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. 

5 Things to Appreciate Friday, May 2, 2014

Good morning!

It's finally Friday and it's FINALLY May!  I hope this means we get some hot weather soon.  

Here are 5 things that inspired me this week: 

1.   For better or worse, I jumped on the Birkenstock bandwagon.  Ugly shoes?  I think not.  WhoWhatWear and J Crew don't think so either.  It's all about how you style them!

Photo via WhoWhatWear

2.   This week I took one hour out of my workday to view a webinar.  My company has an entire e-learning website with lots of tutorials and refresher courses on finance.  It’s worthwhile to stay fresh on all relevant topics in your industry.  If your company doesn’t have these resources on hand, try checking out the website of a related independent industry association or simply read a book on a related topic.  You can always ask your colleagues questions or ask them to meet you for a coffee to discuss how to relate your new knowledge to current events in your industry. 

3.   Neurological findings in the Wall Street Journal this week.  Very interesting article on how the brain works.  Deadlines may not be as productive as we think.  Take note procrastinators, if you leave things to the last minute, you may not be developing the best material.

4.   I made it a point to go to the gym 3 times between Monday and Friday.  Happy to report I am set to make my goal today!  Cube living is unhealthy folks.  Many studies show that sitting for even 30 minutes slows your body down and increases your probability of developing heart disease and diabetes.  Check out this graphic from the Washington Post.  Even though 3 hours at the gym out of at least 40 working hours doesn’t come close to fixing the problem, it’s a start.  Stay tuned to my blog for a future post on how to stay healthy in your cube.  For now, check out the blog FitSugar, which has lots of ideas for workouts you can do at home. 

5.  Finally, after a busy week, it's important to take time for yourself.  Whether it's giving yourself a manicure or trying a new facial mask (both of which I took time to do this week thanks to my Birchbox subscription), it's nice to pamper yourself every so often.  

Hope you all had a great and productive week!  Until Monday!

written with love,
Leslie