Work clothes in Australia

[libertychick]

Ok -I am looking for an excuse to shop when I should be saving to relocate I work at fairly senior level in health services management and hope to find similar work in Australia when I move there later this year. I have almost no decent summer work clothes!

What is the Australian work dress code? I mostly wear dresses with cardi or jacket depending on whether I have meetings or not or skirts with fitted jumpers/cardis. I don't own a suit! Are offices air conditioned to the point of being cold? Lots of the threads on here mention how expensive clothes are in Oz so I am wondering if I should stock up on work wear before I leave and if so what to buy????

I would buy as much as you can before you leave! Shopping is rubbish out here, the quality isn't as good, so things don't last as long.
I (did, before I got pregnant) wear mainly shift dresses with cardigans. Occasionally wear jackets if I have an important meeting but its a nightmare to carry them in (usually too hot to wear them to get to work). Air con can get really cold in the offices though.

Don't even ask about maternity clothes!

Thanks sharks What materials do you wear? It seems to be all polyester and viscose in the shops here at the moment and wondering if I would be just too hot in those? Should I stick with cotton/silk? I can't stand linen...

Good point re maternity clothes - I am hoping to have another baby so might bring my clothes from last time with me.

Which part of Australia?

And when are you arriving, as it might be winter?

Even here in Perth it's only really hot for about 4 months of the year, so do plan for winter too.

(Can't help with the clothes question as I work from home so scruffy as hell.......)

Australian offices are airconditioned so can be quite cool even on a hot day. So in the office you can wear a light suit, dress and jacket etc. It is a bit of a shock on a hot deay to go outside at lunchtime.
Also depends what city you are going to. Melbourne tends to dress a bit more formally than say Brisbane.

Planning to arrive in summer - about Nov I think. Looking at either Brisbane or Adelaide at the moment so quite a difference weather wise.

Thanks all. Seems like I have permission to shop:-)

And remember that M&S deliver for 15 pounds! For as much as you want.
Maternity clothes - In the UK each store (ie Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Next, Debenhams) has its own maternity department. Here - NOTHING!
The only place I have managed to get maternity clothes from is an overpriced shop called Ripe (yuk!), Pumpkin Patch and my lovely rich Canadian friend who lent me a huge bag of stuff and saved my sanity.
I wish I'd never given my evil SIL all my maternity clothes (and never got them back!)

topshop and dps have free international delivery every so often...but in general clothes shopping here is pretty grim. i find here is central qld you get lovely casual (i.e. beach!) stuff, but work stuff very boring/ conservative. And I never know what to wear as it is so hot outside, and although my office is air conned I think i look weird in 'winter' stuff.