Dressing Magenta Like a Dead Person

magenta321 · #1 08-24-2006, 08:35 PM

I hate dressing like a dead person.

Ok... so looking for a new job. The look is supposed to be "IBM"ish.

I really really hate suits. I've resigned to the fact that I will need to wear suits anyway.

Suits are very hard to buy -- esp the sets. I am much much smaller on the bottom than the top. And on the top... EVERYTHING is too tight at the boobs unless I go several sizes too large.

Is that what I'm supposed to do? Buy a size 18 or 20 and have them turn it into a size 14 just so the boobs will fit? Same with the icky blouses I'm supposed to wear under them?

I really wish I didn't need to get things altered.

And pretend I found a jacket on the rack that didn't need alterations. Is there a way to hem the pants (which are usually 6 inches too long it seems) without knowing how to sew. There must be some glue on iron on sort of hem maker thing by now, right?

And if I have to alter things... how much should I expect to pay?

This whole suit thing is the suck.

**AuntieEmma**[$] · #2 08-24-2006, 08:47 PM

My suggestions, for what they're worth --

-- Buy separates. The bottoms don't have to be part of a suit -- any pair of black pants or a black skirt will do. Just buy a jacket and a blouse.

-- Wear the jacket open over the blouse. That way, the jacket doesn't have to be a perfect fit. (The icky blouse will have to fit, though.)

-- If you wear a skirt, rather than pants, you don't have to worry about hemming it.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #3 08-24-2006, 08:57 PM

It costs me about +$10 to have sleeves lengthened, about the same to have my pant legs lengthened. I bought separates since I have wide shoulders and needed a size 6 jacket but size 4 pants, but then nature helped me out and gave me a size 6 butt. :-/

I rarely wear a blouse under my jackets - I'l wear a light knit crew-necked top or a knit tank underneath (not quite brave enough to do the lacy camisole thing). The important thing with a jacket is that it fits through the back/shoulders. If you have to get a size larger to accommodate your chest, to have it altered could mean recutting the arm holes and resetting the sleeves, which could be pricey. Better stores will offer free or low-cost alterations, but you'll spend more for the suit. However, getting one really good suit isn't a bad investment. Try Nordstrom's or Lord and Taylors - Norsdroms especially is known for customer service and helpfulness - a knowledgable salesperson will be especially useful and you've got a better chance there than at Macy's.

frazzledspice · #4 08-25-2006, 01:35 PM

Have you ever considered having a breast reduction? I would never suggest it to anyone, but it sounds as if you are unhappy being two such different sizes on the top and bottom.

I have no experience with that surgery, but two of my friends have had it and have felt much more comfortable and happier with their appearances. One was very athletic, and was finally able to be as active as she wanted to be without suffering pain.

Many department stores will sell jackets and skirts and pants as separates, so that you can buy the sizes you need in each item. Online and catalog stores do it as well.

Could you wear the uniform and be creative with your accessories?

**AuntieEmma**[$] · #5 08-25-2006, 02:12 PM

One thing you can do to make a suit look less like it's for your own funeral is to get a jacket that has some color in it. I think of the jacket as the most important part of a suit, and the rest (the pants/skirt, the blouse/shell) as just the background. So with a black bottom (pants/skirt -- which by the way don't have to come from the suit section of the store), and a neutral shell/top (I agree with MJ that you don't need to get an icky blouse), you can have a jacket that stands out more. You can go conservative with a black/white houndstooth, or go for a little more color. The top should be solid and neutral, but keyed to play up, or provide a nice contrast to, one of the colors in the jacket.

Here's something I think is a pretty jacket. For an interview, I might go with a higher-necked blouse, and I'd tuck it in, but otherwise, I think it's a good outfit. Not that it's necessarily to your own taste, but just as an example of something that's outside of the box (literally outside of the casket box!

) The picture is from Nordstrom's.

**mtomm**[$] · #6 08-25-2006, 02:33 PM

Do they really bury women in suits? I mean I've seen dead guys in suits but not a dead woman.

Margaret, I have complete faith that you will find something that suits you to a T. You are the fashion goddess!

**theworm**[$] · #7 08-25-2006, 03:18 PM

I think that you need to buy yourself a few good quality separates that will last you for a long time, and give up and take them to be tailored to fit.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #8 08-25-2006, 04:02 PM

Or sew your own.

That was why I originally learned to sew... so I could make things that fit. Who knew I'd mostly put those skills to use on Beanie, who's height and width belong to two separate people.

**lynnzop**[$] · #9 08-26-2006, 10:42 AM

Margaret, the title of your thread has been making me chuckle for two days now.

Separates really are the way to go. Unfortunately, it also sounds like you're going to have to learn to hem - it's really easy to do by hand - I've tried the glues and iron on hemming stuff and it just doesn't last. If you don't want to do it, using a seamstress is really worth the money (hemming pants shouldn't be that much....)

magenta321 · #10 08-26-2006, 11:18 AM

I bought a suit at Annie Sez. It buttons, technically. I drown in the bigger suits. I got the pants hemmed and the sleeves shortened. My $280 suit ended up being $129 and then $20 off, and the alterations were supposed to be $60!! but they charged me $30. So... $139 for the end product.

How many suits do I really need? I have two. Three technically, if you count a cheap suit that's too memorable to wear often. One of my suits is grey. One is black. The grey one only has a pair of pants that match it. The black one has endless pants and skirts that match. Can you really keep changing the shirt and have people think you're not wearing the same clothes every single day?

I went to the doorbuster thing at JC Penny today hoping to score another suit for not a lot of money, but, they were not nice enough. Mostly they had inferior fabrics that already looked wrinkley or no lining, etc. I've read that I shouldn't get unlined suits because they'll accentuate my buldges.

Oh, onto another thread. I found miracle pants that I need to tell the world about.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #11 08-26-2006, 11:34 AM

Let's see... I've got 5 suits, plus a black jacket and a grey jacket that I wear to punch up pants or skirts without going with the full suit. I don't wear suits every day - being in non-profit, plus a casual office, I can get away with less of the Wall Street look most of the time. The suits are for large meetings I co-chair, meetings with city/state administrators, City Council appearances, etc. 80% of the time I can get by with skirt and pants separates, shells, sweaters and tanks, and the like.

I'd say the minimum an average woman needs is two good suits for interviews/important meetings. If you change the accessories and the tops you wear under the jackets people won't really be keeping track of the suit itself, especially if it's a classic (read: boring, neutral) style. Think of the men you know - they probably rotate the same 4-5 suits all the time, but you probably don't notice unless you're paying particular attention or there's a feature that makes the suit memorable, like a different type of pocket or cuff button or something. (One IT guy I know wears one particular wool sweater very often. I remember it because it's got a hole on the elbow. Couldn't tell you anything about what his officemate wore the last time I saw him though.)

I digress.

What is it you're planning on doing? If you're moving into drug rep world, I'd wait and just make sure you've got good suits for the first and second interviews with a company. If you get the job you'll find out what wardrobe the job may call for. If you're out visit a different office every day, the person at office #1 isn't going to call the person at office #3 to say "Margaret wore her grey suit today, look to see if she wears it Wednesday." I've also found that some places you go to, depending on the type of office and regional differences, wearing a suit is a no-no. When I chair upstate meetings, for example, I've learned not to wear a suit but to do separates - unless the meeting involves Executive Directors. Some agencies I visit call for khakis, some call for separates and a blazer, some call for suits... so even if I've got a week of visiting agencies, I don't need a week's worth of suits.