Like most recent graduates, when I got my first job, I was broke. The job involved writing (yay!) and sales (not-so-yay!). When I was hired, I was told I needed to dress semi-formally because I would be seeing clients. That was an immediate problem because while I had quite an array of jeans and spaghetti tops, I had next to nothing in terms of formal wear. So, in the days leading up to my first day at work, I bought a black, jacket-like top. I already had a pair of black trousers and when I combined the pseudo-jacket with the trousers and my spaghetti tops, I had a work wardrobe for the month. And when I got paid at the end of that month, I bought a long-sleeved shirt. I’m happy to say things have changed a lot in the sartorial department since then though I still believe in the power of black when it comes to work clothes.
Here are some other great tips for anyone looking for work-wear tips:
- When you go for job interviews, take note of what your interviewer and other people who work there are wearing. It’ll give you ideas of what you can wear too.
- You can never go wrong with black. Invest in a black jacket and a pair of black trousers, mix and match them in as many ways as your imagination allows and you have a pretty good work wardrobe.
- If you work in a creative industry, you should maybe go easy on the black. After all, you want to show that you can think out of the wardrobe. Use clothes to show your creativity but don’t go overboard. As always, check out what others are wearing for an indication of how wild you can go.
- It’s often said that you should dress for the job you want not the one you have so note what your boss wears and consider dressing in a similar way. I’m not saying you should be a copy-cat (that would just be annoying and creepy) but if for example, your boss favours skinny black trousers, try wearing skinny grey ones.
- Accessories are a fun way to add interest to even the most boring outfits. For example, jewellery (guys, think leather wristbands) can add a personal touch to your clothes.
Try these tips and let me know how things go for you in the work-wardrobe department.
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