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Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
"The Double-Glazed Ceiling:" Is It Harder For Women To Come Out At Work?

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Seeräuber Jenny
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
Tahari, a representative of which was quoted in the article, did used to make great suits -- jackets with coordinating dresses and skirts. They had a great Petites line, too. I don't know what happened.

Oh,yeah, the economy.
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Princess Leela
11/14/08

@Seeräuber Jenny: Don't they still? My fave suit jacket is Tahari. I like 'em cause the suits are actually cut to flatter women who have breasts and hips, instead of just enveloping them in a box shape.
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Seeräuber Jenny
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
This probably already has been remarked upon:

"There's nothing wrong with wearing flat shoes and bringing heels," Mr. Purcell said. "Maria Shriver has somebody who carries her shoes for her. High heels help your stance. The American Orthopaedic Association may say I'm crazy, but the right heels will help you get a job."

There are so many things wrong with the above. But for starters, people who can afford personal foot porters generally aren't anxiously interviewing for jobs. This statement conjured up an image of Shriver as a Chinese princess with bound feet being carried around in a palanquin.

That was supposed to be helpful?

BTW, in my experience, in most serious fields, the interview suit was never "out."
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Lizawithazee
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I've always interview-dressed with the maxim "dress for the job you want" in mind. And I've been known to pre-scout the place to see what the senior-looking people were wearing and to ask any of my insider friends if anyone has weird wardrobe pet peeves I should know about. I've also changed clothes in my car in the parking garage so I wasn't found out at the job I was planning to leave.

In any professional field, it's important to look sharp. That might mean a suit. In my mind it always equals a jacket of some kind.

I've interviewed so many people where I was thinking, "Jeans? Really?" and "Sloppy!" and "Did you just get out of bed?" An interview is so critical, and don't think looking your best won't give you an edge. Because it will. Especially in times like these, whether the competition is bound to be fierce.
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Dashrashi
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
A recommendation and a query: if you've got big boobs and a small(er) waist, Benetton makes suits where the jackets have seriously nipped in waists, and they've always got a couple of styles/colors/patterns on the rack at any given time. My power black suit is from a Benetton outlet--found it after a summer of looking like I was trying to wear my mother's clothes by trying on jacket after jacket that was too big.

Query: if you're in the line of work where suits are necessary (e.g. law or Wall St. or similar), do you think you can get away with a vintage suit? I've got my eye on some bangin' ones on ebay, but I worry that they're too Joan Holloway for me to be taken seriously.
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KetchupFiend
11/13/08

@Dashrashi: Having worked in both law AND on Wall St, I feel qualified to answer this question :)

If you're in an environment where you wear suits to the office every day, you can probably get away with wearing Fun Suits, like colored tweed or vintage. If you're interacting with clients, I'd play it very boringly and conservatively safe, at least until you are a bit higher on the ladder.
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LimoScene
11/13/08

@KetchupFiend: Agree. Perfectly fine. I am a lawyer who also worked on Wall St (in a legal capacity). Make sure you pull back your hair or that it looks neat. I am sure you knew that, but I just wanted to put it out there.

I have to wear suits (or a jacket at the very least) at my job. I toe the line with cardigans or sweater jackets, and if I am at my desk, I pretty much wear my clogs. But I keep a couple of snazzy heels lying around for when I feel like looking a million bucks.

Here is my query: Is long hair down acceptable when you are dressing business? My hair goes to below my shoulder blades.
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LaFemme
11/13/08

@LimoScene: I work in government and we also wear suits everyday. As for the hair, I am still not sure. My hair is below my shoulders, but I try to keep it only about 2.5 inches below the shoulders, to at least be skating that line. Most women seem to keep it at the max around there if they want to wear it down. There are a few outliers (ie, hair down your back) that wear it down and, while I lust after their beautiful length, I think it is a little unprofessional. One woman in particular. I see her walking towards me and I do think "Victoria's Secret model!" which is probably not the look you are going for.
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lippybug
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
These fashion people are putting way too much emphasis on what somebody is wearing. I interview people all the time and even if their clothes are dirty or ill fitting or strange - I put that aside and assess them on their SKILLs. And you know, its never that close between two interviewees that it would come down to a vague subconcious impression either.

Although I do HATE huge expensive watches on male recent grads. He did not earn the money for that sucker so you know is parents gave it to him, and he's probably and entitled douche. My two cents.
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Lizawithazee
11/13/08

y@Dashrashi: I wear vintage suits to the office (usually split up to not seem too costumey), but I probably wouldn't wear one to a job interview unless it's in perfect condition and is classic as opposed to overtly vintage in style.
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Dashrashi
11/13/08

@Lizawithazee: It's the costumey thing that's dragging me down. I'm looking at a summer job where I'll need to be in court pretty much every day, and it's going to be suit-suit-suit-suit-suit, and I don't know if I can get away with splitting up a suit in court. Otherwise I would just buy them to split them up, but I don't know if that's a smart use of money if I really do need to be in suits all the time. Sigh. Stupid overly formal legal system.
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Lizawithazee
11/13/08

@Dashrashi: It's tough to get the perfect condition you'd need for court with vintage, especially over Ebay. There are a lot of suits with some of that vintage flair around though. I was just in a Macy's and they had RACKS of pretty cool looking suits and they were slashed in price. Most of them, even the really nice ones, were under $100.
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Lizawithazee
11/13/08

@Dashrashi: Also, when I wore matched suits for another job, I bought a lot at consignment stores in nice neighborhoods. I could either get nicer ones than I could afford new, or get two for the price of one of the brands I could afford new.
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inabook
11/14/08

@lippybug: Maybe the watch t hing is liek the pricey purse for a girl? Get one expensive accessory; then people think the rest is quality too, that brand of thinking. I know my mom got me a nice purse to wear with my cheap clothes so that i could pretent to be professional. :-)
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brendastarlet is on it
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
Every woman who conducts business needs:

1) black suit, pants or skirt

1) navy or gray suit, pants or skirt

1) jacket that can go with either, like a red, or tweed, or an interesting color.

1) LBD (not a suit but also necessary)

You can travel in Europe or Japan for a week on that.
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PilgrimSoul
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I just look like a vagabond in my corner office. The kids tell me I am the office "bohemian." It works.
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HereComesMyBaby
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I never have ANYTHING to wear to interviews and I end up looking like a total slob, but thank god all my jobs were in really casual environments. And now I'm moving to the Middle East where everyone dresses super casual and NO ONE looks put together. So that will be nice. Yay, slobs!
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nex0s
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I didn't even know that suits had gone out.

I've always worn suits to interviews. It's professional. OK, not to interviews to work in RETAIL - but anything at an office? Suit UP!
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jleigh
11/13/08

@nex0s: I wondered the same thing. When did interview suits go out? I get it if you're in a more "creative" industry, but for the rest of us? Duh.
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PhDork
11/13/08

@nex0s: This wisdom is brought to you by "fashion people," who live in a different world and live and die by quarter-inches of fabric. Interview = suit. Duh.
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brendastarlet is on it
11/13/08

@jleigh: remember the episode of Project Runway, in which Joe got auf'd because he designed a suit for a graphic designer? That must have been the signal that interview suits were out.

But they've never been out, as far as I'm concerned, for interviews, meetings in D.C., church and funerals. There are some formal occasions when only a suit will do.
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LaFemme
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I have to wear a suit every day, or at the very least a nice dress and jacket. I actually kind of love it.

I always feel really slick and put together, and it is simple getting dressed in the morning. Dry-cleaning is a bitch, however, as is having to go out and buy tons of new "un-fun" clothes. Once you have a nice suit wardrobe though, it is really not a big deal. I am also a "fancy" person though, so I can see hating it if you are more of a casual, laid back dresser.
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Jessi Ramsey
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I have never had a job interview that I didn't jeans to. I went from barista, to a library page, to a job for a website and as someone who is now unemployed and looking I really have no clue what one wears to an interview. A suit seems a bit much.
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Whitney's Black Best Friend
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
I was though that interview = suit, always until the fateful day I interviewed at Barnes & Noble, in a suit, and the other girl waiting to be interviewed was wearing khaki capris, a polo and flip flops. I felt like such a nerd.
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Penny
11/13/08

@Whitney's Black Best Friend: That's cute.
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LimitedLiabilityGirl
11/13/08

@Whitney's Black Best Friend: You should have thought that she was an idiot. Flip-flops? You couldn't even WEAR open-toed shoes in the B&N I worked in, because of the danger of dropping books on your feet.

Did they hire her?
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Whitney's Black Best Friend
11/13/08

@LimitedLiabilityGirl: They sure did hire her, they hired me too because there were several positions available but I felt kind of slighted because she was hired to be a bookseller, and me to work in the Starbucks, considering she was all of 17 I would have thought she would be primed for food service and the college girl, me, would be best suited for working with the words...but no.
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GeorgeFayne
11/14/08

@Whitney's Black Best Friend: I'd bet the cafe manager just liked you more, and stole you from the floor manager. This is how it worked when I was at B&N - if a manager liked you, they would guard you with their lives.
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descent
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
Suits never went out of style for law firm interviews. The problem is when you're 5 feet nothin and all curves. Suits either make you look like a "naughty" lawyer or a kid playing in mom's clothes.
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andBegorrah
11/13/08

@descent: Yes. And high heels are necessary so as not to look stumpy, but I'm like a drunk, epileptic hippopotamus in pointe shoes when I wear them.
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Adora Belle Dearheart
11/13/08

@descent:

I had my first lawyerly interview last week. I am 5 feet maybe 1, size big. I wore a tailored black dress I got from H&M, sheer black tights, a white button up shirt (3/4 sleeves) i got from JCrew about a jillion years ago, black nerd glasses and black and white pumps.

I felt like I was sexy librarian the whole time but I sure looked good. Professional? I don't know. we will have to see if I get the job.

I also do not own a suit. :(
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Sukie in the Graveyard
11/13/08

@privityofestate: oh! Good luck! I hope you get it.

All sexy librarians should be hired on the spot.
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PilgrimSoul
11/13/08

@andBegorrah: What I did to get ready for law interviews? Spent two weeks tottering around in high heels at home while doing housework. The live-in BF at the time? Much amused. But now I can walk really well in them.
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descent
11/13/08

@andBegorrah: Well now I REALLY want to see you in heels, b/c a drunk, epileptic hippopotamus in pointe shoes sounds all kinds of hot.
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descent
11/13/08

@privityofestate: Good luck! Your outfit sounds gorgeous. I go for the sexy librarian/secretary look always because when the choice is boxy or sexy, sexy always comes out on top :).
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andBegorrah
11/13/08

@PilgrimSoul, descent: The ridiculous part is that I danced en pointe for years; I think it's my body's attempt to sabotage the whole being-a-goddamn-adult thing.
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SisterMaryMartha
11/13/08

@andBegorrah: Who's an adult?
Where?
Lemme shoot em.
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westendgirl
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
Hallelujah to the "T" in "TLC." Ladies, your pants should not hit the floor and your sleeves should not cover your hands. (ANY PART of your hands). $150 suit + $15 hem job = million bucks!
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Seeräuber Jenny
11/13/08

@westendgirl: Actually, I believe that sleeves are supposed to hit just below the wristbone. Not that anything I wear fits properly.

The image of a man pulling his sleeve down just to the top of his hand is almost a cliché.
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Scout
11/13/08

In reply to Suited Up: Interview Uniforms Are 'Back'
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!

oh, wait, I already have a job
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