Help! I don't know how to dress (woman, 50s, professional)

[Anonymous]

I think I was absent on the day they explained how to dress stylishly, and I need help!

I know how to wear jeans and sweats... I know how to wear super boring matching black pencil skirts with a jacket and a shell... but I cannot for the life of me figure out smart casual or business casual. I'm female, 55, a lawyer in DC. Everyone else seems so put together! Where do you shop? What do you wear?

I am not very visual and not a big TV or social media person so I literally can't picture what women wear.... help....

[Anonymous]

Ask for help at stores. Some department stores have personal shoppers who will make recommendations. Store web sites will often have capsule wardrobe recommendations.

It’s work to figure it out. I am not very good at it. But realized at some point that was on me because I hadn’t put in the time figuring it out and using the resources available.

[Anonymous]

You can hire a stylist to help you. Or try a service like stitch fix, or make an appointment at Nordstrom to get some outfit ideas pulled together.

[Anonymous]

The main thing is to figure out your body shape. Clothes that don’t suit your body are never going to look good.

I have a thick waist and it took me a long time to figure out that all that “cinch the waist” stuff I absorbed from what not wear was BS. Maybe for a photograph. But irl, moving around, I look better in a dress that skims my waist or wide pants and a top with a deep v that falls to the hip. Or a jacket, which does that too.

And it turns out I’m happier and better at my job in knit jackets and stretchy pants. Which makes everyone like me more whether I look frumpy or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I was absent on the day they explained how to dress stylishly, and I need help!

I know how to wear jeans and sweats... I know how to wear super boring matching black pencil skirts with a jacket and a shell... but I cannot for the life of me figure out smart casual or business casual. I'm female, 55, a lawyer in DC. Everyone else seems so put together! Where do you shop? What do you wear?

I am not very visual and not a big TV or social media person so I literally can't picture what women wear.... help....

52 year old DC lawyer here. Where are you seeing this well dressed people that you cannot match? I’m being serious because if you stand in the line at noon at the sandwich/salad place closest to your office, you are going to see basic uniforms that you can pull off too. Dark Jeans or pants, blazers, nice flats for example. It feels a whole lot of less complicated to me than, say, 10 years when people stopped wearing suits but weren’t as casual as today.

What do 3 women colleagues closest to your age/seniority wear at work?

[Anonymous]

I like Ann Taylor Outlet clothes. If their cut fits you, it's quite clear what pieces go together. I like it better than the main store which is higher fashion and fussier materials.

Many articles on this topic recommend the brand Mme LaFleur. I've looked but not bought. Honestly right now their website looks very boring and basic. But check back.

https://mmlafleur.com/

[Anonymous]

Go to Bloomingdale's and get a PS consult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to Bloomingdale's and get a PS consult.

With who?

[Anonymous]

Business casual is substituting black pants for your black pencil skirt.

[Anonymous]

I think the best thing for you is to use the free professional stylists at Macys and ... is it Bloomingdales? You just tell them your size, budget and what kind of clothes you need and they will pull appropriate items for you. You're under NO obligation to buy anything.