New Look / Update Styles

So I'm in the process of trying to figure out what to do to update my pathetic wardrobe to something that isn't jeans w/t's and workout attire. I don't even have any nice dress clothes anymore I've been making my clinic attire consist of cords. I only have a pair of flat sole black boots that are nice looking enough to wear to clinic. This was OK for now but spring is near :eek:

So from what I understand of this foreign language called 'fashion' I need to have some nice fitting neutral (black) slacks, a fitted blazer, a white dress shirt, some cute dress shoes, I would like to add some bright colored tops and I desperately need to update my jeans, they look beat up. I was considering some scarves too but not sure on that one? Accessories, ugh accessories, where to begin :(

My first impression was buying online but I have a hippy build so that doesn't usually work well because slacks NEVER fit me right. Next thought is TJ Maxx. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears :):):)

I don't own a single pair of black pants. I know it's a fashion staple for many, but I got sick of them a few years ago and haven't bothered with them for a long time. I generally find it difficult to find pants that are both fashionable and figure flattering. Now, I almost exclusively wear skirts--mostly to the knee. A-line cuts are flattering on a lot of figures, especially mine. I pair the with tights and boots for the winter and sandals in the summer. Very comfy and easy to wear.

If you want to get a lot of mileage out of a few pieces, look for basic neutrals and then add a punch of color with a scarf, shoes or jewelry.

I might try different brands of pants on in stores, to see if you can order on line. That is, unless you are petite, like me, where they only carry my size on line in a lot of places.
You can't go wrong with black, charcoal, and navy pants, a couple of stretchy button down shirts, and some updated t shirts. Add a blazer or cardigan and you are set.
I honestly like the Gap for jeans. Tons of styles and sizes. Not too expensive, either. Regular pants, on the other hand, I tend to spend more $, because you really can tell the difference in the way they are tailored, especially wool.

I'm with Crankin about spending more on quality pants. You do tend to get what you pay for. IMO, lined pants generally look much better than unlined. If you're hippy, stay away from tapered pants, too. They came back into fashion over the last couple of years, but I don't think they flatter most figures.

I agree with Indy on the skirts. Until I switched careers, I almost never wore pants to work. But now, it seems to brand me as as outlier. I wear a dress or skirt 1-2X a week, on days when I am not working with young children. More in the summer, because a dress is much cooler than capris or a skirt.
The people I work with dress like they are in school, although the younger clinicians do it with some style, i.e.scarves, cool boots, sweaters. But, they all wear jeans. One male clinician I work with (my age) wears a button down shirt and tie every day, but he is based at the high school, so maybe that's what the teachers there wear. The other male clinician (young) wears very casual clothes.
Last year, when I was working in a clinic, there were only 2-3 clinicians who regularly wore skirts/dresses. The admin. staff dressed better! I understand the idea of not overdressing when you are working with people struggling with economics, but I feel the mere act of putting a skirt on sort of labels me, more with colleagues than clients. In fact, I've had 1-2 moms say out loud that I am the first therapist they've had who dresses nicely. I never reply back, but I wonder how this got started. And, I am talking about dressing nicely in a way that would be termed business casual.

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So from what I understand of this foreign language called 'fashion'

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:D However I do take vicarious pleasure in looking at fashion magazines..um maybe every 2-3 months.

I do wear black dress pants to work ...when I'm not wearing black jeans, a black skirt or a khaki green colour pair of semi-casual pants.

If you don't like scarves, then don't wear them. Otherwise you'll be fiddling with them unnecessarily. I wear a scarf occasionally ---they are light chiffon floral scarves that I knot up so the knot sits near 1 shoulder and rest drapes around neck like a cowl. Maybe it might date me, I don't care. It's to "soften" a plain neckline. I don't think I have cutesy feminine face, so such scarves give a more feminine, softer look around my face.

An easy way to dress up near your face, is to wear earrings. And have a good hair cut/style. With age for me, this becomes truer and truer over the years.

A few days ago, I bought....a light short sleeve near T-shirt but it had an interesting neckline and shorts. So much for dress, business clothing. :rolleyes:

Then I realized, I couldn't fill out the top part of the shirt in a better way because I'm small. Oh well, it was only $22.00. I'm wearing it for summer days.

One of the tougher things I find is for summer when the air-conditioning is turned on full blast in a large office building. I get tired of wearing a jacket just to keep warmer ...during the summer. (?)