Dressing for Success
What To Wear To A Job Interview
The basics of career dressing are:
1. Conservative colors- preferably neutrals like black, white, gray, beige or navy. Pastel or small printed shirts and blouses can work but NO LARGE PRINTS ever for an interview
2. Simple and clean lines nothing too fashion forward or trendy.
3. FULL COVERAGE no plunging necklines or mini skirts (think church)
4. Ultra simple accessories and jewelry, save the bling for evening wear. Pearls are always good for a corporate look, and small earrings and narrow bracelets will give an outfit pizazz without overpowering the suit or dress.
Your objective is to appear amiable, serious, responsible and competent.
It's amazing but many people especially younger people are clueless about how to present themselves to prospective employers. Employment agencies complain of people showing up in jeans, tank tops, sundresses, clogs, tennis shoes, purple hair, huge earrings, tube tops, flip flops etc. In this tough economy and very competitive job market you might want to save the "personality" wear for after your employed. For most work environments you usually wont go wrong going conservative.
Keep in mind that when you're plus sized you need to be extra polished especially when high positions and high pay are at stake.
Below are my picks for some great career looks:
The suit above is called The Classic Plus Size Skirt Suit. by Jessica London. This color shows off the multi button detail nicely, however Black would be the best career wear choice. It comes in in six colors, in sizes 12w-24w. A black suit with a white, ivory or pastel shell type blouse would be good for interviewing at a formal office.
Pants suits are acceptable interview wear these days. but again keep the color and cut basic and make sure both top and bottom fit well. Pearls are the classic accessory for interviews at more formal companies(law firms, finance etc) however they can also help to feminize, or soften the look of a very tailored pantsuit.
When you're plus sized Sometimes a suit can just feel too confining or uncomfortable, and depending on your size and proportions finding a good quality well fitting suit could be next impossible; then my Choice would be a knit dress or separates instead.
Keep earrings and all other accessories small and simple both of these earring styles are 1/2 to 1 inch long.
both of these dresses by Avenue come in black, they can be dressed up or down which makes them good basic job hunting wear as well as special occasion outfits too they come in three colors sizes 12w-32w .
Be Creative
It you don't yet have a job hunting dress but can't stand the thought of squeezing into a suit, be creative put an outfit together. Just remember to keep it simple, less is definitely more. for instance If you have a favorite very comfortable black dress. pair it with a nice jacket.
If you like to shop, make a habit of picking up pieces in neutral colors. Blacks, grays, taupes, tans and beige, can get you a lot of mileage and really pull your wardrobe together. You will always have something to wear for most any occasion.
They're Back
Ponte di roma has made a comeback. Back in the day we called it doubleknit. Say what you want about synthetics but many are very durable and versatile fabrics. Ponte has enough stretch to feel comfortatble but it holds it's shape enough to look well in tailored styles.
These two Ponte pieces would make a tasteful but comfortable interview outfit for a casual office in one color, all black or all Tan.
Remember Go Conservative. Sorry ladies but pantyhose is a must when wearing a skirt, preferably a flesh tone. Excess cleavage is an issue for many of us. So keep a few neutral colored high cut tank tops or camisoles on hand to keep "the girls" out of sight.
You can never go wrong with a classic pump. They work for suits , dresses and slacks. Keep your purse smallish neat and simple too.