Professional Ladies: Where do you buy your suits/shirts?

[Benzgirl]

Talbots and Ann Taylor are too conservative for me. They remind me of Bree VandeCamp.

I have purchased some great suits (and at a reduced cost) at TJ Maxx. Each was around $70. I pick up shifts (dresses) at Marshalls and Steinmart, and great jackets at Nordstroms, Saks, etc. I wear these with my vast "black-pant" wordrobe.

I wore Kasper quite a bit in the 90s, but you have to watch which of their lines you are looking at as to what demographic to which they are catering (i.e. ASL, Le Suit, Tahari). One of the things I liked about Kasper was that they were very consistent in their sizing. At the time, I was a size 4 and if I saw a suit, I could buy it without trying it on because I knew it would fit.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Pendleton.

They are not cheap, but their clothes are high quality. They have also really expanded away from just the preppy look to some more fun items. Still fairly conservative and would be appropriate in a professional setting.

I worked in a Pendelton store all through college. I still buy from them and have gorgeous pleated skirts I've worn for years that still look brand new.

[ADqtPiMel]

I'm built kind of like you, tall and inverted triangle shape (broad shoulders, narrow hips, big rack, no waist). My suit is from J. Crew, but I bought it five years ago so I can't speak to their current suiting line.

Best button-down shirts for me are J. Crew -- big enough for my chest but cut slim throughout the torso, and long enough that they stay tucked in. The house brand at Nordstrom also works well, though they aren't as long. Outside of those two brands, I try to avoid button-downs because they're all boxy and look awful. I buy a lot of embellished sleeveless or short sleeved silk tops from various places that look beautiful with cardigans/jackets and still look professional without any boob-gap issues.

I've also done well with pants from J. Crew, as long as I get the long size. I also have four different colors of the same wool pencil skirt from J. Crew that I adore.

Ann Taylor really doesn't work well for me -- the pants seem to be cut for someone with a smaller waist and bigger hips.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by Xylochick216

I second the New York & Company suggestion.

I third it! JCPenney's and Macy's are also good. Every suit I've gotten from Macy's, I've gotten on clearance. For some reason, they often have nice suits on clearance at the local one.

[sky&sea]

Originally Posted by christiangirl

I third it! JCPenney's and Macy's are also good. Every suit I've gotten from Macy's, I've gotten on clearance. For some reason, they often have nice suits on clearance at the local one.

I ditto Macys. I have a few suits from there (granted, interview/internship quality, not necessarily as nice as if I was making full-time income) and I really like them.

[amanda6035]

K&G - looks like you'll be able to shop online before too much longer. kgstores.com. They are kind of like a Burlington Coat factory. Good prices, lots to choose from.

[thetygerlily]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Talbots and Ann Taylor are too conservative for me. They remind me of Bree VandeCamp.

I have purchased some great suits (and at a reduced cost) at TJ Maxx. Each was around $70. I pick up shifts (dresses) at Marshalls and Steinmart, and great jackets at Nordstroms, Saks, etc. I wear these with my vast "black-pant" wordrobe.

I'm with you on all this. I'm not a fan of Ann Taylor because it's too conservative preppy for me- I think it looks great if you have just the right body for it, but I'm certainly not one of them.

I purchase almost all of my work clothes from Marshalls, Ross, and TJ Maxx. You have to weed through crazy glittery things, but I go every 4-6 weeks and have gotten quite efficient at flipping through the racks. I don't wear button down shirts because they just plain don't fit me- I go for more knits and silky shirts. There are usually a couple of racks of the fancier name brands as well. Because it's less expensive, I find myself taking more "risks" because if I try wearing something new (a new color, style, pattern, fabric, whatever) and decide after a couple of wearings that it's not for me, I'm okay with being out $8-20. Much better than $40, that's for sure!

I've also had good luck with Macy's, Ann Taylor Loft, and New York & Co... but every season the fabrics and cuts change so dramatically that I'll sometimes take a 2-3 year hiatus between buying anything at the stores. My proper suit jacket is from Macy's, but I've only worn it once I think, during my first round of interviews after college. The northwest is just not fancy enough to demand suit jackets for women in most industries. And hey, I'm not going to argue with that!