I think I've mentioned before that my work is business casual and since I'm at a manufacturing site, this trends more to the casual side of the spectrum rather than the business. In the building that houses sales, finance, and company execs, you'll find much more business attire. With possible upcoming changes, I think I need to frugally update my wardrobe to up my business attire game. I came up with 10 categories of items that play a huge role in business work attire - including blazers, pants, pencil skirt, sheath dress, button down shirt, lightweight layering sweaters, shoes & tote, statement necklace, watch, and lingerie.
Here is my Musings on Business Attire inspiration board. It helps to review it and remember what looks I like to help shape my own selections.
I carefully selected pieces that are made from quality materials such as cotton, wool, silk, and cashmere. In addition to being quality pieces that would get you the best bang for your buck in cost per wear, I picked pieces that had high customer reviews and/or ranked in top ten lists.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that may result in a commission for me at no cost to you. This has no impact on my opinions or style selections.
1. BLAZER & 2. PANTS
After reading a great article on Corporette, I went to the classic mid range stores to find quality blazer and pants. I personally like the two button blazer, which is reflected in my picks below. Across the mid range stores - +J.Crew , +Banana Republic , and +Ann Taylor - you can't really find a blazer that's not close to $200. You can buy the schoolboy blazer from J. Crew Factory, which seems many people are missing based on +J.Crew reviews.
// 1 - J. Crew Rhodes Blazer $198 // 2 - J. Crew Martie pants in wool $120 // 3 - J. Crew Factory Schoolboy Blazer - $110 (on sale) // 4 - J. Crew Factory cotton trousers $37.50 (on sale) // 5 - Banana Republic wool blazer $198 // 6 - Banana Republic Logan wool trousers $77 (on sale)
3. PENCIL SKIRT
// 1 - Hugo Boss Vilea wool blend skirt $134.98 // 2 - Classiques Entier faux wrap wool skirt $100.80 // 3 - Ann Taylor tropical wool pencil skirt $109 // 4 - Ann Taylor seamed cotton blend pencil skirt $49.99 (extra 30% off) // 5 - The Limited cotton pencil skirt $32.99 (extra 50% off) // 6 - Asos midi pencil skirt in leather $138
4. SHEATH DRESS
// 1 - Banana Republic bi-stretch dress $82.50 // 2 - Felicity and Coco seamed pencil Dress $98 (only pick not a cotton or wool blend) // 3 - J. Crew Resume dress $188 // 4 - French Connection sheath dress $55
5. BUTTON DOWN
// 1 - Ann Taylor perfect shirt $69.50 // 2 - J. Crew Factory oxford shirt in perfect fit - $38.50 // 3 - J. Crew stretch perfect shirt - $69.99 // 4 - Brooks Brothers faux non-iron cotton faux wrap shirt $59
6. LIGHTWEIGHT SWEATERS
// 1 - Banana Republic silk cashmere pullover $54.50 // 2 - Banana Republic elbow sleeve merino wool sweater $47.50 // 3 - Banana Republic silk cashmere crew cardigan $54.50 // 4 - Banana Republic extra fine merino pointelle vee sweater $47.50
7. SHOES & TOTE
// 1 - BCGB Paris Three Piece Convertible Tote $29.99 // 2 - Franco Sarto Dayton pump $39.99 // 3 - Nine West textured fabric flat $24.99 // 4 - Nuova Varrialle north south tote $149.99
8. STATEMENT NECKLACE
// 1 - Gorjana Cayne tusk pendant necklace $39 // 2 - Kenneth Jay Lane triple row pearl necklace - $25 // 3 - J. Crew colorful crystal necklace $36 // 4 - J. Crew jeweled enamel pendant $24.99 //
9. WATCH
10. LINGERIE
I own the Spanx underwear below - let me tell you - they suck everything in. Are they almost impossible peeling off your body when you have to pee - yes - but they are totally worth it! They smooth and tuck everything so if you're wearing a tight fitting dress or skirt, you should throw these on underneath.
// 1 - Wacoal BSmooth bodysuit $55 // 2 - Wacoal adjustable bralette $30 // 3 // 4 - Spanx Thinstincts slip $78 // 5 - Commando up all night sheer thigh high socks // 6 - Spanx sheer pantyhose $15.97 //
All right ladies - this was quite the labor of love, so I hope you enjoy my picks and feel free to offer some suggestions in the comments below!
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