Or was that just me?

Shopping for new ventures — new school year, new job — can be overwhelming, because how do you know what you will REALLY need before you start the new thing? What if all the OTHER girls are wearing skinny jeans and you are wearing boot cut jeans? HOW WILL YOU EVER SURVIVE?

You laugh, but you know it’s true, and it is still true when we talk about shopping for a new job. You don’t want to be the only one in the office who wears a dress (or maybe you do, in which case more power to you! wear that dress! seriously) but you also don’t want to dumb down your style just to fit in. Instead, you want to find pieces that are appropriate for the specific environment of your office AND reflective of your personal style.

Yeah, it’s not any easier now than it was in high school.

No matter what your style or the office culture, there are five things you really ought to have before you head back to work.

Kate Spade Tarrytown - Quinn handheld tote, Nordstrom, $395.00
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But BEFORE you run to the mall and start buying things willy nilly, let’s talk about how you can make your existing wardrobe work for this new job.
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Option one: No suits, but no jeans either
Many offices have relaxed the rules about suits but have NOT embraced full business casual, for what I think are obvious reasons. If your new job is one of these offices, consider mixing and matching your existing suit pieces with more casual but still tailored separates. Pair the skirt or trousers from your suit with a twin set or blouse; wear a sheath dress with a cardigan and ballet flats. Keep your look simple and professional, and keep the lines tailored and clean.

Option two: Jeans, but no shorts
This is the typical business casual office, the one where the men come in every day in khakis and a golf shirt. This is actually my favorite kind of office, because it allows you to dress up or down (and by DRESS DOWN I do NOT mean either yoga pants or flip flops). Wear your suit jacket with mid-rise, dark rinse jeans and great shoes, or the skirt from your suit with a really lovely t-shirt or crew neck sweater and flats. Don’t toss your suits just because the office is casual; mix and match them with your more casual pieces.

Option three: Anything goes
This is the hardest office to dress for, honestly, because the temptation to show up in your shorts and a t-shirt will be almost overwhelming. But I really believe that no matter WHAT your coworkers are wearing, you owe it to yourself to put a little effort into your outfit. Pair your jeans (dark rinse! mid rise!) with a cool graphic tee and bright driving mocs, or wear a funky cotton skirt and a cardigan. Be creative with your outfits, but don’t just toss on whatever it was you wore to work in the garden the day before. And for god’s sake put some real shoes on — save the flip flops for the weekend.

Coming Friday: what to buy, and how to budget for it.

Moving from one office to another — or from your kitchen table to an office — can be daunting for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the whole idea of what’s appropriate attire for your new work environment. You don’t want to overdress, but you certainly don’t want to UNDERdress, and either way you want to make a good first impression on your new coworkers.

And all that is before you even start doing the work you are getting paid to do.

So what DO you wear to a new job? Do you dress up, dress down, try to wear what everyone else is wearing?

A little bit of all of those, actually.
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What do you think about personal shoppers? Is it possible to find one for a regular, work-from-home mother of twin toddlers who needs a wardrobe overhaul without an extravagant budget? I don’t particularly like shopping, and I can’t think of any friends with good style who could focus on my wardrobe needs for as long as it would take. So I’m willing to pay for some professional advice. But is it realistic for me to think I’ll find someone who can help me find classic but stylish clothes that fit? Any suggestions for finding a personal shopper?

I love the idea of a personal shopper, someone who can step back and give you advice that is not based on any desire to be your friend or get invited to dinner. But I am also someone who likes realtors and interior decorators for the same reason.

There are a few strategies for making a personal shopper work for you; let’s start with how to find one.

J. Crew

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The WSJ points out that the rules of business casual often vary dramatically from place to place:

Consider the progress of Neonu Jewell, export compliance counsel with Accenture in Chicago. At a Fortune 500 hospitality company where she used to work, a dress code barred denim — so some people wore sweats. At her next job at a Washington law firm, senior attorneys were disapproving of women who wore open-toed shoes on summer Fridays. At Accenture, 37-year-old Ms. Jewell says, business casual still involves suits or at least carefully maintained slacks, shirts and blouses, which she says reflects the highly professional work environment there.

That bit about people wearing sweats to the office of a Fortune 500 company made me die a little inside. Seriously.
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Seriously.

Old Navy Flirt jeans, $29.50
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Sound familiar?

Today I have a random assortment of tips and tricks for you, for days just like today, plus some great news about things you can win.

Tips
I learned something interesting recently, about how to find the Perfect Jeans, that pair that makes everyone say, “Have you lost weight?” and “Wow your butt looks FANTASTIC.” And honestly, it’s so simple that it makes me want to cry, because how did I not realize this before?!?

When you are shopping for jeans, look for three things: fit, length and rise. Yes yes, you say, we knew all that — but wait! There’s a strategy here.
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A pin is a simple way to change the look of the most basic outfit. Pins or brooches are timeless and classic, but not always easy to find; right now, bangle bracelets are all the rage, which makes a really cool pin even more of a find.

That’s not to say, though, that finding a great brooch is impossible — you just have to know where to look. I have a soft spot for vintage pins, both because the craftsmanship on older pieces of jewelery is often far better than what you find today, and because an antique or vintage piece will certainly be one-of-a-kind, at least in my circle of friends. Keep in mind that vintage and estate and antique can mean very different things; vintage and antique are often used interchangeably to refer to pieces manufactured 20 or more years ago (a pin made in the 1980s is thus “vintage”). Vintage can also be used to reference a specific time period (Victorian or Art Deco for example). Pieces that are dramatically older than the 20 year mark (say from the early 1900s) may be referred to as antique rather than vintage. Estate jewelery, on the other hand, is pieces that were previously owned; some estate jewelery may be very old, while other pieces may be recent.

Pricing for vintage pieces depends on several factors: age, materials, and manufacturer. Pieces like the brooch pictured above will be out of reach for most of us, because of the price. The good news, though, is that cool vintage and vintage reproduction pieces are available at all price points.

Although I must confess that I am in love with that bar pin. Truly and deeply.
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Next time you go somewhere, try something different. Try adding a pin. You heard me! PIN. Brooch. Something sparkly and shiny and exotic.

It’s easy.
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