Career Wear on a Budget (Part II: Women)

I've just realized that the last post was monstrous. I mean, the loch ness monster (sometimes referred to by its admirers as 'Nessie') has shorter extremities than the last post. My apologies, dear reader. I'll do my best to shorten my long-windedness and not write novellas on this blog in the future.

It's been an unexpected week, some family matters have kept me from blogging over the past week. Not that I'm overly concerned, but I do seem to remember promising to blog on the second half of career wear in a day or two. My bad.

So, career wear on a budget for women. Much of my advice is similiar to men when it comes to this topic. Chiefly, spend a little extra money on tailoring to really make the outfit pop and appear more expensive than it is.

(let's not even get into the current 'trendy' fashionista opinion that because we're in a recession, what people wear should look cheap and shoddy to reflect frugality- my one word response to this would be 'GRRR!')

I've changed my mind. Let's dwell on this for a second, shall we?

(disclaimer: if it takes you more than a second to read the following, learn to read faster and then revisit)

AUDIENCE. I've mentioned it a few times before, but when considering your image, this recession (or Great Recession, as MacLean's and others have been calling it- clever, no?), and frugality.... always consider the audience. There will be people who don't care that you're still wearing the same modestly-priced clothing as you always have (dear Jennifer Aniston, I know that you read my blog- I love you, but honestly? This post isn't for you). There will also be people who are offended if you wear a ninety dollar pair of jeans to a social function (insert cliché ex-wife joke here). Personally, I think that the idea of dressing in inexpensive clothes during economic troubles as a great fashion trend is utterly ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, always spend on clothing what your budget allows and what you're comfortable with... but if you're financially well off, don't start shopping for underwear at The Dollar Store. That being said, it might be a tad insensitive to wear a ten thousand dollar dress while spooning out lunch at a soup kitchen (I really hope Jennifer Aniston stopped reading this earlier).

Career. Wear. For. Women.

• Mix and match outfits. Buying items that cross over from one outfit to the next will help shave some dollars and cents off your bill at the end of a shopping trip. Cool shades work quite well, almost universally so, with other cool shades (a cool shade being colours that we associate with cool temperature- blue and its variants, white, grey, black). For instance, a light grey pant suit will support blouses which are blue, green, purple, white and grey (although be careful about the particular shades looking wonky together).


• SHOES! Women love shoes. (Some) men love shoes. I think shoes can be one of the sexiest accessories of any outfit if they have understated interest. If you want to save money on your professional wardrobe.... d o n o t buy a pair of shoes for every outfit (no, this doesn't mean you can buy two pairs for every outfit either). Opt instead for one or two pairs of neutral-coloured, sensible shoes which will work with a variety of outfits.


• Handbags- see above. Remember that part in the Sex and the City movie where Carrie's assistant shows up sporting a Louis Vuitton? And she says something to the effect of 'it's a rental'? Well, that actually exists. There are a handful of such services in Canada even- mind you, mostly scattered around the GTA, Montreal, and Vancouver.


• Outlet malls are your friend.

Cost-cutting measures are important for people on a budget, yes. However, there is one thing that you should never skimp on as a woman.

Makeup.

(if you wear it- personally, I'm very partial to the girl-next-door-makeup-minimalist look, but to each their own).

Makeup can be incredibly expensive, but buy the best quality makeup that you can afford. Most of the attention you receive in a day will centre on your face. Cheap makeup has a habit of doing funky things (running, gobbing, and 'sweating') partway through the day. It also tends to contain very cheap ingredients that are detrimental to the health of your skin. Arbonne carries some great makeup lines, although it can be tough to get ahold of (http://www.arbonne.ca/).

While we're on the subject, if you're an avid makeup wearer, pay extra attention to your skincare regimen. Even the most organic of makeups touted as healthy for your skin still share one thing with their cheaply synthetic bretheren (sisteren?): they're designed to cover up your skin. The skin needs to breathe and the pores need to do their thing. It's nature, baby. A layer of makeup on top of your skin makes it very difficult for air to get in and moisture to get out.

So- wash, moisturize, exfoliate, and do all the good stuff. Eat well, drink well, and take care of yourself. The benefits will show in and on your face. And don't curse your parents too much if you got stuck with the genes for crappy complexion. Just accept it and do what you can with it.

C'est la vie, you know?

I hope that this one wasn't too long, dear reader. If you have a burning question about something, leave a comment. Or call, or eMail, or whatever. Honestly, I don't bite.

Unless you're into that sort of thing.