Who was the suit/working wardrobe expert please ?

[Hideehi]

If I'm going back to work, i'm thinking i'll need a suit or two as I've lost weight since last time I worked in an office.
Can anyone advise on a capsule working wardrobe that a mum of 5 can pull off on a daily basis without too much thought, without looking too mumsy, (will be working with 30 year old single types).

Ps shall be lopping the long hair off at the end of the summer.

what type of work do you do, how formal is your new office likely to dress?

Will you really need a suit? It depends on what type of work you'll be doing but I don't see many people who actually wear a suit. Maybe smart skirt or trousers, with a jacket if you're going for a meeting. But they don't have to match.

It's quite casual actually I just feel a suit is easier to pull together and I'll be in a managerial position so feel I ought to have a suit.
I used to wear a dark grey suit with bright shirts, I'm just worried that might be a bit London/90's and I'm now Liverpool/00's lol

bounce - anyone ?

When I went back to work after 3 years away,I went to Next and bought 3 suits and 2 pairs of smart trousers as well as about 9 different shirts.

After loafing around in jeans it was important to me to go back looking smart.

I think anniemac is quite good on this. Maybe get a suit for days that you have meetings etc, then another slightly less formal look.

Agree - anniemac is good on suits, also MrsBadger's good all round, iyswim. Bumping for you.

I get my suits from Austin Reed - they have loads of well cut, albeit quite conventional suits. I like mine with nice crisp shirts and they also sell loads of these.

But is that still the done thing roobie, I too used to buy AR and shirts when i was 20 and I look back at photo's and I look about 45 Ok I'm now heading in that direction but i feel I should have been more Karen Millen whilst I had the arse for it and now don't want to look too old before I am too old, but whilst still looking professional.

Not sure what the done thing is really. I work for a large firm of chartered accountants and our dress code is business casual. I think I look OK and there are a couple of other senior women who wear similar 'classic' styles (although one in particular has a penchant for Viyella separates which is not my thing). I also quite like a pencil skirt with a shirt/tank top combo which some of the younger ones also go for.

I have done the shirt/tank top thing for work. I would hardly class a shirt and suit as business casual, mind you. Today I am wearing ballet flats, linen skirt, top and cardigan for business casual but I do have an excuse in that I am in South Yorkshire and have been struggling through the floods/traffic all week! Do you know what sort of thing the other staff wear?

The other girl was 22 and in some sort of mini dress I wouldn't have left the bedroom in lol

I think a wardrobe of plainish trousers, nice tops and cardigans can work. Yesterday I wore a jersey top with a vest and a pair of straight black trousers with a swing jacket over the top.

smart trous, smart non-matching jacket, fitted tshirt, good shoes, good bag.

suits can be v ageing if worn in an environment where suits are not strictly necessary and cost a fortune in dry cleaning.

(M&S often remarkaby useful for non-suit jackets)

Get a colour scheme that suits you and tis as easy as putting on a suit (eg I don't do black so wear cream jacket with brown or tan trous, or tan jacket with brown or olive trous etc)

Hideehi - I was London/90s and am now Liverpool/00s! Although the closest I have come to going back to work since we moved here is writing out the first few lines of my CV and then throwing it in the bin!

but how do you keep the shirts crisp, roobie? i'm more of a "shell" person but recently bought 3 AR shirts - they look like crumpled rags by the time i get off the tube in the am and look really scruffy by the end of the day - i'm going to ebay them shortly in fact...

btw hidehi

not sure of your budget/size...

but i was recently asking for similar advice and was recommended austin reed, hobbs, reiss, lk bennett, whistles, jigsaw.

hth.

do you want to buy 3 AR shirts?

Oh I love reiss, whistles, jigsaw the budget may have to stretch lol
I'll get some boden boot legs and find a nice jacket to mix and match.
Shirts I always found a bloody nightmare, I always looked like a tea towel by the end of the day/night.

Mrs Darcy we should meet up, I need new friends (needy post)

i am looking for a suit to I am also liverpool or v close to it

marks and spencers do cheap suits you can put in the washing machine I Know it sounds odd but I dont always have time to go to the dry cleaners

Whatever you do, avoid black with bright colours. I see so many people doing that and it always looks cheap.