As we start going back to the office, thought it might be helpful to start a thread for female bankers to share advice on where to buy work clothes, fav brands for different stages of your career, clothing budget, comfort, and just general advice on how to dress for work.
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H&M has great fitted suits honestly (black/blue/grey etc), very affordable too. Same for basic white blouses, would like to know of more stores in this price range.
I loved the price range but I found that they didn't last too long for me. But the blouses and business casual pants were great
I love Loft, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Gap, etc. If you spend a few hours looking through clearance coupled with discounts and whatnot, it comes to like $15/blouse and $20/pant. I am also a fan of Calvin Klein career dresses at Macy's at $89/dress.
I have a curvier shape, so the stuff at H&M doesn't fit well. I'm also not a fan of the quality, I only get a few months of wear per item, whereas I've been wearing banana shirts passed down from my mom - worn for years but look great!
Curvy here too. I feel you sis
+1 also curvier shape and will agree that Ann Taylor and Banana Republic were my go-tos as a summer analyst and analyst. Calvin Klein and Theory were also common with gal friends but, honestly, don't feel the pressure to spring for high end stuff unless you really find pieces that you feel incredible in (+ that warrant the cost) or if you're in a financial position where you don't bat an eye price point of Theory and Hugo Boss.
Two perhaps helpful data points
(1) A friend of mine was so obsessed about appearances and bought luxury suiting for on-campus recruiting and didn't even get any banking job...
(2) The only suiting I have ever been complimented on (especially by women on fit) has been my Banana Republic suiting that I got 50% off on the sale rack :)
Tried and true spots
Mid Range: Ann Taylor, Banana Republic
Higher Mid Range / slightly more trend forward at times: Club Monaco
Higher End (for juniors): Hugo Boss, Theory
Echo all of this. If you find a shift or suit or top that makes you feel like a million bucks, buy multiples, whether that's Banana or Theory. That being said, to echo A2, my one (1) interview/power suit is an Ann Taylor Seasonless Suit in Blue and the top I wear with it 90% of the time is a J. Crew shell I got for $20. Two of my other workhorse shells are Ann Taylors I got on super sale circa Summer 2016.
Also -- find a tailor who gets your body type, tip them well, and they'll take good care of you.
Big fan of J. Crew Cameron pants - stretchy and fit well, can get a ton of mileage out of them. I did some pixie pants earlier in my career but had two pairs that had broken zippers after one wear, so went away from those. Tops -- you can't go wrong with LOFT/Ann Taylor but once you find some that you like I would go up to Equipment, Theory, etc. You can find great prices on TheRealReal, Poshmark, Mercari etc.
Theory outlet
What are the appropriate colors we should wear in the office? Are grey and white allowed?
In my opinion, office wear colors may include both pastel or dark tones. However, we must avoid wearing funky, shocking, or bright colors. Ideal colors include black, white, ivory, grey, brown, navy blue, deep maroon, teal blue, and olive green.
Thank you :)
Following.
On a similar vein, what are some store recommendations for quality but affordable jewelry?
You really shouldn't be wearing much jewelry. If you want a simple necklace or earrings Tiffany's sterling silver lines are fairly inexpensive >$300
Auerum, honestly amazon, kendra scott is fine, honestly would highly recommend following some bloggers like annawpage, brittanypage, etc - they always share their jewelry or have it linked
This more on the designer/luxury side of things, but I have heard good about Scalan Theordore $$$$, theory $$$, theory outlet $$, MM La Fleur $$ (they do complimentary styling appoints at their nyc location)
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