Anonymous wrote:but talbots is cheaper. J. Crew is very expensive.

But OP hasn't told us where she works. Without that information, it is hard to tell her what is appropriate. Where I work, Jeans and a neat shirt work.

OP here. I am going to work at a government contractor. They said business casual. They allow jeans on Friday. Rarely wear suits. I need to buy trousers. I would like high quality, so from what it sounds like J Crew is out. Will check out BR and Nordstrom.

Anonymous wrote:be careful about j crew. used to be one of my staples and still have quite a few pants from a few years ago, but the quality has gone downhill on some things recently. Especially sweaters. Every sweater I've bought from there in the last few years has had holes in it within a year.

I tend to get more from Nordstrom these days.

Agree. As a result I now purchase higher end brands. Besides the quality, jcrew is too expensive for what it is. It's a mall store.

F

be careful about j crew. used to be one of my staples and still have quite a few pants from a few years ago, but the quality has gone downhill on some things recently. Especially sweaters. Every sweater I've bought from there in the last few years has had holes in it within a year.

I tend to get more from Nordstrom these days.

but talbots is cheaper. J. Crew is very expensive.

But OP hasn't told us where she works. Without that information, it is hard to tell her what is appropriate. Where I work, Jeans and a neat shirt work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is in these days for "business casual" for women? I am 44, can I still wear J. Crew? Or are there better places to shop? Talbots is still too old, right?

How is talbots too "old" for a 44 year old? FFS. J crew? Really? That's for your college age niece.

At 44 it's way better to shop at jcrew than talbots. Talbots is for 60 plus. Unstylish 60 year old ladies.

Talbots has been targeting younger consumers for the last few years. You should check it out.

I don't think college students can afford J Crew. They are shopping at Urban Outfitters or H&M or Forever 21.

I'm 39. I buy basic pieces at Talbots. The fit and quality are nice.

This: http://www.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi33529&N=4294966578+10366&selectedConcept=Misses

Not this:
http://www.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi33593&N=4294966578+10157&selectedConcept=Misses

Anonymous wrote:What is in these days for "business casual" for women? I am 44, can I still wear J. Crew? Or are there better places to shop? Talbots is still too old, right?

How is talbots too "old" for a 44 year old? FFS. J crew? Really? That's for your college age niece.

Dresses are great! I recently discovered this at 40. Why did I wear suits for all those years. Anyhow, I like Ann Taylor and Nordstrom for dresses and business casual separates. BR works, too, but is hit or miss for me. Accessories are key, which is my weakness. Get a few nice statement necklaces if you can.

I think Banana Republic is a good place to shop for work clothes too. As far as your age goes, I'd be more concerned with dressing too old than too young. Look at the individual outfit, not the store, to determine whether you think it's the right style.

Anonymous wrote:You can still wear J. Crew, just don't style it like you are Jenna Lyons on her way to one of those avant garde gallery exhibits in some NYC neighborhood I am not cool enough to identify.

Jenna has to dress like this because she's unattractive but thin. She has to wear strange clothing. Classic clothes would make it more obvious that she's well, unattractive.

You can still wear J. Crew, just don't style it like you are Jenna Lyons on her way to one of those avant garde gallery exhibits in some NYC neighborhood I am not cool enough to identify.

one quick tip. Keep a dark blue or black blazer at work so no matter what you wear, if you every feel under dressed, you can put that on.

I wear a lot of LL bean pants and twin sets on my casual days.

Most of my professional things are from Ann Taylor (AT) but I have been under impressed recently.

Also if you want to find your work style, you could buy temp clothes from Ross, TJ maxx, ect. I did that post pregnency when my body wasn't right. 100$ and I got a weeks worth of things that complemented my things that fit.

What is in these days for "business casual" for women? I am 44, can I still wear J. Crew? Or are there better places to shop? Talbots is still too old, right?