The Cheap Girl

The Work Wardrobe

I’ve always thought that the standard office uniform was quite dull and boring and I always admire people who can pull off looking polished and chic every day. When I had to do the whole 9-5 routine I hated getting up early in the morning just to look presentable. I am the first to admit that I am not a morning person. I am the type of person who likes to sleep in and be out the door in 15 minutes or less. To solve this debacle, I decided to come up with a way to get dressed without thinking to much about what I was going to wear. I wanted to be able to pull out things from my wardrobe with my eyes shut and come up with something fabulous.

Hence, I present: The Work Wardrobe  (Things that every one needs to pull off a 5 day look in a business casual setting)

TOPS

5 Short sleeved tops

(Suggestion: 3 Basic tops in neutral colours + 2 trendy tops)

I think that tops are a great way to add some life to an outfit. Think about wearing the standard basic pants and shoes and then putting on a fantastic top.  What I love about this is that if the top is a show-stopper, one can do without accessories.

5 Long sleeved tops

(Suggestions: 3 basic tops — black cashmere sweater, wrap, cardigan + 2 trendy tops)

BOTTOMS

3 pairs of pants + 2 skirts

(Suggestions: neutral colours such black and grey + 1 pencil skirt)

DRESSES

The Little Black Dress + The Day Dress

SUITS

1 Suit in a neutral colour in the best quality that you can afford. Tailoring and fit are key to a good looking suit. Plus you can wear the jacket and skirt separately and make multiple outfits.

SHOES

Pumps + Boots + Open-toed heeled pumps + Flats

ACCESSORIES

Having fantastic accessories is a serious way to add spice to the basic work wardrobe and it is a great way to keep the look updated and current. Wearing the season’s IT necklace can pump some life to an outfit that has been around for many years.

WHERE TO SHOP

H&M – Trendy and a great place to get accessories

Zara – Trendy + Sophisticated. Keep an eye out for the end-of-season sales

Jacob - They exemplify “office chic”. I highly recommend this shop. The clothes are classic and the best way to get deals is to shop at the Jacob outlet.

Tristan – Well made, classic clothes

Dynamite – Affordable, fashion-forward and they carry the best day dresses!

Smart Set – They carry really affordable suits and pieces that will surprise you.

Banana Republic – The mecca for office attire. BR can be quite pricey so watch out for sales and coupons.

I recommend reviewing what you own twice a year (once in the spring and once again in the fall) to see if any updates are needed.  This involves physically removing the clothes from your closet and looking at your 5 day inventory. What I love about this list is that once you have your bases covered, you will spend less time getting ready and still manage to look great.

I hope that this helps!

XOXO

Tags: Best Budget Fashion Blog, budget, Canadian Fashion, Fashion, frugal fashion, Office Chic, office wardrobe, The Basic Wardrobe, the best budget fashion site, The Work Wardrobe

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 6:32 pm and is filed under FASHION, HOW-TO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.