Looking Professional on a Budget

 My sister came to me earlier today asking for advice on what to wear to a job interview this afternoon. She's still in college, so she hasn't spent a lot of money on workwear in the past. On the occasions she's had to dress up, she's often raided my closet and shoe collection. However, she's graduating in December and will soon need a professional wardrobe of her own. 

     Because she'll be working in media and I'm in law school, our concepts of 'professional' attire are a bit different. My school's career services department has advised us not to wear pant suits to interviews and to never (ever!) wear open toed shoes; her summer job allows a wide range of 'business casual.' When she came by today, she had on silver strappy flat sandals, a J.Crew floral skirt (seen here on me for work), and a sleeveless white blouse. 

     By the time she left, we'd met in the middle on her outfit - she added a navy knit blazer to cover her shoulders and look more professional and borrowed a pair of closed toed Tory Burch flats from me. It's an easy enough switch when you have a sister's closet to raid, but it got me thinking about the difficulties of shopping for professional clothes on a budget. Below I've tried to compile some websites and stores that I think will be helpful!

First off, a blog that I sometimes find helpful: The Classy Cubicle. Mary's theory is that "You don't have to dress like a man or your Aunt Ethel to get ahead," which I think is an awesome way to sum up the difficulties of dressing professionally as a woman. She posts a variety of outfits that range from casual to creative to conservative offices (easily sorted by tab). Even the conservative don't always quite hit the law school mark, but I often find a dress or a blazer that I can incorporate into my own professional wardrobe. For my sister, the more casual tab will better suit her field. There's something for everyone, and always something to emulate.

I frequent Ann Taylor, particularly their sale section for budget friendly work items like blazers, pencil skirts, and silk blouses. They offer a student discount on full-priced items (even online, unlike many retailers!) and always have a great sale going. I often head straight to the sale rack when I shop there. Right now, they're offering 40% off their sale items, bringing many of their blazers down to around $60. I've heard a lot of people my age say that they wouldn't shop there because their mom does. I figure when it comes to a great fitting blazer, age doesn't matter.

Another budget-friendly way to pick up professional pieces is to shop at outlets. While most can only be shopped at brick and mortar stores, some stores like J.Crew Factory have expanded to online sales. One of my favorite suits is from the Banana Republic outlet, which frequently runs a 'buy one suit piece, get another for free' deal, making it easy and affordable to purchase a skirt and matching blazer. It's so hard to buy one piece somewhere and try to find another piece to match at a different store, it's great deals like this make it so easy to just buy the whole suit.

Consignment: Consignment stores are an often overlooked resource for office wear. Look for blazers or pencil skirts that fit well and are in good condition. A lot of places even end up with items that still have the tags on them, which is a serious bonus- you can find items that would cost a lot more at the mall and often look just the same.

Flash sale sites: Online flash sale retailers like RueLaLa or Gilt often feature professional wardrobe boutiques. With huge markdowns off retail prices, sites like these make it much more feasible to buy well-made classic pieces that will last you throughout your professional life, while spending far less than you would buying them through the retailer itself. Plus, having boutiques labeled as 'workday wear' or 'professional' takes the guesswork (with few exceptions) out of whether something is office appropriate.

Discount retailers: Places like T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, and Stein Mart are also good places to look. I love the shoe section at T.J.Maxx (who recently opened online shopping)- they often have Coach and Ralph Lauren heels, but at a fraction of the retail price. All of the stores frequently offer professional dresses, blazers, and suit separates. It often takes more time to look through their racks than it would to go to the mall and pick something out, but I think it's well worth it to buy a Ralph Lauren suit dress for $39 and be able to afford to buy the shoes to go with it, rather than blowing your budget on one piece.

Have you ever had trouble putting together professional clothing on a budget for an interview or work? Where do you look for work-appropriate pieces that don't empty your wallet? Please share!