Rainy Day Workwear

Good morning friends!

It's still been chillier than I'd like for May and to top it off rainy!  I guess in these times of the Polar Vortex May showers bring June flowers?  Anyway, I've got you covered with ideas on how to tackle your wardrobe these mild, but chilly rainy days.

Tips for dressing for work on a rainy day:

1.  Wear a skirt! This is an excellent opportunity to wear some cute skirts to work.  It's also a practical option to avoid wet pant legs.  Work pants also do not tend to look very good tucked into knee high rubber boots, but a skirt with knee high rubber boots is an adorable look.  Your colleagues will be impressed that you look so good on an ugly day!

2.  Invest in a good raincoat and even more importantly, a good umbrella.  Umbrellas that you buy at the drugstore for 5 bucks get you through an emergency but leave you drenched otherwise.  Invest in a good umbrella that provides full coverage.  This one is a nice option, but these dome umbrellas offer full coverage at an affordable price.  Hunter also has a version of the dome umbrella.

3.  As for footwear, rubber boots are a good option.  In these photos, I am wearing rubber Capelli booties that I snagged at a discount retailer in midtown.  Here is a similar option.  Or you can opt for knee length rubber boots like the popular Hunter boots or this more affordable Totes version.

For milder summer rain, I like wearing my Sperry Top-Siders.  These are more breathable and comfortable than rubber rain shoes.  I've worn mine on numerous occasions in pouring rain and they've held up very well.

My outfit: Rain coat - Laundry by Shelli Segal, old but similar here | Skirt - Zara, old their newer version here | Shirt - Elle for Kohls, old but similar here | Bag - Calvin Klein, similar here | Boots - Capelli, old but similar here

written with love,

Leslie 

Affordable Interview Suit

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