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Original poster

Where to buy office clothes

54 replies

monsterpup · 30/03/2022 21:20

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

OP posts:
Thewheelsfalloffthebus · 31/03/2022 11:25

I like uniqlo for relatively inexpensive office friendly basics, particularly jumpers. H&m can be good too. I love cos work trousers but they are more expensive - something to consider in a few months when you have some savings and a better idea of what work clothes work best for you.

tigerbear · 31/03/2022 11:27

As someone else said, Vinted is absolutely amazing. There’s pretty much every brand you could think of on there.
For the same price (or less) than what you’d be paying for supermarket quality stuff new, you could get much better quality things in nicer and more long lasting fabrics on Vinted. It’s not just second hand stuff - there’s loads of stuff on there that people sell new with tags. And remember that you can always make an offer to the seller if you don’t want to pay full price aswell.
Brands I’d look out for:
Massimo Dutti
Jigsaw
COS
The Fold
Autograph by M&S
Jaeger
Joseph

That’s where I get all of my work things from.

Epli · 31/03/2022 11:34

Uniqlo has a good choice of merino knits and shirts in nice colours and decent quality.

Blazers or office dresses: if you know your size I recommend Vinted - you can buy Hobbs, Ted Baker, Reiss, &Other Stories, COS in new/almost new condition for £10-20 (my recent purchase is Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress in mint condition for £17).

aftonwater · 31/03/2022 11:37

Get a plain skirt or pair of trousers from somewhere like M&S and a couple of plain shirts or merino jumpers (again, M&S and Uniqlo are good for these).

Epli · 31/03/2022 11:38

@tigerbear
*Brands I’d look out for:

The Fold*

Have you bought anything from The Fold? How's the quality? I've been literally salivating when browsing their website :D

countrygirl99 · 31/03/2022 11:39

I work in a HO role for a large bank. The dress code is very casual. Most people wear smart casual/tidy jeans etc including my manager who must be on £80k-£90k. This was before covid.

tigerbear · 31/03/2022 11:44

@Epli no I haven’t, however the price point suggests that the quality is probably similar to Jaeger, which I rate.

Gonnagetgoing · 31/03/2022 11:54

OP - is the bank a high street bank or is it a city bank based e.g. in City of London?

That could make somewhat of a difference.

I agree with @aftonwater - start of with a few basics from M&S and add some shirts/blouses maybe and then go from there.

There is no way I'd invest in smarter pieces until I needed to do so.

An ex-colleague I know who's an EA/PA in a smart civil service government role says she mostly does (as based in Victoria) a mixture of:-

  • Mango (they do a suit/smart range) - I got some nice pieces from there, work dresses etc including when I worked for a City accountants.
  • Zara - again have to be careful with hems sometimes but good for basic jackets, brighter shirts/blouses etc.

Anything I didn't like/didn't need I've ebayed or given to friends.

  • M&S - good range of basics including shoes.
Original poster
monsterpup · 31/03/2022 12:12

@Gonnagetgoing it's a big office in a business park, not customer facing or in London but in a major city

I think I'll hold off on getting anything else until I get through my first week or so and I'll try and make the few outfits I have work to start off with!

@tigerbear some great options! I'm a size 8 generally but I'm quite tall with quite a big bum and thighs so I struggle getting trousers long enough that also aren't inappropriately tight (hence the wide leg trousers)

OP posts:
Original poster
monsterpup · 31/03/2022 12:13

A sort of silly question - does it matter what bag I take into work? Would a tote bag or backpack be okay? I'll be commuting on the train so will need to carry stuff in etc

OP posts:
Luhou · 31/03/2022 12:14

Tu at sainsburys

tigerbear · 31/03/2022 12:29

@monsterpup then I’d def recommend Joseph for trousers, as they do really long lengths.

For bags, a large leather tote or smart/leather backpack is fine.

www.vinted.co.uk/men/accessories/bags-and-backpacks/backpacks/1727606682-rain-backpack

www.vinted.co.uk/women/bags/tote-bags/1634049189-cos-leather-bag-with-a-shoulder-strap

Gonnagetgoing · 31/03/2022 14:01

[quote tigerbear]**@monsterpup then I’d def recommend Joseph for trousers, as they do really long lengths.

For bags, a large leather tote or smart/leather backpack is fine.

www.vinted.co.uk/men/accessories/bags-and-backpacks/backpacks/1727606682-rain-backpack

www.vinted.co.uk/women/bags/tote-bags/1634049189-cos-leather-bag-with-a-shoulder-strap[/quote]
@tigerbear - no no no for Joseph for trousers - they're bloody expensive for what they are!

OP - just go to Zara or something for trousers - longer length. Or maybe buy Joseph trousers on Ebay.

@monsterpup - ah that makes sense. Well definitely don't splash out loads. Look for voucher codes, sign up to H&M app (you get points) etc.

Tote bag or backpack is fine - as @tigerbear says try vinted or Ebay for quality leather bags. I was looking at All Saints on ebay for leather tote bags.

Epli · 31/03/2022 14:06

@monsterpup

I used a small Patagonia hiking backpack when I commuted by bike and for client visits I used a bit more fancy laptop backpack I bought at John Lewis. If you are carrying a laptop or some other heavy stuff definitely go for the backpack.

Gonnagetgoing · 31/03/2022 14:09

I would say, I like some of the items @tigerbear has linked to.

But re bags - definitely try Ebay, you can definitely get e.g. Cos cheaper:-

www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=cos+leather+bag&_sacat=0

M&S are good for bags - I got given a great black leather purse as a birthday present from a good friend, it's great!:-

www.marksandspencer.com/l/women/handbags/fs5/leather?filter=Brand%3DM%26S%20Collection&originalPrice=10%2C280

Haven't tried them myself but ASOS do leather bags:-

www.asos.com/search/?currentpricerange=5-295&q=leather%20bag&refine=brand:53|floor:1000

I wanted to say, like you said OP definitely build up your wardrobe re what you need/want for work.

If e.g. you have a birthday that falls whilst you work there and they give vouchers etc maybe look at putting that towards workwear or a bag?

Noodlekugel · 31/03/2022 14:20

Interesting thread!

@tigerbear Everything I seem to look at on Vinted doesn't state what the fabric is. Am I missing something? Just trying to avoid polyester for workwear.

Original poster
monsterpup · 31/03/2022 14:28

@Noodlekugel I've never used Vinted but from my experience of Depop (way more expensive!!) your best bet would be to message the sellers and ask

OP posts:
Noodlekugel · 31/03/2022 14:31

@tigerbear Thank you.

mewkins · 31/03/2022 14:33

@Noodlekugel

Interesting thread!

@tigerbear Everything I seem to look at on Vinted doesn't state what the fabric is. Am I missing something? Just trying to avoid polyester for workwear.

No, that's one downside. If it is silk it generally says it in the description though.
Thewheelsfalloffthebus · 31/03/2022 14:33

Backpack is fine. Definitely easier if your commute involves any walking and if you need to cart around anything heavy. Start with whatever you own already and worry about a nice leather one or whatever when it’s time to replace it. Leather bags are great and can last for years but they are quite expensive. Pleather/fake/vegan leather can be much cheaper and looks good for around 3 years and then starts to flake off everywhere. Of course it doesn’t matter if the leather is real or not of the zip breaks after 12 months. So it can be worth investing in a good quality real leather backpack with good hardwear if you want to use it for the next 10 years. If you like to change things more often or you’re on a tight budget then the quality is less important.

tigerbear · 31/03/2022 14:38

@Gonnagetgoing I didn’t mean new, I’d never pay new for Joseph! I meant on Vinted- there are Joseph trousers on there from £20

tigerbear · 31/03/2022 14:40

@Noodlekugel you can type into the ‘search’ bar as to what kind of fabric you want, eg ‘silk blouse’

tigerbear · 31/03/2022 14:42

@Gonnagetgoing my best Vinted buy to date has been a full length Joseph trench coat, never worn, for £110!! 👌❤️

Gonnagetgoing · 31/03/2022 14:42

[quote tigerbear]@Gonnagetgoing I didn’t mean new, I’d never pay new for Joseph! I meant on Vinted- there are Joseph trousers on there from £20[/quote]
@tigerbear - lol great - thanks for the tip re Joseph!