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Moved into the premier league work wise need to up my game

25 replies

Mosman · 27/08/2012 09:07

In the clothes department but I'm still carrying baby weight.
What to do until I am back in shape and then I'm happy to invest in lovely expensive clothes ?

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Mosman · 27/08/2012 09:09

I sound like I'm writing headlines for the sports pages didn't mean to be so cheesy and there was supposed to be a thank you in advance on the end there.
All grooming advice welcome, thank you.

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MrsCampbellBlack · 27/08/2012 09:10

Dresses? The LK Bennett davina is always highly recommended on here

higgle · 27/08/2012 09:26

I had this experience twice when returning from maternity leave to being a partner in a firm of solicitors. I found that buying a new wardrobe of plain dark clothes ( dresses and jackets were better that skirt or trouser suits) from M&S and places like Next (though Next has gone down hill since then) and ensuring my bags and shoes were top quality meant I looked OK. Because your new wardrobe will be brand new it will look very good for the few months it takes you to get back into normal shape, then you can splash out on what you really want. Jersey dresses under a jacket are very comfortable if that is a factor. Phase Eight and Damsel in a Dress seem to have some rather nice ones for this autumn.

porcamiseria · 27/08/2012 09:55

as said get expensive shoes/bags (ie LK bennet/Russel and Brom)

then shift dresses are your friend!!! with good tights and jackets

COS are great

trixymalixy · 27/08/2012 10:01

Zara have some nice workwear dresses under £50.

Topazandpearl · 27/08/2012 10:32

Well done on the promotion to the premier league!
You could buy a couple of 'expensive' outfits, e.g. LKB and make sure you wear them a lot (varying with different jackets, accessories etc). When the weight has gone, you'll have had value out of them or could even get them altered. Then you could have some cheaper outfits for the rest of the time. I've done the 'will wait til I've lost weight before buying something nice' thing, and it's no fun!

Mosman · 27/08/2012 12:16

Fantastic thank you. It's more these might bossoms causing the problems so I'm worried dresses might be huge on the bum if they fit on the boobs. I know pepper berry get around this but I've never ordered from them. Are they comparable with say jaegar or more M&S ?

I'm 37 years old you'd think I'd know about this sort of thing by now but I worry about arm

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Mosman · 27/08/2012 12:17

pits in shift dresses if you take your jacket off, is that less frowned upon nowadays ?

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Charliefox · 27/08/2012 12:39

Big knockers and looking smart is soooo difficult (and I should know. Hello breast reduction, after 20 years of sitting on the fence). Shirts just don't work, so it's structure tops for me at the mo and good trews.

Topazandpearl · 27/08/2012 12:46

Pepperberry are more M&S. Their jersey dresses bobble quite quickly. Wrap dresses such as this Hobbs one could work.

Charliefox · 27/08/2012 12:47

I like stuff like this:

www.hobbs.co.uk/product/display?productID=0212-9662-155T000&productvarid=0212-9662-155T000-NAVY%20IVORY-M&refpage=tops/t-shirts

m.reiss.com/womens/womens-sale/anita/ultra-marine/

Zara also do lovely shirts with 3 buttons at the top, which are great for the bigger breasticled. Will try to find one.

Charliefox · 27/08/2012 12:53

Or like this www.net-a-porter.com/product/317629

Charliefox · 27/08/2012 12:59

And then celebrate your promotion with these www.matchesfashion.com/product/57272

emsyj · 27/08/2012 13:23

I returned to work (solicitor) with baby weight and bought 2 wrap dresses (one Isabella Oliver, one Phase Eight) an LK Bennett jersey dress from the outlet store and 2 cheapo machine washable shift dresses from Marks & Sparks. The Isabella Oliver dress and the two M&S dresses looked the best and got the most wear. Something like this M&S dress with nice patterned tights and heels looks surprisingly smart. I didn't ever wear a jacket over the top, although I've got a couple of nice cardigans (posh ones from Damsel in a Dress and Coast) that were okay over the top and still smart enough to see clients.

I also bought an LK Bennett handbag from the outlet shop reduced from £260 to £120 and it's bloody amazing, still looks brand new despite a lot of abuse wear.

BombusBombus · 27/08/2012 17:01

It depends on your industry too. I work in the airy fairy public sector so I can get away with some of the smarter dresses from boden. However, if you are in the city or a lawyer only black and grey tailoring will do.

emsyj · 27/08/2012 17:27

I rarely wore a suit when a City lawyer - I just don't like suits. I think a smart Boden dress would be acceptable in many firms, it depends on the area of specialism and how formal the individual department is. I know a number of people who wore wrap dresses to work there. It's different if you find yourself in court a lot - I know a former colleague who was thrown out of court for not wearing a suit jacket.

I'm about to join the public sector in 2 weeks though, so tell me more about relaxed dress policies Bombus! I'm so looking forward to being able to buy naice tops and trousers and not having to look quite so 'businesslike'.

Mosman · 28/08/2012 01:48

Thats interesting I think I might still be stuck in the 90's with my skirt and jacket with a pale blue/pink shirt look then, bit worrying.
I don't think I would get away with just a dress, not a jersey dress anyway and the armpit thing does worry me with a shift dress.
This is a strange one because it's such a senior role but in laid back Perth. The guys all wear suits but no tie.

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emsyj · 28/08/2012 08:29

Have you tried Perspirex or something like that? You put it on at night and wash off in the morning. It totally stops you sweating. The beauty of the machine washable dress is that you don't have to try and keep it pristine to eek out more than a day's wear!

The Aussies I know seem to be more 'dressy' for work than me, but most of them would do a shift dress and jewellery/heels, or a pinafore style dress with shirt underneath. On dress down Fridays in London, I would be schlepping about in jeans and a hoodie and the Aussies would have lovely slim leg chinos and crisp shirts with pearls and ballet flats.

Have you tried Cue? www.cue.cc/ I believe it's 'the' go-to place for Aussie workwear - at least according to my Aussie female friends. I think you'd need to look in a store though, the online images look a little scary...

Mosman · 28/08/2012 09:34

I've had a little look in the Aussie stores and cue is a bit like next, expensive too.
I quite like buying stuff in from the UK that nobody else will be wearing although I saw a girl in town in quite a distinctive ted baker dress. We
We both did a double take lol

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emsyj · 28/08/2012 11:40

Ooooh I love Ted Baker. If you like Ted Baker have you checked out Reiss? I used to also love Jesire but they went bust I think :-(

I have a very smartly turned out Aussie friend who still works in the City and she wears a lot of LK Bennett dresses (and a lot of Ted Baker! Grin)

emsyj · 28/08/2012 11:42

Oh, and Jigsaw... Although it's gone very expensive in there lately.

ClaudiaCutie · 28/08/2012 13:33

I have had to work in Perth and the shopping is absolutely dire, so I really sympathise. Assuming you're confined to CBD, for cheaper stuff that you can dump later, start with Portmans, they have half decent work basics that you can dress up. Trousers are particuarly good but the jackets aren't well tailored, they are built to a price. But really worth checking in there.

Forget Cue - it's useless for anyone over a D cup, and it's poor value for money.

Ojay is much better quality, but don't buy from the main store until you have checked the outlet in Harbourtown first - they often have the same stock as the main stores, but it's much cheaper at the outlet. Really irritates me that they do this so check the outlets on a Friday night if poss when it's quieter. Ditto Oroton at Harbourtown.

have a good look at all the different little concessions stores inside Myers & David Jones - I found some gorgeous workwear in little concessions that didn't have full stores. Avoid Sussans/Brown Sugar et al, the stuff is overpriced polyester and so badly tailored. Horrible. Keep an eye on Laura Ashley, they have some lovely things from time to time, but you have to be selective.

Agree a decent bag/shoes/scarf really works, esp in label concious place like Perth, if you've got an expensive smart bag no-one will think you're wearing a £7 Dotty Perkins skivvy with that Hermes scarf.

Oh and make sure your nails look fantastic all the time, people do notice.

Finally, don't stress too much about the clothes - Perth is casual, and often the only really stunningly perfectly dressed women you see in the CBD are penniless secretaries who are going millionaire-hunting. Normal women, even CEOs, don't look like they've stepped out of Vogue each day.

Good luck and congrats on the promo!

Mosman · 28/08/2012 14:47

Thank you Claudia that's so helpful, when you are new in town it's especially important to make a good first impression.

To reach my office I gave to walk past Gucci, Hugo Boss etc so I'll have to pluck up the courage to go in.
Is it worth buying something designer in say a 14 with a view to eBaying it in 6 months ?

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ClaudiaCutie · 28/08/2012 15:35

Oohh I had to walk that same bit of pavement too :-) Really, I'd avoid designer stuff unless it's going to fit for ages, and is not size dependent, IMO. Buy a lovely flash bag and some beautiful accessories that will always fit (shoes, scarfs). If you really want designer stuff, check out the vintage clothes shops (bluntly called recycling boutiques or just 2nd hand clothing stores, in AU!). Have a look on yellowpages.com.au to find. There will be some in Subiaco, Claremont or Mt Lawley, but it takes time to dig through the stock and you would probably rather spend time with DCs than fossicking in shops anyway.

Unless it's fashion or similar industry, people don't wear tons of designer stuff. One or two good pieces will go a long way, having a nice watch and good hair and nice nails every day, that gives a good impression. Try the job out for a few weeks, beadly check everyone's outfits, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you ask the chic girls in the office where they have bought particular items, they'll be pleased to give you local info too - I am sure everyone will be welcoming & helpful (that's one of the positives of being there).

The nice thing is you can buy a few trans-seasonal things now and pick up a few more pieces going into summer as the baby weight goes away, just a few items at a time, so each month you've got some nice new things.

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