Please help I've got a job interview

[RosaLuxembourg]

and absolutely nothing suitable to wear.

OK the background is this. I applied for this job a couple of weeks ago as DD3 starts school fulltime in January. I applied for lots of jobs actually but this is the only one I have got an interview for. The letter arrived this morning - interviews not till Jan 16 which gives me a bit of time to sort myself out. I haven't worked in an office for six or seven years and literally have NO office type clothes and in fact have totally forgotten what it is that working people wear.
The job is with a charity and would involve meeting lots of people and perhaps representing the charity at meetings and stuff so they obviously need someone who looks reasonably smart.

Any ideas welcome from you stylish ladies. A suit? I am 5'5" with red hair, size 12-14. Panicking now as I do want this job badly and have been told by a friend who works there that hundreds of people applied so never thought I'd get to interview stage - what a fab Christmas present though.

well I'm definitely not stylish , but a suit sounds a safe enough bet to me. I like trouser suits - removes the worries about tights/skirt being too short etc. I wouldn't say a blouse is all that necessary these days - M &S and Next sell plenty of nice tops and blouses to go with smart office wear.

How about Debenhams - they've got all that designer at Debenhams stuff, Jasper Conran, John Rocha. I think the sale starts Boxing day so you could get yerself a bargain. Good luck with the interview!

OK well I got a job back in Sept and wore a suit I had bought in Tesco at 11pm the night before.

Buy a new suit - Tesco/ASDA are pretty good for basic black suits. Wear a fitted tshirt (Personally I like black under black, defineatly no white as you look like a waitress) Nice shoes and you are sorted. ALso worth getting the skirt and trs with the same jkt if you can, then you have a 2nd interview suit too. Skirt 1st time, trs 2nd time.

BTW I am now a recruitment consultant and this would be my advice fir any client too (ecpet I wouldn't tell a bloke to wea a skirt!!)

Agree re Tesco. I buy smart black trousers in there and they cost £15! You can also buy smart tops etc.

Thanks guys. Unfortunately our Tesco has got a very small clothes bit and we have no Asda at all. Might be a train trip to nearest big town. So black suit is still the way to go? Like the trousers and skirt alternate idea. What about tops? Any recommendations for stuff to jazz up a fairly plain suit - or should I stick to plain for interview?