Capsule Work Wardrobe

[Anonymous]

Help me put one together. I’m 5’2, 125 lbs, work in a business casual environment with a lot of men and want to be seen as rising to senior management in the next few years. I don’t have a lot of money, so individual pieces I’d like to be under $100 if possible, though I could save up for a nice item. I have 2 suits which I never ever wear since I’ve started.

[Anonymous]

At that price point I would probably take a look at Quince.

[Anonymous]

Banana Republic Factory, J Crew and J Crew Factory and Loft. Even H&M. I got a nice cropped trench there for under $40 on sale.

Get some black trousers, a few nice blouses and cardigans, and loafers.

[Anonymous]

The realreal and fashionphile. Quality brands for a fraction of price.

https://www.therealreal.com/shop/women/clothing/pants?price_to=100&clothing_size%5B%5D=24&condition%5B%5D=20&condition%5B%5D=19

[Anonymous]

JCrew petite. Stick to neutral colors for mix and match. Don’t be swayed by color of the year pop of color BS for basics.

I like the extra petite blog for buying help. The key is you want a capsule wardrobe to start. My uniform is pants and a sweater, or a striped shirt and blazer. Save up for good bags and shoes.

[Anonymous]

You mentioned lots of men so I don't know if you're concerned about not being taken seriously if you dress feminine? If that's a concern in your organizational culture, disregard this, and I'm sorry. If not, I'm your size and I find it easier to just wear a lot of dresses. I have multiple black sheath dresses I wear with jackets or cardigans so I guess that's my capsule. Also like print wrap dresses for more casual days. I mostly pick things up secondhand, but in terms of brands, petites from Boden, Ann Taylor, and Talbots seem to work well.

[Anonymous]

I think dresses are a nice way to do this - pants can be expensive and if your shape/size changes they're not as forgiving, where dresses can accomodate.

A nicer t-shirt dress with sleeves and not tight can be dressed with a belt, boots, ballet flats, jewelry:

https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-tencel-muscle-tee-dress-black?collection=womens-dresses

I have this dress in a blue/white stripe from last year and it's a good piece as well - a little tenty but I promise is pretty chic on:
https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-oxford-short-sleeve-shirt-dress-black?collection=womens-dresses

I tried this on in-store and was surprised how thick and work-appropriate it is: https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-dream-shift-dress-earth-brown?collection=womens-dresses

Would also get some sweaters from Quince (saw they just released a nicer/thicker cashmere)

[Anonymous]

DP, but another thing to consider when working with a lot of men is that they likely aren't paying close attention to the details. As long as your overall look is put-together, professional, and not otherwise too memorable, you can get a lot of runway out of a few basics. I have 2-3 colors of the same dresses that I like in not-loud colors (black, navy, jewel tones) and I cycle through those, changing up my accessories for variety (sweaters or blazers are another option). I've found Boden and Ann Taylor to be good for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP, but another thing to consider when working with a lot of men is that they likely aren't paying close attention to the details. As long as your overall look is put-together, professional, and not otherwise too memorable, you can get a lot of runway out of a few basics. I have 2-3 colors of the same dresses that I like in not-loud colors (black, navy, jewel tones) and I cycle through those, changing up my accessories for variety (sweaters or blazers are another option). I've found Boden and Ann Taylor to be good for this.

This 100%. You could wear the same black pants every day and they would not notice because they have a closet full of identical pants. The big question is if you are more comfortable in pants or skirts. I personally prefer pants as my legs get cold plus then I don’t have to worry about whether my legs look good (men will notice if you have spider veins, scars, blotchy legs but will never notice if you wear pants every day).
I would get 3 pairs of dress pants in black/navy/charcoal from BR, j crew, Ann Taylor or Talbots — whatever fits you best. Just basic dress pants in a straight leg or slightly wide leg.
Nocer quality white tee from j crew, Biden or lands end to wear under blazers.
A blazer — j crew has fine ones if you don’t want to shop around.
A couple nicer button downs in no iron cotton or silk — something like a light blue or dove grey or blush pink is easy to wear frequently. I like bright colors but if you wear plum or emerald or bright red very often, people will notice it more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think dresses are a nice way to do this - pants can be expensive and if your shape/size changes they're not as forgiving, where dresses can accomodate.

A nicer t-shirt dress with sleeves and not tight can be dressed with a belt, boots, ballet flats, jewelry:

https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-tencel-muscle-tee-dress-black?collection=womens-dresses

I have this dress in a blue/white stripe from last year and it's a good piece as well - a little tenty but I promise is pretty chic on:
https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-oxford-short-sleeve-shirt-dress-black?collection=womens-dresses

I tried this on in-store and was surprised how thick and work-appropriate it is: https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-dream-shift-dress-earth-brown?collection=womens-dresses

Would also get some sweaters from Quince (saw they just released a nicer/thicker cashmere)

Thieve look pretty casual to me and don’t really convey “promote me to upper management”. The last one is better but it looks really short in this picture — wouldn’t wear something that short in a professional environment with a lot of men. My rule of thumb for work is that a dress hem should definitely be closer to your knees than to your crotch. Preferably within a couple inches of your knees.