Where to buy office clothes

[monsterpup]

I've got my first big girl office job and need to turn to the oracle that is Mumsnet for help!

Where do you buy nice office clothes that aren't ridiculously expensive and are nice?

And what to wear??

I went to Tesco today and picked up a black dress, a blouse/T-shirt type top and some black wide legged trousers. Is this along the right lines?? I'm trying to look professional but not like I've raided my mums wardrobe in an effort to look too professional

I'll need at least 5 outfits to rotate but I really can't afford to spend a lot of money on it

I'm in my 20s if that's relevant at all

I’m mid 30’s and tend to have a combination from M&S, H&M and Wallis these days

What where the people who interviewed you wearing? Is it corporate or a more relaxed workplace? Have you thought of looking on their website/social media for pictures of their employees in the workplace?

Take all this into consideration and maybe hold-off buying anything until you’ve been in the workplace for at least a week as that way, you’ll be able to better gauge things.

For my part, I have worked in all kinds of office environments, from the incredibly casual (tv) to the super corporate (very very smart), and have never worn a black dress or wide legged black trousers at any point. I have always dressed to reflect my own personal taste, either a smarter version (for the corporate jobs), and more casually (for tv). It is possible to dress for work while remaining true to yourself - something to consider before buying clothes you think you should be wearing.

@sansucre the interview was on teams so couldn't really get a good sense of what they were wearing annoyingly!

It's the first week that I'm sort of worried about, I don't want to look silly if I turn up in completely the wrong thing and don't have time to get anything new for the next day

I got trousers from M&S but im short and fat! and tops from a Next clearance store ..... now ive settled in anything goes, think jeans, trainers etc so before you buy more id check out what others wear, unless youre client facing?

Tu at Sainsburys
EBay brand new with tags 😉
George at Asda
Dorothy Perkins

What you've picked up already sounds ideal 😊

I alternate between dresses and a few pairs of trousers / tops combos when out for work

Can you tell us more about the role/company?

Go on Vinted! Absolutely tons of good quality workwear going cheap!

It's online/telephone customer service for a large bank so not customer facing

My gut feeling is that it's better to be a bit overdressed the first week or so than underdressed

Wear the black dress the first day and see what everyone else is wearing.
I work for a very large company and only v senior and client facing wear "office clothes" everyone else is in a mix of jeans and t-shirts to dresses to trousers and tops.
There are rules like no open toes/sports wear/offensive slogans. But apart from that it's very individual.
Some people like having work clothes to separate work and home, some are only comfortable in casual clothing.
I wear a lot of dresses to work, this is because it's one item of clothing to have washed and dried, not a style decision!
Non-iron is also a must.

When I worked I bought my suits on ebay. Only ever grey and black. Skirt, dress and trouser suits, so I could mix and match. Tops I bought from supermarkets, blouses, t shirts ect in bright colours.

I think what you’ve bought sounds fine.

I personally like straight cut trousers with blouses. H&M is the best value and style balance I find. If you don’t mind non natural fabrics, I rate their polyester shirts. They are a sort of silky material so don’t need ironing. They’re only £12.99 and come in lots of colours which are perfect for a capsule. www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0939703038.html

I'm late 20s, client facing but mostly wfh, I wear a lot of Cos when in the office or at meetings or work events. They're not crazy expensive, but on the pricier end of mid-range high street brands, I suppose.

They're owned by H&M so H&M would probably be worth a look for less spendy versions. Zara have got some great stuff in at the moment - I got an amazing, bright green suit the other day, which I've worn with a jumper or loose, casual top underneath. It's smart but not "totally out of touch smart" in the weird post-Covid era of office dressing.

M&S do some nice basics - shirts and wide leg or slim and cropped trousers with striped sides. They look good with an oversized shirt or a fine knit top. I really like the M&S social media feeds for outfit inspiration - they've got some good smart casual office wear inspiration on there using people who actually work for them, which I really like. I think it's helpful to look and see what kind of outfits you want to emulate, then shop around to see what's out there and might fit in with the aesthetic you're looking for. Most workplaces these days aren't super corporate, but I'd generally rather be a bit too smart than under dressed, especially when new to a role.

Zara!

These are H&M cigarette trousers that would go nicely with a shirt, blouse or jumper and some ballet flats or loafers www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0751471042.html

Some really helpful suggestions thank you! The interviewer said that the office was "quite casual" but that could really mean anything couldn't it? Not expecting power suits but it could be anything from casual dresses to jeans and a hoodie!

I'd echo the advice to wear the dress on day 1 and see what everyone else is wearing. It's probably better to be slightly more formally dressed than less for the early period until you're settled. I got a lot of my officewear second hand (ebay, vinted etc) because I like to have a variety but I don't like "fast fashion".

You can always drop HR a line and check if there’s a dress code/guidance. I’ve had that before in jobs.

Sainsbury can have some nice things in their Tu range eg

tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/p/Monochrome-Animal-Midi-Dress/140529758-Mono?searchTerm=:newArrivals:size:8_51&searchProduct=

Suggestions of second hand are good ideas, I also try and avoid fast fashion but it's tough when you're on a budget

H&M and Tu at Sainsburys are good for starters.

For anything smarter check Ebay.

When I was in an office I often got for interviews or smarter jobs the vast majority of my clothes were from H&M. Everything from pencil skirts to smarter jackets to work dresses etc.

People say you don't wear skirt suits these days but I do find it can be useful to have a blouse/shirt which is smart or smarter.

Work dresses can be a good idea.

Next is good for smart slim fitting trousers and other work wear.

I get almost all my clothes from ebay now. New and nearly new stuff ridiculously cheap. M&S is good for office stuff.

For a non client facing role I think in your first week you could rotate the two outfits you have with any non-ripped jeans you already own combined with any tops than cover your stomach and back completely (even when bending over), don’t show visible cleavage (or only a very small amount), and don’t make any kind of political statements/football team/band shirts. Update your wardrobe once you’ve got a sense of what everyone else wears.
Generally good safe office wear choices would be coloured or printed shirts/blouses that you can wear with trousers or tuck into a skirt. Anything either button through or made if a woven fabric will look one step more formal than t shirts.
Trousers or jeans that allowed that aren’t ripped or overly faded. No joggers. Elastic waists are fine if your shirt or jumper is covering the waist band.
Skirts or dresses that are knee length or slightly above with tights. - sit in front of a full length mirror with you legs together but not crossed and check what is visible…
Clean shoes in good condition. You may well be able to wear smartish trainers in a non-client facing post. Don’t wear heels unless everyone else does and you want to as well. They will just make you uncomfortable.
Clean, smart (no rips, not too bobbly) jumpers or cardigans. Knitted looks more formal than sweatshirt material. I’d avoid hoodies unless you notice everyone else wearing them.

Midi or maxi length skirts or dresses are mostly fine too, I just meant avoid going shorter than a inch or two above the knee - if you have to sit on a chair for a lot of the day you don’t want to be worry about what leg positions are safe and whether you’re accidentally exposing anything.