Workwear and lifestyle creep......advice

[fundbund]

I'm trying to get a grip on my spending. I can afford to buy nice things and I would say I spend a fair amount on nice work wear like Hobbs, Baukjen, LK Bennett, Boden, etc. I have to be pretty smart for work and need lots of jackets. But I'm just wondering if I can reduce my spending on workwear as I would like to save some money.

I see younger people my work who look lovely and smart, and I know they aren't shopping at the same places as me, and yet when I look at new look, H&M etc, even M&S and next, the quality and fit just seems crap. Maybe they can get away with it by being young and slim whereas I am 40 and size 16 so I wonder if I just need to spend more to look nice.

Is it possible to buy cheaper workwear and still look smart? What are people's go to banks for smart workwear which is also affordable. I have got the occasional gem on Vinted but it's few and far between!

I think you do have to spend more to look good when you are older. Also, cheaper clothes don't stand up to as much wear/washing.

But, Vinted is your friend! If you know what suits you and know your size in your favourite brand you can buy at a fraction of the price. Be choosy - only go for "very good" condition and above.

If you have the patience you can sell as well.

COS is very good value and I like some bits in Massimo Dutti

My work wardrobe is made up of the same brands - but everything is from Vinted (and before that Ebay)- usually "new without tags". Mostly dresses, usually 25 quid or so each. I know my size for each brand, know what I like. Job done!

When I worked in a corporate environment I wore a lot of navy and gray separates.

Why do you need lots of jackets?
And surely if they are good quality they last?
I'm 59, when I was about 40 I realised that I bought clothes because I wanted to, not because I really needed to. I'd got sucked into the whole cycle of buying new clothes each season for no other reason than it was the new season
So I stopped. It's not that I never buy clothes now, I buy less, better quality, and if I need it. So I will sort the wardrobe out each season, decide what I need and buy that.
I wonder how many suits the men in your organisation have ?

Basically this

I stick to brands I know that fit/ look good on me & only buy from Ebay & Vinted

Yes it's a bit more labour intensive than buying new but the savings are all worth it

I'm going to be honest and say I really resent spending £££ on stuff I only wear for work

If you've already bought loads of good quality stuff can't you just stop buying rather than buying cheaper stuff? Doesn't it last for years?

I find the Whistles soft Jersey jackets indispensable for work and casual.

Just curious, how many jackets do you need?

Silly question perhaps, but does one change jacket every day, or can one wear the same for a couple of days?
Are they dry cleaning only, or can they be washed at home?
(I work in health care, in scrubs, so I have no idea).

Can you not just wear what you've already got?

You don't need to keep constantly buying more. I suspect that you might just be in the habit of wearing new things. Try going 'no spend' for a while. You can even tell people that you're doing 'no spend' for whatever period in case you think they're judging you for not having new things (it's highly unlikely that they are).

Yes that is a good point re the men. I do like clothes and colour so I am probably buying stuff because I want to rather than need to. I wouldn't wear the same outfit within the same working week, I like the variety. But lots of jackets, I mean a wear a jacket every day, so in my head that means I need at least 5!

I have about 4 Hobbs suits, the Suki style, and I bought a different colour each year for the way 4 years for example. But now the first ones that I bought are starting to look a bit tired, as I probably wear them once a week or so, and have the jackets dry cleaned every 6 weeks, so they haven't lasted forever.

I probably need to go back to Vinted and will have a look at Cos and Massino Dutti.

And whistles!

If you like LK Bennett, try LKBorrowed which is their rental subscription. 2 items at a time for unlimited changes each month. Was amazing for me through pregnancy and now still not back to my old workwear size. It means you get new stuff all the time and variety. Also great for event wear where you’re unlikely to want to repeat the outfit.

I have a code for £15 off first month if you want. DM me.

Capsule wardrobe. Vinted. Stick to very few good brands so everything matches. Shop your wardrobe, try new combinations. I'm always surprised how much I have and new combinations can be made, even though I keep throwing stuff away...

Speaking as someone in a similar job with similar tastes my top tips are:

Wait for the sales.
Charity shops in upmarket areas are always worth a look.
Find a good local dry cleaner who does alterations and get charity shop / vinted/ cheaper clothes altered to fit better.
Look harder at clothes from cheap shops, think about alterations and remember that a slip under an unlined dress will work wonders.

Charity shops in nice areas. Sales. TK Maxx.
I don’t go near H&M, Zara, Primark etc…

For the more tired looking clothes, it's sometimes possible to dye them - depends on the material though. Get clothes repaired/change buttons if looking raggedy.

I think you might need to find clothes that go with more than one thing, if you like lots of different looks, rather than buy a jacket that only goes with one outfit.

High low dressing?

Spend more money on shoes, blazers, trousers and bags and less on jumpers, cardigans, dresses etc. For cheaper basics, it might be worth looking in H&M, Uniqlo, Matalan and M&S (heard good things about M&S men's knitwear).

I really love Arket. As a H&M member, I managed to use the 25% birthday discount on an Arket piece (bought via the H&M website).

Sample sales are great for bargains too.

My workplace channels Mary Beard rather than a corporate but I am senior. I wear dresses mostly: Boden, Seasalt, White Stuff, Oliver Bonas, M&S and team with a smart Jersey jacket or fitted cardigan. I might wear navy ankle grazers weekly in summer and black trousers twice a week in Winter. I have a lot of black and navy but liven it up with scarves and tops. Kettlewell do great tops in a variety of colours. I have a lot of navy and black. I am v tidy if not smart for my work environment

LKB and nicer stuff I buy for non work receptions/parties, etc, when I have to scrub up for DH. I usually try to buy simple so things can be downgraded for work after a few outings. Which works with opaques and chunky shoes.

It's all about cost per wear.

You reference needing lots of jackets but then say you have 4 Hobbs suits. If you're in suits, that suggests a different dress code to a lot of corporates etc where jackets are worn but not an actual suit.
If you're in suits and senior then I think you do need to stick to Hobbs and similar as they quality and cut are noticeable.
If you're able to get away with jacket and dress/trousers/skirt then I think you have more options as you can mix and match which means one jacket can be worn with a number of different dressss/trousers and those dresses and trousers can come from a wider range of places.
For cheaper jackets, M&S can be good as can Mango and, sometimes, H&M (although I often change the buttons). As others have suggested, Whistles do a jersey jacket but it sometimes feels a bit informal. For dresses/trousers, M&S, Next & Jigsaw all tend to do fairly traditional work style dresses, trousers & skirts.

Who on earth dyes clothes for wearing in a smart office? Odd suggestion above.

I am surprised you wear a jacket every day @fundbund Most smarter women I notice wear dresses. Jackets only if it’s a suit. However women are moving away from looking like men! Do you have fierce air conditioning?

I think you can find decent dresses at M&S but you need to trawl through everything on line using the filters. I also don’t agree Zara is crap. DDs have great little Chanel jacket copies from them. LKB do them at 4 times the price. If you are discerning, Zara has great fashion and is more switched on than Hobbs. You could look at &OtherStories and Arket. Often good shirts and trousers. They still have wool and silk! Plus definitely Massimo Dutti - which is Zara!

I would look at Scandinavian brands like Samsoe Samsoe for nice separates (ignore their very casual fashion) and you might like ME&EM. More money but good. Maybe look at a capsule wardrobe based on a few basic colours? Then jackets are interchangeable,

Cut back on the dry cleaning, I swear it takes the 'finish' out of them. DS's school suits have been cleaned twice this year and are fine.

I would carry on shopping where you are but buy less. People really don't notice what your wear unless they really like it and then they think you always look great when you wear 'x'.

I LOVE MeandEm and do have a few bits from them but it's so ££££!!

I wouldn't say I dress like a man, I do wear dresses with a jacket over some times but the problem with dresses is, I feel like because of my weight I look v frumpy if I wear dresses with flats. If I saw slim I would feel like I could get away with it. But I can't wear heels all day anymore. So I can wear a jacket and trousers with smart flats and I feel less frumpy.

@fundbund Look at the Mary Jane’s with low heels. LKB do them but others have copies. Or look at lower heel courts. More of a chunky heel. I’m not wearing heels any more either but feel alternatives are smart. Can you not find a well cut dress that doesn’t need a jacket? That’s what I would do. Could you wear shirt dress styles? I’ve attached Jaeger/M&S - not sure about availability but most women would look great in these.

"Who on earth dyes clothes for wearing in a smart office? Odd suggestion above."

That was me. I've dyed cotton shirts that were well made and flattering but the colour was looking a bit tired. It doesn't work with everything but OP wants to spend less money. If you can refresh something instead of buying a new version of the same thing, why wouldn't you?