Dress Professional on TIGHT Budget and not happy

**KimZ** · 08-04-2011, 08:18 PM

I knew I was asking in the right place .... You guys are the BEST

**flashyMcGee** · 08-04-2011, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by nuisance26

~I've always thought curvy women looked great in medium tone to dark slacks with pretty tops. You can look professional in flats! And accessorize! Beautiful scarves, jewelry and make-up go a long way.
I wonder if seeing a Mary Kay consultant would help?
Goodwill usually has a lot of beautiful work clothes for $5-15 a piece. You only need about 4 bottoms and 8-12 tops. So even with buying accessories you should be able to get a workable wardrobe for around $100.
Just get 2 bottoms, 4 tops and maybe $20 in accessories to start and then add $10-20 of items to your wardrobe every month.~

Ditto this

I shop almost exclusively at GW. I also attend clothing swaps.

**Libby** · 08-04-2011, 08:51 PM

My gf used to work in a jewlery store - she wore very conservative clothes vs the trendy latest and greatest of current fashion. She found that by being conservative, she got more sales - each person/market is different so take from that what you will.

I concur with basic neutrals for bottoms: black, navy and various shades of grey...kahki/tan if you dare. Simple, not overly busy patterned tops work best.

I have noticed there are almost too many clearance sales going on right now - up to 75% off all stock - I hope you're able to find something within your budget.

And yes flats are totally acceptable - Dr Scholls brand were extremely comfy for me and I bought them at Walmart. Whatever you do, do not neglect your feet!

**mommynurse** · 08-04-2011, 09:26 PM

A good place to try is Ross Dress for Less. Kohls also has great clearance sales. I changed from a job where I wore scrubs to a business environment. I bought basics (black pants, gray pants, etc) to start.

**Judi Dial** · 08-04-2011, 09:43 PM

I have the opposite size problem, no suits available...my shoulders are too big, etc. I could NOT find professional clothing when I needed to, so I invented a "uniform." Good looking separates, using greys as the tie in.

It got to be a problem, there are too many greys. I use black these days.

So, I'd recommend you think of white, or black as your friend/base layer or the organizer. Whichever you look best in, you can mix/match stuff from dept. store sale racks, thrift shops, ebay, yard sales, etc. Then add whatever color you want/have. Everything goes with white or black. Black & white together are classy, add a pink scarf or whatever.

Try good looking pants, turtleneck, overshirt or jacket or long scarf. Or, use a long-sleeved blouse, or whatever suits you.

I learned a lot from two books:

Judith Keith - I Haven't a Thing to Wear
Jan Larkey - Flatter Your Figure

The Larkey book is sort of a workbook, where the Keith book just talks about mixing/matching clothes to make a large wardrobe from few pieces or how to use the pieces you have in multiple ways.

Judi

**khaski** · 08-05-2011, 08:36 AM

I would suggest trying upscale consignment shops in towns with higher average incomes, as well as Goodwill and Salvation army. I would also join your local 'freecycle' group online and post a 'wanted' ad.

**happymomof4** · 08-05-2011, 01:49 PM

I dress for an office every day. I have about 10 pair of pants for 2 seasons. I also have a few skirts and dress's for the more dresser/meeting days.

I have the basic colors--gray, black, tan, navy blue, kakhi. I can also wear capri's in the summer. So I have about 5 pair of them in basic colors.

I just have a ton of blouses and shirts that I alternate. When I wash my clothes I put the clean stuff in the back of the closet so that I wear what is in the front. That way you don't wear the same shirt/blouse every week.

I love Kohl's. I wear petites sometimes they can be hard to find.

**kathy5456** · 08-06-2011, 07:01 PM

Sorry Kim--
I have nothing to share-- im 5'2" and a bigger size than you. But I'm workin' on it too! I hope to soon have some 16/18's to give away

**shoiji** · 08-10-2011, 12:00 PM

In September I would keep an eye out on the clearance racks. You can probably pick up a couple of blouses or skirts that would look nice with a jacket or sweater.

I would go with basic solid colors for pants and skirts. The tops can be more colorful. Button down sweaters also look just as good as jackets.

Go through you closet an pick out the best items you have. Then you can add from there.

Also, if you go to the thrift stores now look at the winter clothing first. It will be cheaper in price than if you went in the winter to buy the same item.

Mixing and matching will really stretch your wardrobe. Kohl's always seems to have a clearance rack of clothing suitable for work. Not sure what type of clothing you need. Also flats are fine for work as long as they in good condition. Sometimes it is just a matter of using some shoe polish.

**NaturalFamilyMama** · 08-17-2011, 05:56 PM

I love to buy lots on ebay. quite a few of my "work" clothes came from there.
You can get away with the same pair of pants more than once during the week, as long as they are plain.
Make sure that your pants are not too low rise, and your top is not too low cut, sometimes dress clothes are and make you look less professional instead of more!

**frugalnycgirl** · 08-17-2011, 07:38 PM

I people watch all the time in NYC and I swear the girls here are great at fashion no matter what their size. I've seen gorgeous girls mostly in flowy colorful tops (jewel colors) and wide leg black pants. Flowly tops are great for hiding muffin tops and comfort. Depending on your own body type, you can even tuck the shirts in to make your legs look longer. This season especially there are alot of the polyester type tops that are so easy to wash. And wide legs are great with wearing with flip flops outside of work and sneakers, while still maintaining the professional vibe. In the office you can wear cute ballet flats. And for the colder climate or air conditioning, you can structure your shape with black cardigan (if you can't find blazer). I will say blazers are the best investments ever because they literally act like an outside corset just building you a shape.

**krbshappy71** · 09-07-2011, 11:10 AM

Thank you for the "what season are you" link. I would get comments, compliments, and complaints on what I wore but didn't understand what it meant of "you look good in that color" and how I was supposed to know that before I bought it.

**madhen** · 09-07-2011, 11:22 AM

Check with WEAVE in your area. They run used-clothing stores specifically for women who are trying to dress in business attire to get/keep jobs. Proceeds go to help other women get out of abusive situations, so it is a win-win. We used to have a WEAVE clothing store near my office, and the clothes were always very nice. I've donated more than one suit to them, myself.

In terms of books, my favourite is What You Wear Can Change Your Life by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.

**bunnys** · 11-07-2011, 08:22 PM

I don't buy my clothing at a thrift store--something about wearing another person's clothing just doesn't sit right with me and I like the feeling of having something new!

However, I do buy EVERYTHING on sale. And when I say sale, I mean at least 50% off. I usually get most items for 60-75% off and I feel totally self indulgent and foolish if I pay more than 65% of the full price for anything.

I think you can find a really nice wardrobe if you just really look hard at sales (both in the store and online.)