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

Workwear Trends for Under $100

Hi all,

I thought I'd bring you some workwear inspiration today!  Dressing for work shouldn't cost you a fortune and staying stylish shouldn't either.

This week's roundup is from H&M, one of my favorite stores for affordable workwear.  I have pieces from H&M that I bought when I started working 8 years ago and I still wear them regularly and they are in great shape!

This dress is in my favorite workwear color, navy blue.  I don't think we see enough navy out there.  It's such a classic alternative to black and so much more vibrant.  I added the lace blazer in this blush color as a trendy spring/summer alternative to a white blazer.  The gold accessories add some definition to the outfit.  In the fall or winter, you can swap out the blush blazer for a black blazer, maximizing the use of the dress year round.

Dress, blazer, shoes, earrings, and bangles for a perfect workwear look that will take you from the cubicle to the corner office in style.  Total for this outfit is $98.83.

The best thing about this dress is that it's versatile year round and you can style it for work, casual weekend, or fancier affair.  I can see this dress with a rhinestone belt, crystal accessories, and silver strappy sandals for a summer wedding.

Happy shopping!

written with love,
Leslie

All images from H&M website. 

Leopard Looks

Maybe it's because I've been thinking about being confident at work this week, but I gravitated to this leopard blouse today.  What a better way to show your confidence than in a bold, affirmative print like leopard!  Leopard is definitely an all seasons look in my book.  Since it's spring, I thought to pair it with this bold, spring colored green pencil skirt. 

What's your bold, go-to look for a confidence boost?

[Skirt - J Crew (currently on sale!) | Blouse - Zara (old, but similar here and here) | Bag - Calvin Klein (no longer online, but similar here and here) | Shoes - Payless | Bracelets - Alex and Ani | Necklace - Strawberry]

written with love,

Leslie 

lestilo cubed is born!

I live in a cube. I mean, I live in a lovely home that I share with the person I love the most, but over 40 hours a week I live in a little grey cube in downtown, NY. The little grey cube comes with lots of rules, one of which is dressing right.  While I've blogged so far about home decor, this is the beginning of my workwear fashion segment and I will generally blog more about fashion in the workplace offering styling tips and wardrobe ideas.  

Working at a Wall Street firm, it takes a certain waredrobe to fit in and too often I see lovely women hiding behind frumpy suits made to replicate a man's look. I believe women are on the rise in corporate America and the generation of 20s, 30s, and 40 somethings out there have the ability to make it to the top (although I know there are many obstacles yet to overcome), but we don't have to look like a man to get there. Let's add some sparkle to the top!  Lestilo cubed is here to inspire working women everywhere to style themselves beautifully and offer career advice as I move along my journey from cube to corner office, or at least up the rungs of the corporate ladder. 

Today, I'm wearing a Banana Republic dress with an Ann Taylor LOFT necklace and Alex and Ani bracelets.The black pumps are one of my favorites from Bandolino. I think the style of the dress is work appropriate while adding the right amount of flare.

written with love, 

                                                                           Leslie :)