When I got hired for my first job out of college I knew I had a lot of work to do to prepare myself for the professional business world. Not only did I own only 1 pair of slacks, one button up shirt, and one jacket that didn't even come as a set suit with the slacks, but I did not own a nice watch (only took me 3 years, more on that later) and had no idea what to do with my hair, nails, or makeup.
So I was basically starting from scratch. My style was and probably always will be fairly tailored and simple. But the AE T's and my Nike shorts simply weren't going to cut it anymore. (OK, I wasn't THAT bad...) I wanted to be taken seriously and portray a sense of professionalism. So where do you begin? My first shopping haul came from JC Penny. (Remember I live in a small west Texas city) And if took care of me for about the first 6 months. Maybe it was the time at the desk, no longer having to walk 30 minutes to and from class 4 times a day, or my new steady boyfriend, but sadly, those JC Penny pieces slowly became more or less "inappropriate" work attire as my body began to fill out and those pieces no longer fit.
Back to square one, and $200 down, I shopped out Ross. To be honest, I still wear at least 2 of those shirt on a regular basis, and one of the Jackets (a Micheal Khors black mid-length peacoat) is still a staple in my closet. It sits next to the black Victoria's Secret clothing brand, traditional Peacoat, I've had since I was in high school which still gets plenty of use each winter season. So, first lesson here is that a basic black peacoat is always a wardrobe staple.
The $400 ross haul more or less set me for another 6 months, and I was slowly settling into my more or less stressful event coordinating and business focused job so things were going pretty smoothly for the most part. At this time, I had moved back to my hometown after college with a pretty great job opportunity, even though I had sworn to myself that I would never be back. But I was. And sadly I was one of the only ones.
Being one of only a handful of old friends living back in my hometown meant that the pressure to be stylish and have fancy accessories what not bad at all. (Compared to the sorority glam of the college campus and the big city nightlife it was a relief!) So, did I get lazy about my going out wardrobe as well? You betcha'!
So, to summarize, one year down of my first big girl job and I had a sad wardrobe to show for it. Sure, bills were getting paid, but after all the bills of my costs of furnishing and filling my first solo apartment and starting to pay off those loans there was little to no room to go on any sort of shopping spree. I still had lots of work to do...
So I was basically starting from scratch. My style was and probably always will be fairly tailored and simple. But the AE T's and my Nike shorts simply weren't going to cut it anymore. (OK, I wasn't THAT bad...) I wanted to be taken seriously and portray a sense of professionalism. So where do you begin? My first shopping haul came from JC Penny. (Remember I live in a small west Texas city) And if took care of me for about the first 6 months. Maybe it was the time at the desk, no longer having to walk 30 minutes to and from class 4 times a day, or my new steady boyfriend, but sadly, those JC Penny pieces slowly became more or less "inappropriate" work attire as my body began to fill out and those pieces no longer fit.
Back to square one, and $200 down, I shopped out Ross. To be honest, I still wear at least 2 of those shirt on a regular basis, and one of the Jackets (a Micheal Khors black mid-length peacoat) is still a staple in my closet. It sits next to the black Victoria's Secret clothing brand, traditional Peacoat, I've had since I was in high school which still gets plenty of use each winter season. So, first lesson here is that a basic black peacoat is always a wardrobe staple.
The $400 ross haul more or less set me for another 6 months, and I was slowly settling into my more or less stressful event coordinating and business focused job so things were going pretty smoothly for the most part. At this time, I had moved back to my hometown after college with a pretty great job opportunity, even though I had sworn to myself that I would never be back. But I was. And sadly I was one of the only ones.
Being one of only a handful of old friends living back in my hometown meant that the pressure to be stylish and have fancy accessories what not bad at all. (Compared to the sorority glam of the college campus and the big city nightlife it was a relief!) So, did I get lazy about my going out wardrobe as well? You betcha'!
So, to summarize, one year down of my first big girl job and I had a sad wardrobe to show for it. Sure, bills were getting paid, but after all the bills of my costs of furnishing and filling my first solo apartment and starting to pay off those loans there was little to no room to go on any sort of shopping spree. I still had lots of work to do...
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