Monday, April 17, 2006

needed: fashion advice

Something is quite wrong with me. If you know me at all, your first reaction to my upcoming announcement should be to check my forehead for a fever. Certainly I am going to say something highly uncharacteristic of myself. Here goes...

I have decided that I'd like to dress in more business-y clothes. (How profound - "business-y." That's super mature speaking right there.) The completely-acceptable attire for the lab is jeans and a t-shirt, and that is what I'm quite comfortable in. Always have been. But...something over the past couple weeks has prompted me to venture for a slight change. Maybe it's to prove to myself that I'm actually capable of wearing "nice" clothing. Haha. Maybe dressing differently at work than I would at home will make work more distinct from home (and maybe when I do work at home I'll have to force myself to change out of my jeans...hm...). I don't know, but I'm willing to give it a shot. At least then I'd have more nice clothes, right?

And there's part one of my problem: I don't really HAVE nice clothes. Since the "uniform" at work is jeans and whatever...that's what I have. So I need a few tips from all you wonderful readers out there (there's a ton, I know) about some key elements of nice-style that I should add to my wardrobe. I'm on a tight budget here, folks, so you can't suggest that a mink coat will solve all my troubles. The other thing is, whatever clothing I need to acquire has to adhere to laboratory safety rules, which means my legs have to be covered (obviously so does my torso, but the point is no skirts). I'm also highly lacking in any wisdom about what approrpiately nice tops are. I have a dresser and a box under my bed spilling over with t-shirts, and I know that's not quite right, but what is?

Lemme know! Thanks.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aaahhhh... fashion; dear to my heart. Although I am not a fashionista, I can offer you some tips. To get the most out of your "nice" clothes, don't buy items that are too trendy; stick with classics. Look for pants in basic colors such as black, navy, gray, chocolate brown. White is also great but probably not the best for lab work. As far as tops, you can incorporate more of your individual personality into those. Are you more of a collared shirt woman, v-neck sweater/shirt woman, blouse with ruffles/flowers woman, etc.? You may have to try on many items to find your inner fashionista. BUDGET: try stores like TJMaxx, Marshalls, Filene's. Also, look at Old Navy. They are trendy for the most part, BUT at times you can find classic items for not too much. Keep your eyes open for sales at the department stores; they can have really good sales. Thrift stores and 2nd hand stores are also an option but I have limited experience in this area. I think you have to go often (1-2 times a week) to get the really good stuff. Personally, I think it is more difficult to find nice pants that fit well without needing alterations; therefore, I would spend more money on the pants. If you find pants that fit you well, buy them in more than one color. Tops are much easier to find unless you have excessive mammary tissue. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Hi, this is your sister. Don't buy navy blue slacks. Please.

But other than that, the advice was exactly what I was going to say. Buy a pair of black and khaki slacks, and then collared shirts and blouses/nice shirts. If you want to look like an 75-year-old grandma, wear cardigan sweaters, too. : )

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sears actually has some good tops. . .look in the Rena Rowan, Parallel, and Apostrophe brands. If you want me to look for some nice ones on clearance (and their clearance can be really good), I can get them and send them to you if you know your size or whatnot. Also. . .you can look in women's magazines and look at the models dressed up in business-y clothes to figure out what good tops are. : )