Ladies - any tips on work clothes?

Rosemary7391

I've been looking for workwear as well, I'm starting a new job in a school so definitely nothing too flashy! I found some nice blouses in BHS, each style comes in lots of different colours, and I already have black trousers. Charity shops are also good for things that are a little bit different

I've recycled blouses that no longer fit me by wearing a camisole top underneath and leaving them unbuttoned at the top or all the way down - more of a casual look but nice enough.

mavisangelica

I have just revamped my work wardrobe and bought some tops from Bon Marche and TJ Hughes. They are the patterned short sleeved small tunic style and once I had tried them on thought they looked quite smart. Added bonus is that they will not need ironing. Wouldn't have normally looked in either as at first glance I thought they were for the 'more mature' woman. (Weekends I am a jeans and tee-shirts type of woman around the same age as the OP). Can then wear either a cardigan or jacket when it gets colder or the office temp varies.

BTW I paid between £8 and £12 for them.

BitterAndTwisted

Capsule work-wardrobe equals:

One black, dark grey or navy knee-length skirt.

One pair of black, dark grey or navy trousers.

One plain shift dress.

All in the same fabric so you can wear them with a jacket of the same colour.

That way you could get away with only two or three plain white or light-coloured shirts and rotate everything so you never wear the same item two days in a row.

If you buy good-quality low-heeled black courts you just change into them at the office.

In a male-dominated environment it might be best to avoid "tops" which aren't shirts and cardigans as these are most often worn by PAs/secretaries or junior staff. If you're not one of those you probably don't want to dress like one. Ditto too much cleavage or too much in the way of accessories and jewellery.