S was adamant he didn’t need or want formal attire in college. Lo and behold in his 1st text home, he asked that I send him the navy blazer and grey dress slacks he graduated HS in. They dressed for all the many career fairs that they were invited to attend from fall of freshman year! Fortunately they fit with his dress shirt and tie in a medium flat rate box!
For D, she was able to find a blazer that fit her at Macy’s (junior’s section) as well as at Banana Republic. BR is currently running a 40% off Friends&Family sale.
Sometimes D also has some luck at Ross. It takes a lot of digging, which is tiring. Agree that a solid sheath dress is useful for many occasions. We bought D one for a wedding and she’s since worn it a lot. Shirtdresses in solid colors in silk-like fabric are dressy and classic. We got some at great prices at Uniqlo the other year—teal and black $10 & $20 IIRC.
Our D is also a size petite 0-00.
S has had a lot of luck at Express. D has had more luck at BR and Loft and Ann Taylor.
When S went back to school in the fall the first thing he did was call me upset he left his suit bag and he needed it. He has ended up with two suits and a Blazer that have been worn numerous times. It is amazing how many business attire functions they do go to even as Freshmen.
^ Way more than I did. I think I wore a blazer to a few dances / semi formals but that was it (back in the 80s - big state school). Very different today. S has reason to wear business attire virtually every week. Ironically, he dresses down (business casual) for his job (professional setting) .
I was just going to say Ann Taylor Loft - more youthful than Ann Taylor but still conservative. Also maybe White House Black Market, although they can be pricey. I love Nordstrom with free shipping and returns!
A student does not need that many business attires, but they should be of good quality and it is a worthwhile investment. I would be hesitant at buying suits from some of those stores.
However, it can often be difficult to find off-the-rack suits and dress shirts that fit well for someone who has a lean or athletic build, like many high school students and college students who do not gain the “freshman 10/15/20”.
Nope, neither of my kids gained nor lost weight in college. S has purchased a wardrobe since he started his career. He’s about a 27-28 waist. He has gotten some clothes at Express, plus had some tailor made in LA garment district.
Son even fits H’s suit from when H was in college! It looks like it was made for him and is still in good condition. It’s navy and even has a vest.
For a young adult who isn’t yet in his/her career, I would try not to spend too much—males may still get taller (some females too). All folks may gain/lose/redistribute weight and muscle as well.
I was in Old Navy today and they have inexpensive black blazers for women. This is what my daughter took to college with her (and paired with either black trousers or pencil skirt) and used for interviews, job fairs, etc.
My daughter says…it’s not all that easy to pair black from one maker to black from another. The weave and fabric just don’t usually match. She says…either get a suit…or get separates made to go together by the same folks.
She had nice Banana Republic slacks, skirt and jacket and same from Express that she used as an undergrad. She could not mix and match the Express with the BR. She also one BR really nice blazer that matched…nothing. She used the odd blazer with dresses.
My D is 00P and the other D is also tiny but taller. We bought D1”s business suit at Banana Republic. They’ve both found other pieces at Ann Taylor and Loft (both do indeed have tiny sizes) and Nordstrom Rack. I was just in a White House Black Market and noted very small sizes and nice styles as well.
I wish my D would commit to getting rid of the closet full of business attire she has stored in my house. Her old job required a suit and her present job is business casual. She would agree with Thumper about the difficulty of mixing coats and pants from different brands.
My DD17 needs business and business casual attire at least twice a week but often more. Every club has an interview process and this is the expected dress. She is in the businesss fraternity and they expect members to dress for events and many meetings. She is part of networking events, has been invited to receptions as part of her organizations, attended career fairs, and has interviewed for internships.
She has found so much at AT Loft and Nordstrom Rack. She often wears dresses with a blazer or quality cardigan . She looks more age appropriate than in a full matched suit. She likes black pants/skirts as separates but finds it difficult to match the blazers. Even when purchased together, the slacks have been laundered more than the blazer has been dry cleaned and they don’t look as good together. She will now wear a patterned or colored skirt with her blazers. She has found more trendy blazers (zippers or slight bell sleeve) but her traditional ones are her go to.
I would suggest that all parents of high schoolers who are reading this to send their kids with at least one or two business outfits if possible. As a freshman last year she took a fair amount of business clothes for one of her ECs and found that she was constantly lending things out to girls on the floor and her sorority sisters. She was surprised at how many people had not thought to bring business type clothes. It has slowed down now that she is in an apartment and she has also directed people to the campus resource. Her campus has a career closet on campus where students can go to borrow outfits. Many things are brand new, other stuff lightly worn and dry cleaned. They will help students “shop” for the right outfit for the event and they will fully outfit them if needed (dres shoes, belts, shirts, ties, suits, blazers, dresses, etc…)
My D after she started working in an environment that required a suit found that it was smart to purchase two pairs of the pants.
Before everyone rushes off to outfit your college student with business attire take in account their major. My Animal Science major and my Bachelor Fine Arts major never had a need for business attire. Older D was a major that required business wear from the start.
D is a business major and is in a business frat. It’s business casual several times a week for frat meetings and other b-school events. And suits quite often each semester. She had to buy more business casual clothes and another suit during winter break to avoid dry cleaning often. She has an internship this summer and we’ll buy her a few more pieces. We like the Loft for nicer pieces and will check out some of the other suggestions.
How dressy one needs to be also depends on region and type of employer, as well as college major and general type of job employed in. For example CS major interns and new graduates at typical Silicon Valley computer companies are unlikely to need anything particularly dressy (though they sometimes show up for interviews in often-poorly-fitting suits and dress shirts). But CS major interns and new graduates who work in other types of companies or in other regions may need a dressier wardrobe (and not just for the interview).
A college student who does not anticipate a need for dressy clothes may want to bring one dressy outfit in case of unanticipated need (even something like a wedding). Of course, a business major or other student anticipating greater need for dressy clothing would want to bring more.
