles, to pieces that are a bit more controversial. And since I’m working with a lot of my existing pieces, I don’t have prices for many items, but I’ll use my memory and debit card statements to piece together an approximation. On to the list!

Button down shirts – Button downs are extremely professional-looking, and for that reason, I had always assumed they would be extremely boring-looking as well. Until I found two of JCrew’s slim-fit perfect shirts ($20.00 each) while roaming a Burlington consignment shop. They were both pink – one with a white stripe, the other with green, and I liked that they were bright, bold, and a little bit sassy, but still office appropriate. When I found two more at the Dress for Success Excess Inventory Sale (don’t know what this is? Read Week 3!) for $3.00 each, they joined my wardrobe as well. Since accepting my job offer, I’ve been looking for short sleeve button downs because, surprisingly enough, Minnesota gets hot. I found a ruffled, green button down on Target’s clearance rack for $4.50 and a fuchsia Express top with embellished cuffs at Plato’s Closet for $8.00. I’ve gotten several questions about the cleanliness of secondhand clothing, or how to find good pieces in disorganized stores – both of which I address in a recent post on my home blog!

Thrifting - a How To Guide

Since I’ve started my blog, I’ve had a lot of students talk to me about the brands I like and where to score deals. When I bring up the topic of thrift and consignment stores, I get one of two reactions:

A wrinkling of the nose, as if to say, “ew. Secondhand clothes are gross.”

Or

 “I’ve tried those places before, and I never find anything good.”

So, I decided to put together a little guide as to how I’ve found hidden treasures:

Just go. Shopping secondhand doesn’t make you cheap or poor. Instead, it’s environmentally friendly and philanthropic. So take pride in that. If you still feel awkward walking into Goodwill, start with a consignment shop. They tend to feature designer labels and newer pieces that cater towards a slightly different clientele. If your hesitant because you feel dirty in someone else’s clothes, you should read this article about which donations actually make it to the sales floor at Goodwill. Or this article about the cleanliness of your brand new clothes.

Sift through each item. Standard retailers have employees whose entire job centers merchandise presentation. It’s their responsibility to make sure that you can quickly scan their displays and find something that interests you. Merchandizing in thrift stores isn’t as sophisticated: it’s all based on sleeve length, color, and pattern. The last time I stopped by my local Salvation Army, I found a cute striped New York & Company button down next to a nubby Christmas turtleneck. Consignment take it a step further by sorting sizes, but you’ll still be forced to roll up your sleeves and dig a bit. 

Use your imagination. I found this red striped shirt at Trollinger Treasure, a thrift store in my hometown:

 I didn’t immediately love it, but I picked it up and carried it around for a while, just in case. By the time I finished my way around the store, I decided to take it. I couldn’t see it being the focal point of my outfits, but I realized it could be cute paired with items I already owned and loved. Like in this outfit with my red cardigan:

 

The focus is on my cardigan – my favorite piece of the ensemble, and the shirt just enhances the clean, preppy look and makes the color pop. So be creative when you’re sizing up thrift store finds. Your favorite outfit doesn’t necessarily consist of all your favorite pieces.  

Call your tailor. With prices under $5, I never think twice about springing for tailoring. My seamstress Tracy has helped me alter dresses down four sizes, turn A-line skirts into pencil skirts, and turn dresses into tank tops. Need some inspiration? Marisa Lynch at New Dress a Day alters oversized muumuus and other thrift store dresses into hipster-chic pieces. You can also work some magic on your own. I’m already planning on putting some statement buttons on a plain white shirt for my next project.

Know which repairs are salvageable. Let’s face it, thrift store clothes aren’t always in the best condition. Some problems can be easily fixed, while others aren’t worth the trouble. Just make sure you inspect your items:

·         Tears – ok if it’s at the seam, but not worth the trouble elsewhere.

·         Pilled fabric – hopeless.

·         Fading – easy. All you need is a bottle of dye.

·         Stains – leave it. Besides, yellow under arm stains are from bacteria. Gross.

·         Missing buttons – a DIY fix

·         Broken zipper – possible to fix, but zippers are expensive and you’ll need a tailor. 

Make a note of your good finds. Each thrift store has its own treasures. I go to an old lady consignment store for vintage jewelry and accessories and find more of my basics at stores like Plato’s Closet. Keeping track of my sources for past treasures saves you time the next time you’re on the hunt.

Hope it helps and happy thrifting!

Building a Professional Wardrobe - Separates

I was excited about my suits and felt a lot more prepared for the summer since the hardest part was over. But I was far from finished with my summer shopping. It’s not in my personality to settle for monotonously alternating between dark suit and light suit days. So this week I shopped for separates: blazers, pants, skirts, and dresses that aren’t designed as a part of a suit.

Separates tend to be easier for me to find than suits. Since I already had two basic jackets from my suits, I could look for blazers and pants with a little bit more personality – items that incorporated current trends and colors that were limiting during my suit search. And because some of these pieces may go out of style in five years, I could sacrifice a bit in terms of quality. And therefore, I paid a lot less.

But separates still definitely have their challenges. In a suit, the blazer and bottoms were made to go together. The designer considers the shape of the blazer when designing a pair of pants or a skirt and ensures that the two pieces will work together to create a sleek look. When you buy separates, you have to make this assessment on your own. You might come home from the store with a tweed blazer to match with your black pants, but find their shapes look awkward together. You can’t match items based on color alone.

In my wardrobe, separates fall into one of two categories: basics and statements. Basics are my solid, classically cut pieces that can be mixed and matched with my suiting pieces and a variety of tops and accessories. Statement pieces have some personality and help you stand out in a sea of boring black business wear. They have a unique cut, color, or pattern or some trendy accents that make them memorable. But for that reason, you can’t rock it twice a week. I had a lot of basic bottoms because my volunteer position at Dress for Success requires business casual wear. I also have two statement blazers that I wore for interviewing, so I was looking for a trendy or patterned set of bottoms and a basic colored blazer.

Where I Scored

Basic Blazers – Urban Outfitters: This was the last place I imagined ever finding a basic blazer. I had only seen their store online and assumed any blazers they carried would either be a) made of fabric that bore a striking resemblance to my grandmother’s couch or b) require way more money than I was willing to spend. But it was a beautiful Friday afternoon and my roommate wanted to find an outfit there for a concert that night, so I obliged. I ended up combing through the after-Christmas sale rejects that remained on the clearance rack. I came across this black open front blazer – marked down from $70 to $15.07. It’s not a repeat of my black suit jacket – it has a very different cut. Also, when wearing separates of the same color, you want their fabric texture to be noticeably different. Wearing “close but not quite right” fabrics is like wearing “close but not quite right” colors. They clash. So the fact that the jacket is boucle tweed makes it a good match for my black dress slacks. Anyways, moral of the story: keep an open mind!

Basic Bottoms – TJMaxx and Marshall’s: I have at least three or four pairs of slacks from these stores, but my best find was a pair of Theory pants that I nabbed off the clearance rack (Are you beginning to see a trend here?) for $29.00. I didn’t inspect them too closely, so it wasn’t until I tried them on that I noticed they were six inches too long and had incredibly wide flare legs. But they fit my boyish hips so well and the fabric felt glorious. Not to mention, I tend to only find pants in my size in petite lengths, which works with flats, but not heels. I bought them and took them to my tailor and she hemmed them and straightened out the leg for an additional $6. Finally, I had pants to pair with pumps and the fact that they originally retailed for somewhere around $245 makes the victory that much sweeter.

Basic Dresses – Forever 21: The minute I got hired I knew I needed I needed a Little Black (Business) Dress. Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Michelle Obama: every chic woman in history relied on this staple. It can be paired with just about every jacket and cardigan in my wardrobe, making it a worthy investment at $24.80.

Statement Blazers – I have a two way tie for this one, so bear with me.

·       Dress for Success Excess Inventory Sale - Dress for Success helps unemployed women secure employment, and part of their services, their clients receive an interview suit. However, a majority of their clients wear sizes 18 and up, whereas their donations are mostly sizes 8 and under. To meet all their clients’ needs, they hold three sales each year featuring over-donated sizes and items that are work appropriate, but not perfect for an interview. Or in other words, sale pieces have a bit of personality and are therefore awesome statement pieces. All the proceeds from the sale are then used to buy items in the under-donated sizes. My best score here has been my burgundy Ann Taylor Loft blazer for $6.00. The color and cut are still conservative enough for the office, but the pleated pockets and red hue are enough to shake up a suit rut. 
·              Dillard’s Junior’s Department – This blazer is loud. It has tweed. And ruffles. And a ribbon belt. I can only pair it with a basic black cami, black slacks, and black shoes and basic pearl studs. Or else, the outfit becomes way too avant garde. My company is pretty fashion forward, so I’m pretty sure it will be well received.  If not, it’ll at least make an appearance on casual Friday. Can’t remember the price, but it was somewhere around thirty dollars. And for once, I actually paid full price

Statement Bottoms – Goodwill: We already established during week 1 that I’m a bargain shopper, which is part of the reason I like looking for statement pieces at secondhand stores; if it doesn’t work, I won’t have wasted too much money if I find it’s not office appropriate. It’s also philanthropic. And if I can’t seem to integrate the piece into my wardrobe, I at least have the solidarity of knowing I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t make it work. My most exciting Goodwill score was a pair of Ann Taylor Loft slacks at $4.50. Now, I’ve been a bit pinstripe averse since the whole “pimp inspired,” chain embellished pinstripe pants trend hit junior’s departments all across America in 2003, but these were different – classier. They had a bit of pleating and a wide cuff, and at such a low price, I was willing to give them a try. I also found a houndstooth pencil skirt for $4.00, which I thought would be fun paired with a simple black button down and black and white accessories.

Now, I’ve been feeling quite a bit narcissistic talking about myself all these weeks. So, leave a comment or drop me an email with your questions and comments and I’ll share them on the blog!

Store Review - Cato

While many of my friends hit the beach and the cruise ships this spring break, I’m one of a few students who stayed home to do work. And by “doing work,” I mean that I’ve been shopping and making sure my closet is stocked for my next few installments of the blog. But before I post my piece on separates on Monday, I wanted to answer a reader email I received from Karen, a staff member at UNC Career Services:

“I wanted to let you know that I always shop at Cato – the prices are phenomenal. You may want to check it out!”

Up to that point I had been to Cato once – in seventh grade. I bought a rainbow striped sweater that ended up having that awkward “short-but-wide” cut to it, and never went back. But I was willing to give them a chance. Recently, they donated tons of patent pumps to Dress for Success, and if their act of philanthropy wasn’t deserving enough, the shoes look great with a suit and almost every pair has gone home with a client. So I gave them a shot. Here’s the run down:

The Pros

·         Style – I was excited about their pieces because they were modern, and had bright spring colors, yet still had a mature look. And a lot of the pieces looked like they could be dressed up or dressed down. Their best pieces were tops and slacks.

·         Price – Most tops were under $20, bottoms were a bit more. The clothes were made of sturdy fabric and the stitching felt secure, so I imagine they would be a good investment and would last several seasons.

·         Variety of sizes – Shoes ran up to size 11, while half the store is dedicated to plus size. And the designs in both section compliment a feminine figure.

The Cons

·         Size variety didn’t apply on my side of the spectrum. I only found a few tops available in a size small, and the smallest size pants I saw were a 4. Not sure if this is unique to my local Cato, or the brand in general.

·         No online store. I wanted to look into ordering a top I spotted during my visit, but their website doesn’t include a way to place orders. So if you see their printed coral tank in a size small, hit me up!

·         Quality in accessories. I’m still in the stage of building my wardrobe where I need to make sure I have a few quality basics that can survive lots of wear and tear in the belts, bags, and shoes departments. Their clothes felt sturdy, so I was disappointed with the lack of leather/amount of pleather in accessories.

Overall, a win! Thanks for the tip, Karen!

Suit Shopping

I cringed at the idea of suit shopping. I knew, out of all the pieces I’m seeking for the summer, it would take longest to find a suit that fit me in both the fashion and physical sense. But I knew that my suit would become the most vital piece of my professional wardrobe: all of my shirts, shoes, and accessories would be chosen based on its styling.

Now, before I went anywhere, the first thing I did was get the specifics on the dress code. My recruiter informed me that business professional dress was expected Monday through Thursday, but that can have a variety of meanings. At finance and accounting firms, this means skirt suits only in black or navy and light button downs. Other organizations would gladly welcome Hilary Clinton and her technicolor pantsuits. I found my company’s dress code online and verified it with the recruiter, and it turns out they have a rather casual interpretation of business professional. Suits and dresses were the “preferred” dress, but separates and dressy sweaters are considered “acceptable. ” As an intern, I want to show that I take the position seriously and therefore want to be in a blazer for three out of the four days of business dress each week.

But I still wasn’t ready to start shopping. I needed to define exactly what I was looking for to give my shopping trip some sense of guidance. I needed to ensure that I could integrate it with my existing business casual pieces and make sure the styling and color were appropriate for weekly wear. Here are my qualifications:

• Shape – I’ll be wearing the suit regularly, so something traditional is best. Trendy jackets, ruffles, and embellishment make it obvious that I’m repeating the same pieces. But if you’re interviewing in a style-oriented field like graphic design, you might look for some of these embellishments. And while I love jackets with a standing collar, it doesn’t remedy my case of linebacker shoulder. Therefore, a traditional lapel is best for me.
• Color – I have a lot of black with my business casual pieces, so I’ll probably go with that. However, I’m also open to grey or light brown since they’re more appropriate for the season.
• Skirts or Pants – I prefer pants. Skirts hang funny on my frame because my spine is curved, but they would be more comfortable in warm weather, so I’m open to trying them.
• Material – It’ll be too hot for wool and linen takes too much effort to keep pressed. A polyester blend would keep both ironing and costs to a minimum and a bit of spandex would keep me comfortable. Something with a thicker weave will better endure more wear and tear.
• Price – Most department stores offer suits for under $180, so I’m hoping to find one at that price point. But if I have trouble with fit, I may have to try a name brand store and shell out about $220.

And I’m finally ready to head out. I started my search at TJMaxx, and found racks full of Calvin Klein and Tahari suits in black and grey – for $79! I snatched up every style in my size and headed for the dressing room. And subsequently became very disappointed. My body is a better match for the juniors section, while the suits had a more mature, women’s cut.

So I headed to the junior’s section of major department stores and trend stores. And while the prices were low, but, in many cases, so was quality. JCPenney did carry two sleek, classic suits at $26.99 and $50, but the material wasn’t quite as heavy as I was looking for. I was also tempted by two suits at Charlotte Russe. The quality was good, considering the full suits cost about $70, but I wasn’t able to find something that didn’t have some sort of lace, ruffles, or short sleeve.

At this point I got worried about being able to stick to my budget, so I decided to give the outlet malls a shot. I’ve had friends recommend Banana Republic, J. Crew, and Ann Taylor Loft, but I wanted to try their outlet stores first to see if I could nab a deal. It was by far the most frustrating experience I’ve had suit shopping thus far. There wasn’t a suit to be found at most of these stores. And the suits I did find at the Banana Republic outlet felt like cheap fabric – they reminded me of the blue disposable shorts Campus Health provides for sports med visits. I later learned that outlets sometimes carry lower quality versions of their merchandise to create the illusion of a bargain. I can deal with that for a blouse or accessories. But in a suit, I need the real deal.

So, I went to the real store. Sure enough, at the regular Banana Republic store, the suits seemed thicker and sturdier. Their styles were a bit more conservative than I was hoping for, but I was just relieved to have viable options. I had similar luck and White House Black Market, The Limited, and Talbots. I found suits that were almost my style and had an ok fit.

But, I truly hit the jackpot at Express. I found a blazer that I loved that came in five colors and could be matched with two types of trousers (available in petite, regular and tall) or a pencil skirt. For once, clothes fit perfectly off the rack and at $98 for blazers and $59 for bottoms, it was within my original budget. But, I shopped on President’s Day weekend, and they had two promotions – Buy One Get One Half Off for all merchandise, and save $15 for every $75 you spend. I ended up being able to put together two suits for only $210, and decided to buy one as a black pantsuit and the other as a light brown skirt suit.

Next week I’ll start looking at separates – blazers, slacks, skirts, and dresses to mix and match with my suit pieces.

What about you? Where have you found suits? Leave a comment or send me an email with your questions and comments and I’ll share your ideas on my blog!