Love that dress!!! Really, really love it!
LasMa, you are on a roll!! Love your description of the clothes. The dress is gorgeous, and I’m positive you will get a lot of mileage out of that jacket. Denim pairs well with a lot of things. You might find yourself wanting another one… as I did. I have been wearing my denim jacket non-stop to keep me warm in the office and also got this one - for variety:
LasMa-I think I might be your short twin separated at birth. I have that same dress in black (bought it from Nordstrom) and I love it. I love it so much that I’ve been considering getting it in navy blue for son’s wedding in Oct. I hope to find something different, though, since it would be so similar to what I currently have. The descriptions of the clothes you got from StitchFix sound great and I’m pretty sure those printed crop pants are the same ones they sent me. I get my next shipment on Friday! I’ve wanted a denim jacket for as long as I can remember and just never have bought one - you might be pushing me to just do it!
So you’re saying that a Nordstrom personal shopper would be willing to help someone buy just one item?? Or one items plus the shoes/hose to go with it??
I’m starting to think about my 50th HS reunion, which is happening in a year. I know how I want to look, but I might need help getting there.
C3Baker, go for it! It is really a universal piece. Try a few styles to see what works best for you. For me, cropped/slightly above waist or denim shirt-like ones work well. Trucker bf - meh. I linked the cropped style above. Here is an example of the shirt:
http://www.denimblog.com/2012/10/lea-michele-in-currentelliott-the-perfect-shirt-in-miner/
This dress was also in the running (in navy again). Same shape, more or less, but a very different look. It was really pretty.
And fer cryin out loud, get yourself a denim jacket! BB is right, it’s universal and it will never go out of style. I can’t wait to get mine!
@me29034 I’m not way ahead of you. I just finally figured out that I need professional help, and that I should listen to the people in my life who know about these things. So if you’re as pathetic as I was, whatever you do, just don’t go shopping alone! Put yourself into the hands of a stylist (either family/friend or store shopper), make sure they understand you, be a little bit open to new ideas, and let them do their magic.
@nottelling It’s been fun!. I haven’t been able to wear many of my work looks yet because the black pants are in Alterations, and my new shirts/sweaters are just too nice to wear with my yucky old pants. But on casual Friday last week, I wore one of the new tops, and my black jeans debuted at dinner on Saturday.
@VeryHappy Yep, the Nordstrom shopper will help with just one item, or one ensemble. Rather than booking online, I’d call and explain what you want to do, and let them decide if you need a 30 or 60 minute appointment.
That IS a gorgeous dress! Sounds like @LasMa has inspired many of us to freshen and update our wardrobes. The black dress is probably a good classic basic that can be updated and used for a variety of functions, but nice to have a look you LOVE. So glad to read about so many who are moving in great and cool directions!
I have very few printed pants or shorts–may have to consider those additions myself. 
I sure hope I’ve inspired someone! Goodness knows, you all have inspired me! <3
Tonight I’m going to total up the financial damages of this spree, and will report back. It’s going to be a big number. But keep in mind, 3 weeks ago I had literally nothing in my wardrobe that I even liked, much less loved. I was starting from scratch, and I have built a wardrobe which I’m excited to wear. This is a first for me.
Also, this is amazing, but I have a very clear understanding now of what holes remain and how I want to fill them, and will show you that list for the record.
LasMa, be proud of yourself. And thank you for letting us follow the transformation (and shop vicariously). 
BTW, the black dress is just as gorgeous as your final choice.
My D helped a couple of friends this summer who were transitioning from college to their first post college jobs. She spent a couple of hours at each of their houses looking through their closets to determine what would work for their new positions and what additional items they needed to fill in their existing wardrobes. She made a list of priorities and then shopped with each of the girls. They told my D what their budgets were and she helped them find most items at Nordstrom Rack, Marshall’s and TJ Maxx. Once they completed all of the shopping D then spent time with them again at their homes putting together all of the looks with their existing wardrobe. She then took pictures of the styles she put together so her friends could see all the different combinations they could wear.
LasMa-this is really funny. That other dress you linked is in my shopping bag online at Nordstrom, I’ve been debating ordering it for the wedding. I sent the link to my daughter over the weekend and she liked it, so I probably will go ahead and order it.
@LasMa, you HAVE inspired some of us! Me! I have 4 new shirts, 2 new dresses, a new black jacket and 2 new pair of black pants hanging in my closest. I’m sort of stunned by all this. I am a bit older than you, have despised shopping, don’t (didn’t) think out of the box, etc. Everything I have bought within the past couple of weeks isn’t very expensive, but necessary for work. I was sick of wearing the same stuff over and over. I am now “flush” with black slacks, hoping that not too many people will notice if I wear them with totally different tops, including a sleeveless one with my new black jacket. The latter combo, as I mentioned in a previous post, I never would have considered without this thread.
@C3Baker Maybe you really are my short twin separated at birth. It really is beautiful. The only thing that knocked it out for me was that it doesn’t really lend itself to either of the necklaces I wanted to showcase. But I loved the clean strong lines of it.
This thread has been inspiring me too. I have (at most times of my life) been pretty put together but in the last couple years had moved away from heels due to a bad back…which has made me feel a whole lot less attractive…today was 3 new pairs of pants (charcoal, light grey, and navy), a great sleeveless blouse and THREE pairs of heels…by aerosole/b.o.c./naturalizer I am ready to put it back together.
LasMa, That lace dress is absolutely beautiful! If I were thin with nice arms, I would have bought it already (unless I was still deciding which color to buy).
me29034 - I’m like you. Almost everything I own is from Lands End or LLBean. And most of it is years old. I don’t even have a closet. I keep my clothes in several drawers. Except for a few dressier Eileen Fisher outfits that I wear very occasionally, and my good wool black winter coat (at least 20 years old).
I have been inspired by this thread to finally rearrange my closet and purge the pieces that no longer serve their purpose even though they still fit and look up to date. This exercise made me realize that over the past years, I have built a nice wardrobe that still has years of useful mileage ahead. I am pretty much done shopping for myself in the nearest future! Maybe a few thjngs here and there… Ladies, now it is your turn to keep the clothing retailers afloat!
BB, I have been doing my part for the last few weeks! Actually, looking back this started a couple of months ago when I went to Nordstrom for a professional bra fitting, and replaced all of my old sad ill-fitting bras with wonderful new good-quality ones. What a difference!
Anyway, I’ve read somewhere that you should plan on about $5000 to do a whole new wardrobe, so by that measure I’ve done really well. I’ve spent about $2100. It sounds shocking but look what I’ve gotten:
Bras (4)
Shoes (2)
Levi’s everyday jeans (2)
Black work slacks
Black jeans
Trouser jeans
Casual print pants
Shirts/blouses (9)
White tank
Sweaters (3)
Formal dress
Levi’s jacket
Necklace
And almost everything I’ve gotten can be mixed and matched with almost everything else I’ve gotten, so that’s a whole lot of different outfits.
What remains to get in the near term:
*More work slacks. I think I’d like 3 or 4 more pair of the same pant, in black and charcoal. I’ll have to ponder if I want to add navy; I don’t know that it would work well with the shirts. But I’m OK with only black/charcoal pants for work. To me, the pants are the frame to set off the fun shirts and sweaters. Or, the concept that some of you introduced me to – the uniform. I’m good with that.
*Several more of the sweaters. They’re perfect and they come in a jillion colors.
*Casual black flats, to wear with the casual print pants (as instructed by SIL), and the black jeans.
*A black or charcoal blazer, which will kick my new look up a notch on Board meeting days. I actually have one in the back of my closet but I don’t know if it fits. I’ll pull it out; maybe that need is already met!
*Maybe a few more cute blouses/shirts. 
I will visit my Nordstrom shopper again in the fall, to add seasonal stuff: a few heavier sweaters and shirts, mainly. I’d also like to get a pair of ankle boots to go with all of my jeans. And I’m going to stick with StitchFix, because one of my tendencies is to do a burst of clothes-buying, and then stagnate for years. I want to get small amounts of new stuff coming in periodically, so that I don’t reach the point of desperation again. Those future buys will be much smaller, supplementing what I have, because I feel like I’ve done the foundational buy now.
@LasMa, so glad you are enjoying your work wardrobe. You certainly deserve to wear clothes you love–why not? If not now, when? Great!
Thing is, LM, now you know what basics work for you-and make you happy. You’ll be able to pick up similar things on sale, even on the fly. Plus, it seems everything you’ve gotten is the sort that will last a few years, not go out of style.
@mom60 I ordered the black/red/white top you posted in #195, and it arrived yesterday. I washed it last night (you were right, it washes really well), and I’m wearing it today with black sweater and dark gray pants. It looks great! Thanks for the link.
ETA – LF, you’re so right. I have a bead on my style now, especially my work style. When I’m in a store now, I can look at a rack of shirts and do a better job of zeroing in on what might work. It helps a lot that I seem to be mostly in the blue/teal/purple color range, so I can eliminate a ton of things that way.