The right look/clothes/brand for business owner in her 40s
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Anonymous
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I'm gearing up to start a business/go back to work. It's in my field, and I have a great mentor, so i feel I am on the right track for the actual work part.
I'm thinking about my look, though, and I'm not sure about my personal brand. One thing I noticed at conferences, etc, I attended about 8 years ago: 25 year olds were wearing nice black suits, minimal makeup and jewelry, simple low ponytails. The 55 year old women had a very different look. It was more like "F---- that, I had to claw my way up and now I've made it" - much bolder. Lime green heels. Sometimes very short, obviously dyed red hair. It's 2015, and I'm only 43, but I want to find the right balance. I'd be making pitches/presentations to procurement folks at financial services companies. I want to look confident and established - I don't want to work FOR them, I want to work WITH them, if that makes sense. I want no vestiges of an ingénue look. Could anyone suggest a sample outfit or link to a photo of an outfit for ideas? I can buy new clothes. I have a few lovely suits - J Crew, etc - that need to be repurchased in the next size up (damn perimenopause!!). I'm not currently in yoga pants mode, but I don't have a full professional wardrobe by any stretch. |
Anonymous
I'd ask Jeff to repost this to the Beauty and Fashion forum. Those ladies would really go to town on this fashion question. |
Anonymous
| Ask your mentor. |
Anonymous
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The answer is going to vary by industry/professional/type of business.
I wore that look was I was around 25 (dark suits with a blouse, low ponytail etc) for nearly 10 years and now, I can't stand that look. Ugh. Make an appt with a wardrobe stylist (I believe Nordstrom offers this service) to help you put a few outfits together. |
Anonymous
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Thanks, I'll try to figure out how to flag Jeff. Report my own post?
My mentor is a dude. I can talk to him about it, but it's not his area of expertise. |
Anonymous
| What industry? You can keep the classic suits, but start buying some interesting jewelry, colorful scarves, shoes that are obviously quality but interesting in color or style (same for bag). Definitely get a good haircut and invest in a good skincare regime. You don't need to wear a lot of makeup, bit I find that even skin tone, groomed brows, and a good plum lipstick help me to look polished. |
Anonymous
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I'm not in that field (that is much more conservative that the field I'm in), but I think you want to do mostly conservative but with a clear personal style. You also don't want to dress older than you are (so lime heels are fine, dyed hair is fine, but think hard if you are doing both!)
I think you need a few funky/edgy but work appropriate jackets. Pair them with fairly conservative pants/sheath dresses/pencil skirts. So something like this blazer in a burgundy velvet: https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/blazers/regent/PRDOVR~C9127/C9127.jsp With this pencil skirt in grey: https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/skirts/alinemidi/PRDOVR~C8790/C8790.jsp Obvs mix it up dependent upon what colors and silhouttes are flattering, but 2 conservative pieces plus one more individual one will give you a nice compromise between this-is-my-first-job and the Art to Wear (nothing against it -- my mother does it beautifully!) |
Anonymous
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I would look for really nice classics.
beautiful wine colored heels. http://www.sergiorossi.com/us/pumps_cod44896135pj.html paired with a grey dress pencil skirt and simple top https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/suiting/super120s/PRDOVR~C9101/C9101.jsp Also some dresses that fit well. https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/dresses/weartowork/PRDOVR~E4375/E4375.jsp |
Anonymous
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I'm a fan of Lafayette 148. It's a little pricey but classic (with some style) and well made. Get a few good pieces. Hard to know what to recommend for your body type though.
J Crew may be a little young for you if you are trying to impress. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| OP, before you drop $$$, look at White House Black Market. I love their jackets, and the sale prices can't be beat. |
Anonymous
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I agree with some of the posters above that being able to mix and match with suiting/blazers/jackets is a way to avoid the ingénue-in-a-plain-black-suit look. I would look for simple conservative shapes and add interest with color and texture.
That said, I think you can (1) start with a couple suits, but perhaps buy with an eye to pieces that can be worn well as separates as well as together. A wool suit with a bit of texture - https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/suiting/Novelty/PRDOVR~E4387/E4387.jsp (I wouldn't do a cropped pant - just chose J Crew, since you mentioned it, as a place to find an example of this). Or a tweed suit - https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/blazers/novelty/PRDOVR~E1168/E1168.jsp. Then, (2) add a couple simple sheath wool dresses, I'd stick mostly to solid colors or subtle patterns/tweeds. You can deconstruct the suits to wear the jackets over the dresses, and perhaps (3) buy a novelty blazer or two as well. If you have these categories of pieces, and some decent shells/shirts & pants/skirts already in your closet, you should have a start. |
Anonymous
| I think Layfaette 148 is way too expensive. I bought a $300 blouse and it fell apart the first time I wore it. |
Anonymous
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OP - I am the same shape as you and luckily, there is a lot out there for us. I think your instincts are spot on point based on the links you posted. With those types of outfits in mind, I'd go to Nordstrom Rack and try to locate similar pieces. They often have a good selection of Hugo Boss and Tahari suits and dresses. They have a lot of Theory suits and separates too, but those are hit or miss for me (the blazers fit me well but I'm too curvy for a lot of their pants). I'd do a mix of classic with more modern cuts. I would stay away from cropped pants as a PP said, BUT a lot of dress pants are now ankle length, which is different. I think ankle length would be fine for you -- I wear mine with a classic blazer or blouse to stay somewhat conservative.
What is the attire of your potential clients? Do they tend to wear business casual? If so, then I'd take it up one notch from there - a blazer over a dress for instance. If your clients are mostly wearing business attire, I'd do the same -- classic suits with a pretty blouse, nice shoes and bag, interesting jewelry. One final point and I might get flamed for this: wear some makeup. Do something to even out your skin tone, add some color (if you tend to be on the pale side), etc. You don't necessarily have to wear a lot. Even a little makeup will make you look even more polished and put-together, and I think it tells your clients that you care enough to put in a little effort. |
Anonymous
| I highly recommend getting to a Saks the morning after Christmas when it opens...all sale stuff is an additional 50% off and a huge amount of my favorite work dresses, sweaters, suits, shoes, etc...were purchased at 8am on 12/26 at Saks! I can't normally drop $$$ on Saks clothes but the prices look more like the Gap when you are getting 70+ percent off. |