How to build a professional wardrobe: part 1

A few weeks ago, I posted about the perks of working at Ann Taylor and using my killer discount to improve my wardrobe. Ann Taylor is known as a “working woman’s store,” so I help a lot of ladies look for those professional pieces. Today, I’m going to share my tips on building a professional wardrobe with you.

1. Where are you working?
Each office or job environment has its own dress code and policies. I deal with everyone from government employees to contractors to teachers, with all sorts of jobs in between. We have customers who only wear black suits, and people who can wear jeans on casual Friday. You should know what you can wear before you start shopping.

2. Where are you actually working?
I mean this literally. Indoor office? Classroom? Traveling with lots of airport visits? Desk job or standing? These can help you decided what to buy and how to fill in your closet.

3. What do you like to wear?
If you love skirts and dresses, a pant suit might not be worth your money. In my industry (food science), many production facilities don’t allow bare skin in production areas. As much as I love them, skirts and dresses really won’t work. You have to spend the money and wear the clothes, so you’ll want to buy things you’ll actually wear.

4. How much can you spend?
Before you start shopping, you need a solid ballpark figure of what you can spend. Ann Taylor’s suits rarely go on sale and run around $240-$270 per suit (jacket with skirt or trouser). Department stores tend to sell suits together (instead of as separates), and you can find good deals there. My first black suit came from Macy’s and cost like $70. You shouldn’t put yourself in debt just to buy new clothes.

 Stay tuned for a few more posts this week!

**This is not a sponsored post. **