I like Pendleton, but they’re rather expensive (although their clothes last forever) and probably a bit old for you. The 20 and 30-somethings at my office swear by Ann Taylor and J Crew.
But fit is really important for an interview suit (you don’t want it gaping or pulling and making you uncomfortable), so you may want to go to a department store where you can try on several. Some stores will do tailoring for you, so you don’t have to take time to go yet another place.
When I find the perfect interview suit, I go ahead and pay full price if I have to (e.g. it’s not otherwise on sale and I don’t have a coupon). It’s not like I buy them all the time. I’d rather feel like I look my best than know I’ve scored a bargain. I’m pretty frugal with my day to day wardrobe, but not with an interview suit.
I have had great luck with Coldwater Creek. Their stuff is expensive but if you sign up for their mailing list, you can often get stuff at 50% or more off. What is great is that their colors stay consistent and complimentary over the years so I can find a shirt that goes with a jacket I bought 5 years ago to update the jacket. Or replace worn trousers with another pair in a similar color.
Other than that, thrift stores are terrific. I got a designer swimsuit for $6 last year and it still had the original tags on it. You just never know what good stuff you might run across. My friend refers to this as my “Goodwill Hunting” wardrobe.
I’m another Pendleton fan. They don’t work for everyone - they’re a very traditional styling, but they’re very well made and last forever. (Vintage Pendleton items are considered collectible) Dillards carries some of their line, but I personally like hitting their factory outlet stores, where you can get fantastic deals. If you have one near you, they’re worth it. Just a warning, though - these are true outlet stores and you never know quite what they’re going to have, how many, or in what sizes! I’ve picked up some great deals on both sample garments and ‘slightly flawed’ items there.
Head up to Friendship Heights. For discounted items, there’s a Nordstom Rack (generally a really poor comparison to what’s in the real Nordstrom, but occasionally one can luck out) and a Loehmanns… but I think the Filene’s Basement is dead and gone. For paying more and getting good quality clothes, there’s a Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Sax.
If you have time to spare on the weekend, the Potomac Mills outlet shops can be a wise investment of time. I just picked up a Hickey Freeman suit (for men, of course) two weeks ago for about $400, list price closer to $1,200 and change. A lot of the big stores down there are having sales that last through tomorrow.
ETA: I almost feel stupid adding this, but it’s common-sense advice that sometimes goes unstated: you cannot know if a suit fits you well if you buy it online. Doesn’t matter who made it or how much you spend, if it has to look good on you, buying online is a waste of time unless you know what precise garment you are looking for because you’ve already tried it on. This is doubly true for women, IMHO. Suits are quite simply built for different people: there are some suits that just fit me, and there’s lots of suits that I can wear, but just don’t look as good and therefore aren’t worth the money.
I’m a huge fan of Ann Taylor LOFT. They’ve moved in a more casual direction than Ann Taylor, however they normally carry at least two suits per season which can be mixed and matched to be either a pantsuit, skirt suit, or you can wear the blazer with a well tailored dress. They’re also at a good mid-range price point without compromising quality and have frequent sales and promos.
I honestly am more curious about this than millions of other things I should be curious about.
She has plenty of money. Plenty of time to hire people to tell her how she really looks.
And yet, she perpetually looks like an utter trainwreck. Is it simply that everyone else around her dresses the same and hasn’t…watched television in 10 years? The woman should be on Dolce or freakin’ able to dial Vera Wang and get her to personally stitch her a suit.
OP, Jcrew also has nice suits for young, stylish people.
I’ve noticed a lot of suits and suit separates in Penney’s. They look nice to me, I mean, they don’t have big plastic buttons/patch pockets/big zippers. Brown, black, navy. Is Penney’s considered low class?
Nah, what puzzles me is the fact that every single freakin’ suit is the same design!
It’s like she called up some catalogue company and said, “Gimme your pantsuit AG541 in every single color.”
The houndstooth check jobbie was the absolute cherry on top!
She didn’t dress like that when she lived in the White House. And I don’t recall her wearing the same damned outfit during her campaign for president. It’s like as soon as she got the SoS job, she bought a RACK of these pantsuits.
She’s an attractive woman. And she’s damned smart. She’s got money, too. Clearly, if she wanted to, she could get a little bit of plastic surgery to take a few years off, and she could have her hair styled by some high-falutin’ stylist.
The appearance she gives, though, is that she’s too BUSY doing important stuff to worry about hair, face, or clothing styles. I could easily picture her saying, “That suit is fine with me, just get a bunch of them.” That way, she can jet all over the world, and not fuss with matching separates, or getting the accessories coordinated.
I only watched it once and they seemed to emphasize it that time, so they do clue viewers. Probably most of them aren’t going to do it anyway. But it makes an incredible difference!
What drives me insane about department store suits is that they’re almost always suits, not suit separates - and I don’t know any women who are really the same size top and bottom. I do get my suits from Banana Republic, or coordinate separates from White House Black Market.
That pretty much describes my approach to the work wardrobe. Mind you, I try to choose something that flatters me - or at least hides the flaws well. But beyond that point it’s just a matter of being both appropriate and modest enought to keep people’s eyes on my face and their thoughts on my words.
But I agree that she seems to have zeroed in on the worst possible sillouette for her shape.
Actually I think Golda was pretty cute and projected far more confidence. Plus, you know, she didn’t sleep her way to the top.
What Zsofia said is a really important point - if you’re thin and shapeless or pear shaped, you’ll probably do fine with a department store suit but if you’re an hourglass or apple or anything else, you’re gonna need suit separates.
Huh, really. I’ve seen a dozen or two episodes and don’t remember it being mentioned at all. I’m glad to hear they do talk about it at least sometimes, though.
A second vote for White House Black Market here, as long as you’re willing to pay in the $100 per piece range. They make trousers that actually fit women whose waists are smaller than their hips, novel idea! Their blazers tend more toward trendy than classic, though, so choose carefully.
Seconded. Those are where I got some of my favorite suits. Also found some on Ebay.
Once I ordered online a couple suits from the Thai company My Suit Shop, which sews suits to your individual measurements at budget prices… but I wasn’t entirely happy with the product.
I got a killer blazer there for my Jeopardy appearance - it’s hella cute but I admit it does make me look like First Admiral of Her Majesty’s Imperial Space Navy. In, one hopes, a good way.
I’ve been on a search for a suit lately (and as a plus size person, this is nary impossible— I guess if you’re fat, you only want weirdly cut, hyper trendy–in all the worst ways, polyester monstrosities, according to Torrid and Lane Bryant) and the most universal recommendation has been Talbots. I was ready to hit up Saks and drop $1000, just so I could get a good suit, but folks stopped me and suggested I try Talbots first. Now, in all honesty-- this whole thing was last week and I haven’t been in yet, but I’m itching to get over there.
My theory is this: I want a traditional suit that I can play with-- fun jewelry, shoes, and bright shirts-- that way I can tone it down (or way up) however I want to.I do not want to look like a frumpy old lady-- I’m 26! I don’t want a cheap looking suit and I want a suit that fits right. Apparently, Talbots suits are well made and standard cuts AND they have a tailor in house, which is a HUGE plus for me.
One other thing folks told me: sign up for their email list, because several times a year, they send out huge coupon discounts.
Oh, also? Sign up for Ideeli and Ruelala-- they regularly have designer suits for 90% off (just last week, they were selling $1500 suits for under $100), you just have to wait for the sale. If I remember correctly, you’re a straight size (ie: not plus), so there are even more options for you.
