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Interview Dress

66 replies

Gaia24 · 11/02/2024 10:15

Hi all,

I need some help to find a dress for an important interview coming up. It is for a senior professional role.

I am petite and realistically a 14 wishing I was a 12. I think I just look like a blob. Mid 30s.

I rarely wear trousers and want to feel comfortable so won't be wearing trousers / suit. It will have to be a dress that is formal enough for interview.

Nothing that clings - just something comfortable and appropriate. Budget is around £50 - 80.

I normally wear flats so will have to buy some heels too!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
15
Katrinawaves · 11/02/2024 18:33

Gaia24 · 11/02/2024 17:22

Agree I might have to up my budget - I am caught in the trap of hoping I lose some weight and get down a size soon thus hestitant to spend alot however maybe I need a reality check!

Don’t rule out pre-loved or at least BNWOT items. I’m in a senior professional role and have recently dropped two dress sizes and almost everything I am wearing at the moment is from eBay or Vinted as I may possibly drop one more size before I stop. You can always sell things back on if you do lose weight but otherwise if you get the new more senior role there will almost certainly be times when you need the more formal stuff in your work wardrobe.

tchotchke · 11/02/2024 18:36

freedomseeking · 11/02/2024 18:31

I swear by the Pretty Dress Company. You can always find nice bits in the sale for £69, like the below - they come in all kinds of colours. Super flattering dresses and well made.

Always size up with them:

https://www.theprettydresscompany.com/new-arrivals-c12/new-arrivals-c14/the-pretty-dress-company-piper-pencil-dress-p533#attribute%5B1%5D=25

That is lovely.

Insertwitticismhere · 11/02/2024 18:43

I know some think it's a mumsnet cliche but have you looked at Boden? E.g. this? (Also available in green)

Interview Dress
DisforDarkChocolate · 11/02/2024 18:47

The Pretty Dress Company (loads of choice, especially at the top of your budget.

Collectif (what I've had has been small fitting).

Joannie (lots of browsing required).

BrandAlley (filter by available now).

Don't forget M&S, they're pretty good at the moment. And wear smart flats!

geoger · 11/02/2024 21:37

I always wear dresses to work/work events/interviews. I love a floral or bright colour and I don’t tone it down for an interview- in fact I want to stand out and be remembered. Check out Love and Roses (sold in Next) they do lots of their dresses and tops in petite. I wore this to an interview with black suede ankle boots - Love and Roses V&A collection

Interview Dress
allthevitamins · 11/02/2024 22:33

The love and roses dress is nice.

A lot of the other stuff looks like the designers have been in a coma for 15 years, or are designing for cabin crew?!

Think carefully about the image you want to project, what are other people wearing there? Then wear that, with the 'smartness' dialled up a bit.

boocurl · 11/02/2024 22:39

Gaia24 · 11/02/2024 17:22

Agree I might have to up my budget - I am caught in the trap of hoping I lose some weight and get down a size soon thus hestitant to spend alot however maybe I need a reality check!

I don’t think you need to update your budget unless you’re planning on rewearing for when you get the role!

I know it’s out of stock in your size but I wore this to an interview recently (I’m a size 14 and mid-30s). I also didn’t pay £18 as it’s on sale.

It was actually a dress I already had in my closet and it washed really well so I’d consider looking on new look if you don’t want to up your budget. I actually put a high neck top underneath as it was a bit booby on me and wore it with some block heel ankle boots. You want to wear something that you feel comfortable in so you can really shine.

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JadeVS72 · 11/02/2024 22:43

I love the outnet and have had some lovely Diane von Furstenberg dresses for under £100 (and a bit over too)
They sit really nicely on.
I like this one: https://www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/diane-von-furstenberg/dresses/mini-dress/paloma-ruffled-floral-print-stretch-mesh-mini-wrap-dress/1647597318475456

WhatWillIWear · 11/02/2024 22:48

I don’t think you need to update your budget unless you’re planning on rewearing for when you get the role!

Why on earth would someone hoping to start a new job buy clothes they don’t expect to wear again?

5YearsLeft · 12/02/2024 01:25

Have you considered pencil skirt dresses, like the one shared by a previous poster from The Pretty Dress Company? They give you some tailoring, which you need when going in for a senior position, but without wearing a full suit. Closet London has quite a few with varying sleeve lengths in your price range (some are too bridesmaid or holiday or casual, but quite a few are office appropriate, like:
https://closetlondon.com/closet-london-purple-v-neck-midi-pencil-dress/
(It comes in your size and is viscose, nylon, and a small part elastane, so it will have some give)
So do The Pretty Dress Company, ASOS, and many others. Some of the previous dresses shared are very nice, but you cannot go to a senior management interview in a jersey dress from Boden or something midi with tiers. It’s simply too casual (In fact, the only even vaguely appropriate dresses on Boden were still pencil skirt dresses).

And I think you might easily find a dress under £80, especially in the sales.

I admit, however, if it is a super casual company (tech or start up or something), perhaps some of these lovely, though casual, choices would be just fine.

Also, whilst some of the dresses recommended are truly beautiful, like the Love and Roses one, which is definitely not too casual, they are quite romantic-feminine. Which is fine as a style to wear to the office. But for your initial interview, usually a solid color is recommended; you want their first thought of you to be “management potential,” not your dress fabric. Same reason men interviewing for senior positions wear solid-colored ties and not busy floral ones.

Good luck! I do hope you find the right dress that makes you feel supremely confident, and that your interview goes well!!!

Neurodiversitydoctor · 12/02/2024 05:26

ReadyForSeason · 11/02/2024 10:58

Hobbs dress, lots of options.

This

IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle · 12/02/2024 07:03

5YearsLeft · 12/02/2024 01:25

Have you considered pencil skirt dresses, like the one shared by a previous poster from The Pretty Dress Company? They give you some tailoring, which you need when going in for a senior position, but without wearing a full suit. Closet London has quite a few with varying sleeve lengths in your price range (some are too bridesmaid or holiday or casual, but quite a few are office appropriate, like:
https://closetlondon.com/closet-london-purple-v-neck-midi-pencil-dress/
(It comes in your size and is viscose, nylon, and a small part elastane, so it will have some give)
So do The Pretty Dress Company, ASOS, and many others. Some of the previous dresses shared are very nice, but you cannot go to a senior management interview in a jersey dress from Boden or something midi with tiers. It’s simply too casual (In fact, the only even vaguely appropriate dresses on Boden were still pencil skirt dresses).

And I think you might easily find a dress under £80, especially in the sales.

I admit, however, if it is a super casual company (tech or start up or something), perhaps some of these lovely, though casual, choices would be just fine.

Also, whilst some of the dresses recommended are truly beautiful, like the Love and Roses one, which is definitely not too casual, they are quite romantic-feminine. Which is fine as a style to wear to the office. But for your initial interview, usually a solid color is recommended; you want their first thought of you to be “management potential,” not your dress fabric. Same reason men interviewing for senior positions wear solid-colored ties and not busy floral ones.

Good luck! I do hope you find the right dress that makes you feel supremely confident, and that your interview goes well!!!

That dress is not an interview dress. The high split and the obvious zip are completely inappropriate.

As for all the pencil skirt suggestions - have you been in any offices in the last decade?

boocurl · 12/02/2024 07:41

WhatWillIWear · 11/02/2024 22:48

I don’t think you need to update your budget unless you’re planning on rewearing for when you get the role!

Why on earth would someone hoping to start a new job buy clothes they don’t expect to wear again?

Because believe it or not lots of these dresses aren’t ’everyday wear’ even in a corporate setting - as nice as some of the options are I wouldn’t wear them either at home or to work again.

You’ll find that you will dress to impress for an interview but then when you arrive at the job there’s opportunity to be a bit more flexible in your clothing so that’s why I suggested a dress I already owned but jazzed up a little.

geoger · 12/02/2024 08:07

That said I’ve just ordered this for myself to wear to work. I think it all depends on the organisation you work for, like the OP I’m in a senior role but this is ok Monsoon shirt dress and I’d wear it to an interview

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Violetparis · 12/02/2024 08:08

You don't need to buy heels, all of the women I work with wear flats. Use the money instead to put towards a dress if you go over your budget.

5YearsLeft · 12/02/2024 10:45

IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle · 12/02/2024 07:03

That dress is not an interview dress. The high split and the obvious zip are completely inappropriate.

As for all the pencil skirt suggestions - have you been in any offices in the last decade?

Sigh. Why don’t you call up Coast ( https://www.debenhams.com/product/coast-flare-sleeve-ruche-waist-midi-dress_bcc00301?colour=navy ), Karen Millen ( https://www.debenhams.com/product/karen-millen-structured-crepe-asymmetric-neck-belted-midi-pencil-dress_bkk16134?colour=black ), Wallis ( https://www.debenhams.com/product/wallis-ponte-square-neck-midi-dress-with-buckle-belt_byy10380?colour=navy ), and Hot Squash ( https://www.debenhams.com/product/hot-squash-contrast-collar-short-sleeved-dress_p-f83ca9ff-418f-44a0-a467-6dd22a5abf11?colour=Teal ), and tell them they all need to get in this decade, since they’re still making pencil skirt dresses appropriate for workwear?

Now I remember why I don’t post in S&B. A hundred times worse than AIBU. Don’t worry - I won’t again. I could be insulting as you have been but honestly, life’s WAY too fucking short.

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WhatWillIWear · 12/02/2024 11:43

Sigh … Grin

I don’t need to call up clothing brands to tell them they’re wrong - I just don’t buy or recommend their clothes.

I’ve never heard of Hot Squash, but the others mentioned in the same post are legacy brands that, in my opinion, had their heyday in a previous century. The clothes linked do not look contemporary and I would honestly be surprised to see women wearing such clothes in an office environment. But each to their own.

(It seems so odd to me that - on an anonymous discussion forum talking about style - people are apparently not allowed to disagree about what they consider stylish!)

IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle · 12/02/2024 13:06

Well things went so well for Coast and Debenhams didn't they? Both went bust with no store presence left. I've never heard of Hot Squash but they're ploughing the same barren furrow. I agree legacy brands. Hobbs is going the same.

I agree those clothes are not stylish, they do not look contemporary and I'd be amazed to see anyone wearing them in an office (and I'm talking about law, accountancy, surveyors and financial services, so the more formal sectors)

IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle · 12/02/2024 13:11

Does anyone really think these look like office wear dresses?

Interview Dress
Interview Dress
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