Hi all!
As graduation season approaches, I thought I would bring you an idea for an affordable interview suit. You don't need to go and spend $300 on a suit you'll likely wear only a few times. I am a huge fan of mixing and matching blazers and trousers for work rather than wearing stiff suits. When it comes time for an interview though, the more formal the better.
Some tips for buying an interview suit:
Go for black, navy blue or grey. You don't want to distract your interviewer with your outfit. You want them to focus on what you can bring to their business rather than distracting them with your amazing fashion sense. :) On this same note, keep your accessories to a minimum and make them classic, not "statement" pieces.
For winter or fall interview, go for a pant suit and for spring or summer try a sheath dress or pencil skirt with a collared or high neck shirt. Don't risk wearing anything low cut or that would require a camisole. Those shirts tend to shift around and you don't want to be worrying about tugging at your blouse when you need to focus all of your attention on the interview.
As for shoes and purse - I recommend wearing heels, even if they are low heels. Heels just always manage to give you the right sense of authority. Make sure they are comfortable for you though. And for the purse, I would recommend a basic black or beige tote that will fit a folder full of your awesome resumes!
Here's an example of an affordable suit I put together. When creating a suit ensemble, make sure that the blazer and pants are the same shade of black, navy, or grey. When you shop within the same store, it's easy to make that happen.
[Blazer: H&M old, similar
here | Pants: H&M old, similar
here | Blouse: Old Navy old, similar
here | Shoes:
Payless | Bracelet:
J Crew Factory
Tote bag options:
H&M shopper |
H&M handbag |
H&M shopper bag
My suit pants, blazer, and blouse alternatives linked above total less than $90! AND the best part is that you can then pair the blazer and heels with some jeans for a great going out look or with flats to meet a friend for brunch with all the money you've saved! That's a lot of bang for your buck!
Hope this helps some new grads out there! As always, these views are my own.
written with love,
Leslie
