<p>Until the past year, I had been a stay at home parent for the past 15 or so years. I did a lot of volunteer work at school, etc but not much required dressing up more than a nice pair of jeans. I am most comfortable in casual clothes (not sloppy sweatpants or anything, but do wear jeans a lot.) I’ve started a business that requires me to meet with clients on a regular basis and realized that I need to do a wardrobe upgrade. The look I’m going for is business casual, I guess…nice pants, a jacket. Not a big fan of skirts (I hate my legs!). I’d like to get a few basic, quality pieces that I can mix and match and not break the budget. Kind of like Garanimals for the 50ish woman. I’ll also be doing some travel. I’m sort of a curvy, medium build/height - around a sz 12 usually.</p>
<p>Any suggestions on brands of clothing or styles that might be a good starting point for me? I have a bad habit of always buying things that I think are good, then just wearing them once because they don’t really work for me. My closet is full, but I have nothing to wear!
Thanks for any guidance!</p>
<p>Congratulaions on starting your new job! Could you please tell us what your budget is?</p>
<p>You will need to start with some good, quality undergarments. A properly fitted bra can make or break an outfit, especially for curvy or full figured women. I shop sales and discounters for clothing, but do not skimp when it comes to buying bras. You can go to Nordstrom and ask to get fitted (you do not have to buy anything if you do not like the prices, just take a note of the maker, style and size and shop sales and the Internet later). Then you will need to figure out your body type. Trinny and Susannah, the two hosts of the British What Not to Wear, have done a great job of classifying female body types and clothing that works for each of them:</p>
<p>It depends a lot on where you’re located. Here in Portland, my “uniform” (keeping in mind that I’m a business owner and therefore can get away with more) is black pants, shirt, sweater. Varying the cut of the pants and the sweater covers me for 95% of my life (more casual pants and a fleece sweater for dog training; dress pants and a cashmere sweater for dinner out; dress pants and a silk jacket for really dressy occasions). I think that works for most of the west coast—but would be too casual for business in most of the eastern states.</p>
<p>Start out by telling us some of your favorite places to shop - that might help us to know the "kind’ of stuff you like.</p>
<p>For me, I usually build a business casual wardrobe based around a couple of khaki pants, a green khaki pant, a black pant, white pant for summer, a dressier cordoroy for winter. Then, add tops. I’m a fan of short sleeve tops (some casual, some dressier) paired with a lightweight cardigan - never get much heavier than this for winter. Some tops are plain, most have some pattern.</p>
<p>(what part of the country do you live in???)</p>
<p>Most women will fall into more than one category, and it is OK. You just need a starting point. Many women start with clothes that are not suited for their body type, get frustrated and give up. </p>
<p>I see that other posters have already mentioned that “business casual” style depends on where you live (what works as business casual in Seattle will be frowned upon in NYC), and the type of business (artsy profession such as interior designer vs financial consultant, for example). More info (you do not have to be uber specific!) will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I’m still recovering from a shopping blitzkrieg with yD who needed somewhat consevative clothing for job fairs etc. We checked Express, Ann Taylor and Talbots, as well as Nordstrom and Macy’s. Express has the best pants - they come in several styles, and the fabric is not flimsy. There are matching jackets and skirts as well as a nice selection of easy-care dress shirt. I did not like what I saw at Ann Taylor - too many frills and ruffles, and the quality was not there. To my surprise, Talbots had some stuff that looked great. I will be paying them a visit again soon.</p>
<p>Thanks for a good start! Am going to go to the links, but for now, to answer a couple of your questions:
Budget - not sure about that…don’t want to go crazy expensive, but am OK spending for good quality that are classics
I live in the mid-Atlantic, Washington DC area.<br>
Places to shop - don’t really have a favorite place. But we have just about every chain store in the universe (or so it seems) in the area where we live. I tend not to like to shop at small boutique type stores, because I find them intimidating. But any type of chain, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, etc seem like good choices. I think Express might be too “young” for me. I had lost some weight recently and prior to that I really was not happy with how I looked and tried to avoid clothes shopping unless absolutely necessary. So I’m now pretty open to any suggestion.
I’m off to click on those suggested links…thanks for the help. Keep any suggestions coming! :)</p>
<p>I would buy several pairs of well made slacks in black. I think when you are starting to build a wardrobe, you can never have too many pairs of black slacks or good white blouses. I also like Talbots slacks - their bi-stretch slacks look very nice and hold up amazingly well-</p>
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<p>You can find the cut and style that is best for you. </p>
<p>What I have found is that you can wear black slacks everyday of the week and no one notices, as long as you color up your tops. I use scarves, dressy sweaters, and jackets to vary the look. </p>
<p>I would invest in a pair of good shoes that look polished with slacks - footwear makes a difference in how polished a simple outfit appears. If you are going for comfy but cute - this pair looks very nice with slacks:</p>
<p>Bunsen - funny thing with Ann Taylor. I find their blouses and skirts seem flimsy, but I have some jackets that are very well made. I love their shoes - nice padding inside. Their quality is inconsistent.</p>
<p>Re: Express. Ignore the racks of shiny, blingy, slinky stuff at Express and head for the table with pants and dress shirts. I shop for pants at Express! :)</p>
<p>Here is an example of pants I was talking about:</p>
<p>I am the only one in the universe who actually does NOT like black pants and who doesn’t own one single white blouse - for that matter, I do not own ANY long sleeved blouses (or any blouse with a collar).</p>
<p>I always have a pair of black pants but don’t often choose them to wear. I do wear a lot of black in the form of tops.</p>
<p>My number one difficulty is finding trouser pants that fit my figure in my size. When I do, I snap up as many pairs and hoard them. </p>
<p>My H doesn’t understand shopping - he can go to the store and buy exactly what he needs, first time out, no fussing and not trying on 10 pairs of pants! Not so easy with women’s shapes. </p>
<p>Even my daughter who has a lovely shape went through three separate sizes and styles yesterday just to buy chinos at Old Navy. Why does she wear one size in one type of jeans, another in one type of pants, all by the same manufacturer? It doesn’t make sense. Yet, if she goes to another store, completely different sizing.</p>
<p>I have a large wardrobe of slacks…from Chicos, Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Ann Taylor Loft. Many are black but I also have navy, brown and khaki colored slacks. I also have a large variety of tops (sleeveless, 3/4 length and long sleeved…some small prints, some solids)…and a bunch of jackets from the same vendors listed above. I can mix and match and have tons of different options of comfortable clothes to wear.</p>
<p>abasket - if you ever need a pair of black slacks, just holler!</p>
<p>I guess my point is that when starting to rebuild a wardrobe, unless you have unlimited $$$, it is better to start with basics and look for great jackets, sweaters, and accessories to stretch what you purchase. I use colors for my tops and so the color of the pants becomes irrelevant. When I wear a tweed jacket one day with lots of silver jewelry and a pink jacket the next, no one notices the color of my slacks.</p>
<p>I’ve always been a big fan of Ann Taylor although agree that this past year’s lines were attempting to be too trendy. Don’t forget Banana Republic. Although some of their stuff may be a bit “too young” they do offer many appropriate slacks, skirts, short jackets. I do not get to see clients all that much, but when I do, I have an appropriate wardrobe. There is also J. Crew. I’ve never bought anything in Black House, White Market or whatever it’s called…but Michelle Obama has great stuff from them as well as J. Crew. Lord and Taylor and Nordstom are good choices also.</p>
<p>Ann Taylor, Talbots & Loft are all good specialty stores to start with. I work in NYC and my winter ‘uniform’ is nice pants, shirt/blouse and nice sweater. Some of my sweaters are dressy enough to pass as jackets, others are just cardigans. </p>
<p>I would head to an outlet mall and see what you can find. First go to the website & become a VIP, so you can get the free coupon book when you get there.</p>
<p>Boss makes higher quality, but well priced work classics. I agree that several pairs of black slacks is too many. Black slacks and a blouse can quickly turn into a very boring uniform. I would purchase slacks in charcoal gray, chocolate brown, and medium tan, along with black. If you have the budget, add a few pairs with a black/gray fleck, or a brown/tan fleck. Look for very lightweight all season wool with a bit of stretch - most Boss pants and skirts are made in this fabric. It is comfortable, flattering, wrinkle resistant, and you can wear it year round. </p>
<p>Don’t purchase too many blazers or jackets - just a few is plenty. Instead mix it up with structured cardigans which look softer and more feminine. Just be sure that from the back, the dreaded bra bulge doesn’t show. If it does, the knit is too skimpy and clingy. I agree with Bunsen - make certain that your undergarments fit and flatter. You may want to look into the Spanx bras which have a wider band and straps that are less visible through clothing. </p>
<p>I like a smooth tank or tee under a jacket or cardigan, instead of a blouse which can look frumpy. A really great blouse can actually be worn alone if it has a straight bottom. </p>
<p>Another important point - pick a comfortable heel height and have all of the pants hemmed (if necessary) so that they are the correct length for the shoe. Nothing says poorly dressed more than slacks that are too short or too long. I would invest in mid-heel boots in black and in chocolate brown suede - they will carry you through the fall and winter and can be worn with your entire wardrobe, including skirts. Actually, you may find that you love skirts with boots, especially if you don’t like your legs.</p>
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