Basic work tops for tall daughter starting first grad job. Plain coloured smart no frills.

[Pistachiomonster]

Help me put together a basic office work wardrobe or at least some tops for our daughter starting her first grad job. She is tall 5’10’, medium build, with a long body, dislikes patterns, frills, anything in the slightest but see-through, hates dresses and skirts, any ties, big collars, big buttons, puffed sleeves etc etc.

She has quite pale skin and moussey brown hair. She has no interest in fashion. She has a pair of black trousers, a pair of navy trousers and three white shirts/blouses that look like school shirts.

So it’s more tops she needs to get her going (maybe a green, teal, pale blue or red that will go with both colours of her trousers). She is on a low starting salary so I was going to try and get her three or four tops and maybe a jumper to start her off as she is on a low starting salary and has to pay a deposit and her first months rent.

Zara have lots of basic ‘elevated’ tshirt type tops which would do the job - look for cotton fabric, and style details like a boat neck, or a bit of waist ruching. Or M&S would be a good place too

I liked some of the colours teals, purples, blues and berry reds that the TV character Patience Evans wore but a lot of the tops and jackets she wore were very cropped and wouldn’t work for her as she has a long body also they are probably quite expensive.

H+M is good for basic inexpensive work tops

Erm, has she asked you to plan her outfit for starting work? When I was 21, I would have been pretty appalled if my DM set about planning what I'd be wearing for anything 🤔

Thanks we don’t have a local Zara so it would mean a trip to a shopping centre. She is a very traditional dresser and isn’t into any detailing. So she wouldn’t be keen on any detailing so ruching wouldn’t go down well. Her current wardrobe is basic baggy t shirts, hoodies, jeans, joggers and she wore black trousers and a white shirt for interviews that she wore as a uniform for a summer job two summers ago.

Yes good shout. I’ve got a few of their short sleeved fine knit t-shirt shaped tops which are great under jackets and wash well. Word of warning though - don’t wear a work lanyard around your neck with them as the badge can bobble the knit where it moves around!

Well happily this isn’t about you!

Doesn’t she want to shop for herself? She must be age 21+ so I’m surprised she wants her mum to choose clothes for her?

This! Just give her some money, I'm sure she knows herself what she likes.

Uniqlo is the best for minimalist styles but you need to try on in person as the sizing can be a bit odd.

Vinted is the place for bargains even for brand new with tags once you have identified the correct size for whatever brand

Well I would bet that the person who it is about is unaware that mummy's asking on the internet about her work wear!

Do you have an outlet near you?

Places like reiss do some great basic tops that are good quality and last.

https://www.reiss.com/style/su742417/w51496 these drape neck tops are a classic shape.

I totally get that and I wouldn’t like it either. No she hasn't asked me to do this but she has been shopping with me and didn’t like anything and has been shopping on her own twice and came back with nothing. I was going to try and order some things online for her to try when she is next home and if I pay for them and they are free she might accept some of them. Just she won’t manage a week at work with just three white shirts.

She doesn’t really. I think she is slightly neuro diverse.

True

I'm tall and have long arms, both Zara and M&S are no hood for me at all.

H and M is a different story. Their ribbed t's are great. If you have to size up to M or L the shape still works.

Uniqlo definitely worth a look too. Their sides are now European so work quite well

Or like my dd (same she asked for help). Sent on a mission like this by herself my dd, (who is very capable in many other ways but overwhelmed by decisions about buying clothes) would come home empty handed and say please could you help me figure this out.
Brilliant for you and others that you would be fine but not everyone else is the same or reaches the same levels of ability and confidence at the same age.

utility type shirt like this?
I'm thinking of buying this from Next - Lipsy Teal Green Utility V-Neck Short Roll Sleeve Top
https://www.next.co.uk/style/SU751680/W55179

Thank you.

Have a look on Vinted for brands like Ralph Lauren - I find they are cut beautifully, tend to be long in the torso and very high quality. I recently bought a barely worn top they still sell for £185 and paid £7 including delivery.

Since finding my first one, I've bought another 4 and am slowly upgrading my very ordinary M&S wardrobe!

Do check on the RL website for sizing, and be sure to check the labels are displayed on the Vinted photos as people are really crap at listing things accurately since they cocked up sizes last winter.

I am a lot like your daughter in both body size and clothing taste, and my work wear is almost exclusively Uniqlo. A bit of M&S.

T K Max have some good quality t shirts. Cropped sleeves. DD wears those with a cardigan

Not sure if you’re on a budget for this, but Kettlewell do a good range of basic tops in lots of colours. I'm the same height as your daughter and like the "silky crew neck" - but they have other necklines and materials too. I've found them all good quality.
https://kettlewellcolours.com/collections/long-sleeve-tops

Grad job? Meaning your daughter is early 20s? Are you seriously buying and organising her wardrobe for her at that age?! You’re really not doing her any favours, it’s way OTT. Young adults need to start standing on their own two feet, otherwise they’ll fall flat on their faces in the first week of their new jobs, without mum there to sort every last thing for them. I’d be absolutely mortified if my mum tried to do this, even when I was 16! If you want to help her out, give her some cash to buy whatever clothes she wants. If she wants your opinion on them she’ll ask

I am not tall but defo suggest Uniqlo. My 18 year old tallish daughter fits their range really well.