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Can we talk about business suits?
How many suits do you own? Pant, skirts, or both? What color(s)? When do you wear a suit? What kind of top(s) do you wear under it? Where do you buy your suits?
I have a pant/skirt/jacket charcoal grey suit that I love from The Limited. I also have black suit pants and a nice black suit jacket that go well together (pants are from The Limited, jacket is Anne Klein), but I prefer the look of the grey.I think I would like a solid navy suit. Probably pants, skirt, and jacket.What do you think? Interview appropriate?
I wear suits to interviews (obviously) and to meetings with people outside the agency and conferences. Sometimes I will wear a suit jacket with a dress if the conference is more laid back. When in doubt, I wear the full suit, though with some top underneath (sometimes a collared top, sometimes not).
Re: Can we talk about business suits?
I have two. A black one and a less formal brown one. I have some button down shirts to wear with them. I wore the black one for interviews when I graduated college (and for my grandfather's wake) and I haven't worn the brown one since 2005 in Australia when I dressed up for work. I wear casual clothes to work.
ETA: I got the black one at Sears. Don't remember where I got the brown one.
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I have a black one from limited, I have the jacket, skirt and pants. I do have a couple other mis-matched pieces, but none that I would wear to an interview or something formal (more like with a dress or jeans, casual). I do need to invest in another suit, and will probably go the Limited route just b/c I like the way the pants fit me, and if you catch them at the right time you can get 1/2 off the jacket if you by the pants/skirt, and they will do minor alterations for free. I have several different tops that I wear, but they are all tops that I rotate in my regular wardrobe.
eta: I wear the skirt in the summer w/out hose, I know this is a no no, supposedly, but I can't wear hose period and really I don't think anyone is going to say something when its 100+ degrees outside. I wear the pants mostly for winter events.
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My thinking is if someone doesn't want to hire me for not wearing hose... I don't want to work for them anyway. I also don't want to work for someone who ask me if this is how I "normally" dress.
Good point. Have you actually had someone ask you that? That's really weird.
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Yep. I gave him a blank stare, and there were about 20 seconds of dead silence until he clarified and wanted to make sure I didn't normally wear jeans to work. I'm still confused.
ETA: Meaning, you would think the interviewer would know that. Not, that you wouldn't. I think what I typed was kind of confusing.
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I have a skirt suit and a pant suit. I haven't worn the skirt suit in years and am not sure if it fits (but moreso because it is boring). Both are from Macys. I wouldn't wear hose if I wore a skirt suit...
I've only worn them to interviews in the past few years. Occasionally at my last job I had something to dress up for, but a nicer dress would always do the trick. I will probably get an additional suit (I have my eye on a gray skirt suit) soon though.
Well, I *own* 8 suits. But all but one are too big now. So happy I spent all that money on the suits when I was fat....I guess if/when I get pg I'll have work clothes.
I have 2 black (2 jackets, 2 pants, 1 skirt), 1 heather grey (skirt, pants, jacket), 1 black pinstripe, one navy, one brown, one black/white/grey woven (palazzo pants w/ jacket). One of the black ones is what currently fits. I usually only wear it for events outside the bank or when I have interviews (and leave the jacket in the car...)
I have lots of dress pants now and all sorts of sweaters and tops to wear to work now. When I worked at the bank in KC it was super-corporate and I had to wear a suit every single day. I wore camis, button downs, shells, short sleeved sweaters, sleeveless sweaters, etc... and the conservative like underneath.
Oh, and the ones I didn't specify, are pant-suits.
At my old bank we were expected to wear pantyhose if we were wearing skirts, even when it was 105 in the middle of the summer. Yuck. I can get away without them now, in fact I wear dresses quite a bit now when I'm willing to shave.
also - i kind of skimmed earlier and i think i missed the main part of your post - i don't think color matters as much as cut (well, unless you're on Wall Street). A nicer quality suit of any traditional color (black, navy, gray and any striped combo thereof) will always be a hit if it fits well. My old boss used to wear pants suits when she met with VP and provost level folks, but she also wore dresses for your average meeting-with-the-dean. I would look for something you can see wearing for a long time in a timeless style (I like my current suit but I'm looking mainly because the pants fit a little weird, and I like skirts better in general). I would steer clear of seperates unless they are really from the same line (eg in the same store). You can always tell if its a "close enough" match in my opinion.
I like shells underneath my jacket because I can never get a blouse AND a jacket to fit my arms at the same time. Have some fun with it and wear something colorful you feel great in. (also, I have never worn a suit to a conference; I usually stick with my nicer work dresses from Macys and similar).
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Right now I have zero suits that fit, but I will blame that on pregnancy. I have one charcoal grey pinstripes suit (Pants, skirt and Jacket) It is by far my most versitile. I have one off white with brown pinstrip skirt suit. I bought the white one because of fit, I normally would never go for such a light color but it looked amazing on, it totally, depsite the color, is a power suit. I have black slacks, skirts (tulip & pencil) and black jacket that are seperates, that "go together" I try not to do that unless I feel black is necessitated or based on fit. My black skirts are larger so they fit better post baby then my other suits.
As for tops underneith, I usually do a nice sleeveless sweater top or a cami. I feel too bulky with a full button-up shirt and a jacket on. I never wear hose, I would never work for a company that dictates hose must be worn. I just can't do it...