By Eliza Appleton, 23, reporting from New York, NY, on dressing for the office in style.
On some mornings, thinking about what to wear to my very new corporate job can be more stressful than the actual job.
I’m the type of girl who loves bright colors and skinny jeans and a great pair of black booties with a heel. I’ve never spoken the word slacks out loud and believe there is nothing sexy in a knee-length skirt.
And there I was, working in finance, throwing on a “going out” sweater with dorky “dress pants” and calling it an outfit. Totally not my style.
I’d think back to this guy I once overhead in one of my classes say, “I love women’s corporate wear. It doesn’t show a lot of skin, but it’s the right skin.”
There was only so long I could pretend to agree with him, or fool myself into thinking I was dressing “pilgrim-chic.” In reality, my workday style fell somewhere between June Cleaver and Anne Romney. Trust me, it’s not a good look.
So just this week, I surrendered to the corporate takeover. I came to the gainfully employed person’s realization that sometimes you have to shop for professional pieces over party pieces. After all, this is what I wear for the majority of my waking hours now—might as well look and feel like myself.
I focused on basic colors (no colleague will notice black, grey, and navy in constant rotation) and classic cuts, like the perfect J.Crew boy shirt in French blue. Their featherweight cashmere sweaters get pricey, but if you can hold your breath and drop that first paycheck, they’ll keep you comfortable and chic through an entire career of over air-conditioned office environments.
In the more starter-salary bracket, Uniqlo offers dozens of smart, simple Wear-To-Work Dresses—shifts, shirtdresses, wraps, in solids and subtle patterns—for $39.99. Check out H&M “Office Wear,” where this Fine-Knit Top ($24.95) gives a pop of red or white under a black or dark blue Jersey Blazer ($34.95) that’s structured enough for work and slouchy enough to go off-duty with jeans.
Just make sure you toss in some stripes or dots, a scalloped edge, an occasional funky print or leather cuff bracelet to remind everyone in the office that you’re still young and fun and fashionable.
Everyone always tells you to dress not for the job you have but for the job you want to have. I want to dress like a future executive, as I’m already dreaming of being a CEO or CIO or CFO (LOTS of work to do and LOTS to learn before I get anywhere close to that).
In the meantime, I’ll dress to impress, with my own little twist, and I’ll be plotting a campaign to abolish the corporate get-up for when I’m in charge.