Cheapest/best value office clothes store (ladies) for basics in First Job?

bluenoseam

i know i'm a guy, but i used to get my work trousers (retail) in pradamark, they're cheap but they do the job, but the most important thing is get a decent pair of shoes - nothing will put a dampner on your day like uncomfortable shoes!

juno

Primark do trousers for £5, but they only do one style so if it doesn't fit/suit you/you don't like it, tough. They have more at about £10 or £12.

Asda are the same - their basic trousers are £6 but I know they don't have pockets. I only buy work trousers with pockets so I notice such things (the Primark ones do). But they have more range than Primark at around £12.

I would agree with bluenoseam - get decent shoes! Personally I'd go for just one pair of trousers and one shirt and wash em a hell of a lot if it was necessary to afford good shoes. I will only wear Crocs (they do work shoes, it's not all hideous Beach/Caymen) or at a push Clarkes.

Caroline_a

What sort of company is she going to work for? I've worked for a few large IT companies where the norm is jeans and t shirts, even among the directors. Many companies now wouldnt expect people to wear a suit unless they were customer facing - she needs to check this before she spends her money on clothes that she isnt comfy wearing.

Callie22

Ebay - you have to be careful with the postage, but you can, with a bit of searching, pick up new blouses etc for a few pounds or less. It'd certainly last her until shes got more of a wage coming in.

Nicki

I wouldn't buy too much cheap tat to be honest as it won't last well and will look poor quality.

If she already has 1 black skirt and a couple of suitable tops, all she really needs for her first month (september) is another skirt or trousers, 3 more tops which go with both bottoms, a cardi and shoes she can wear with either skirt or bottoms. She will have enough stuff to mix and match to create at least 10 different looks with these, and more if you could lend her some accessories.

In September I would buy a coat as it will be starting to get cold, and if she can afford it maybe also another top. In October an extra set of bottoms and maybe another top. As others have said, the key is to try to create a capsule wardrobe so all tops go with all bottoms. The easiest way to do that is to have neutral colour bottoms, and the tops can then be any colour you like. Also if the bottoms are sufficiently formal you have more leeway with the tops so she may find some of her current tops are ok so long as not too low cut or with slogans on them! I've certainly worn t shirts to the office with a formal skirt before and got away with it in a very formal office set up.

As for where to shop, the summer sales will start before she starts work so she can possibly get good bargains on what she needs. It would be worth waiting until then but going early in the sale season to get maximum choice. I'd aim to spend around £40 on shoes, £25 on trousers or skirt and the remainder (around £35 on tops). I'd probably start in Next or Zara for trousers and shoes, and move on to H and M for tops. I wouldn't bother with Asda, Matalan or Primark at all as I don't think their clothes are consistently good enough quality to wash well and look good in an office setting for more than a few wears. Tesco I think are better but I'd rather have one good top from Next or Zara than two from Tesco in terms of staying power.

The other option is to try online, eg Asos. In which case she needs to leave herself enough time to have things delivered and return them if she's not happy with them. I'd steer clear of eBay as if she buys something and it doesn't fit, she can't return it and will have wasted her money.

alisonmeyers

Wow didn't expect so many helpful replies so soon - thank you all for your thoughts.

I'll suggest to her that bag/coat can be put on the back burner for now - that was actually my suggestion since she tends to walk around in a denim jacket thing msot of the time and I was worried that a rucksack might give off the wrong impression - but you're right - after arriving at work, it's not like anyone will see them on a day to day basis

SO I will suggest she ticks those off the list.

Agree on the comfy shoes btw - I do a lot of meetings (in various conference rooms throughout the building) as part of my job, it's a killer if they're new or poor and rubbing all day - absolutely miserable. I'll see if I can steer her towards something comfy and cheap, and if we can't find anyhting, she can loan the plain black ones I lent her for the interviews a bit longer (since I know they're quite good).

BTW, it's quite a traditional office environment from what she was saying (as she was asking for my help for clothes shopping) - it's a legal position. I've never dealt with any legal office in any of my own career - it's mostly been marketing or IT related which are much more relaxed - so I think to err on the side of caution is best here in terms of "casual" vs. "business atire". It's such a shame that suit jackets are the same price as a couple of skirts/trousers from what I've seen.

Many many thanks for your help, all - glad I posted asking for some advice now!

alisonmeyers

Nicki wrote: »

As for where to shop, the summer sales will start before she starts work so she can possibly get good bargains on what she needs.

actualyl that's a good point, we're going shopping in 2 weeks but that was my suggestion since i thought she might want to be well prepared.

but is that the best time to shop for this sort of thing?

when do the sales actually kick in?

i literally buy all my clothes from asda (socks, underwear, tops and shirts), next (others), and M&S (bras and shoes) and always thought that "the sales" were more of a marketing invention than anything else - is that not true?

when is the best time to go clothes shopping on the high street?

gawd, i wish she had someone else to ask about this sort of thing - i think she thought i'd be the know it all of office wear - i must look trendier or more professional than i really am!! :rotfl::beer:

Nicki

The next online sale started today (I got an email!). No idea when they start in store but you could always phone your local ones and ask.

I am a lawyer by profession by the way though at the moment just a mum. The dress code will depend on your cousins role. If she is a secretary or a paralegal it will be less formal than if she is a trainee solicitor (at 21 she wont be a qualified solicitor). A trainee would need a formal jacket but not necessarily a suit, though she should work up to that as soon as she can. A paralegal or secretary would not be client facing so wouldn't, or not immediately. When I started off, I used to buy my office clothes in Dorothy Perkins or Next and they did an OK range in cheap suits. When I started to earn a bit more, I bought more expensive stuff. The general rule of thumb for a professional job like trainee solicitor is that you should spend roughly a week's take home wages per suit, and work up to owning 3-4. Hth

ETA. It is expected that trainees will probably own only one suit for the first few months by the way and no one will bat an eyelid that it is worn day in day out with different tops. It is also better to have a small number of clothes of the right style and quality, even if these end up being washed every other day and worn more than once per week, than a larger number of clothes which are unsuitable. If you google, you'll probably find some news stories about trainees being discliplined for dressing inappropriately. I seem to recall one of the big law firms sent out a memo recently warning their female trainees about what is and isn't acceptable - maybe Freshfields?

bluenoseam

I know if the Dorothy Perkins suits are half as decent as the Burton's ones she should be laughing (they aren't rivaling a tailored suit, but definately good enough for this situation by the sound of it) but i'd have thought being a trainee there would be a certain degree of acceptance if the "roughly a week's take home" suit isn't worn in the first month or so!

DCFC79

Theres a thread on either the shop but dont drop or another 1 about the sales