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I got a job and I need pants. And maybe shoes.

Ariadne

Veteran

After 3.5 years as a SAHM, I'm going back to work 2 days a week at my dream fantasy no way this job could even possibly exist on the planet never mind be mine job, starting next week. I'm excited with a big dose of TERRIFIED.

Dress code is basically business casual--nice jeans are OK, suits aren't done, anything in between is pretty much OK. The woman who interviewed me was wearing a refined sweatshirt dress, opaque tights or maybe ponte leggings, and riding boots (she looked amazing and I want her dress). I'm sick of pencil skirts, which are the only non-jeans items I own right now aside from leggings. I would prefer something at least one step up from jeans for the first little while.

I think I want some pants (trousers). I have no idea where to start. I'm in Canada. Banana Republic? I'd like some edge, but nothing over the top.

I think I also need some really simple flat or very low heeled black or taupe booties.

I'm kind of in shock.

Shopping

35 replies

Latest reply was from Isabel

anne

Veteran

Congratulations!!!! Wonderful news. I empathize, as I just started back in the paid workforce for the first time since 2007!!!! I am absolutely exhausted but loving it.

No trousers advice, since I am in Oz, but hope you'll get some from the forum soon.

christieanne

Veteran

Hurray for you!! Very cool.

As for trousers, Banana Republic should be a good place to start. Maybe a micro check?
I wear tons of denim in my workplace and like to dress it up with a ponte blazer or military style blazer. Cardigan with belt has nice polish but not over the top dressy.

Sounds like a very exciting time!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Have you tried Rickis for pants? They have some nice ones and are definitely Canadian

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Congratulations, how very exciting! I'm in Oz too - but I'm sure someone will chime in.

Kirti

(website)

Veteran

congrats and all the best with the hunt for pants!

ManidipaM

Veteran

Big congratulations on the dream job!

I'm sure others will chime in from Canada with practical advice. But in the meantime, maybe even a less-classic/conservative top will get your pencil skirts up to casual scratch?

Krista

Veteran

Congratulations! So exciting!

I would start with Banana Republic for trousers, but I personally find them expensive sometimes. They would definitely be good investment pieces to start, though!

Lyn's suggestion of Ricki's is also good, or even RW & Co? Or Jacob? I've even spotted decent items at The Bay these days, but many of us on the forum can't stand The Bay for their crappy service and store setup. Jeanne Beker's line, Edit, (I know Shannon has a few pieces) might also be good - trendy/classic items that are fairly decently priced. It's available only at The Bay.

I would suggest Clark's Indigo/Artisan line for comfortable booties to start for footwear. They're comfortable and good quality and won't break your budget.

Also, a denim jacket over a pencil skirt with a turtleneck, belt and some boots will definitely get you started - probably items you already have!

Good luck! Very excited for you! Can you share what type of job it is?

rute

Veteran

I jacket or a nice cardi would be nice to wear with dark denin jeans or trousers.
The cardi can also be paired with your skirts!
I add some suggestions.

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

SQEEEEE!!!!! You got it!! Congratulations!!!! So happy for you.

Okay- definitely go to BR. The trousers may be pricey but you may hit a sale, too. Sveta and Amy got the BR Monogram trousers in the winter white - gorgeous! Sveta had hers narrowed to straight legs to avoid the PPL dripping wet issue. But they have other trousers as well and they wouldn't need to be white. Diana got a good pair there recently in grey and if you hunt her recent threads you will see her wearing them either yesterday or the day before (can't remember). Anyway- this shows they will work well on a curvy frame.

Also, while I agree wholeheartedly with Krista about the Bay, it's still worth a look there. Shannon got Lord and Taylor trousers, sized up, and then had the bottoms narrowed for a modified slouchy trouser look. They are fab!! And I don't think they were too pricey.

Then there is Sears where both Shannon and Sveta got an amazing pair of slouchy pants for almost no money at all!!! If they don't pop in here, check their threads or PM them.

And don't neglect the Runway at your Winners. That is where I got my own slouchy trousers. They were pricey (even at Winners) but are a gorgeous fabric and feel worth it to me. I am happy with them. Of course it's always hit and miss there. But if you get a hit, it's a good one. After we visited together in Vancouver, I went there, and found: Slouchy trousers, a little sweater vest, a rugby striped cashmere pullover, and a pair of Theory moto pants, plus a Theory turtleneck. SCORE!!!

Glory

Veteran

Congrats on the dream job - so fantastic. I also think Ricki's might be a good place to start. Other places that might work: BR, GAP, Reitmans, Joe Fresh has some very unique items, Le Chateau. For shoes: Softmoc is one of may faves, along with The Bay (if you can tolerate the lack of service). There is also Holts etc. Depends what city you are in.

Anonymous

Congratulations! The other Canadian ladies have offered some good suggestions on where to find workwear.

Emily

Veteran

Banana Republic, Gap, Rickis, Cleo, RW&Co, Jacob, and Reitmans are all good bets for trousers. BR and the Gap are the best for ordreing online, with Rickis/Cleo a close second if you happen to catch them with a $1-$2 shipping promotion and have a store nearby to return things to. I've had good luck with RW&Co for dress trousers that fit and wear well. If you haven't been in Reitmans in a while, I'd give them a peek too. They have some classic pants styles that are reasonable quality and inexpensive.

Shoes-wise, I just got a pair of black booties from Rockport.ca and am happy with both style and service. They have a few lower heeled/flat styles that might be worth a look. Aldo has some lower heeled booties as well, last time I looked.

Congratulations!!

Tina

Veteran

I'll second Rockport as a good shoe to try. Also, 40% off all full priced women's wear at BR today only, in stores only! Congrats on landing your dream job!

Diana

Veteran

Yes, I think BR is a great place to start. The Martin trousers I just bought there are lightweight wool and fully lined, and though I got them on sale, I thought the full price ($98 US) was really good for the quality. And at least here in the US, they seem to be running some sort of % off promotion practically every week.

ETA: Where are my manners? Congratulations on the job!!!!

pil

Veteran

Congratulations on the job, that is super!

lynne

Veteran

Congratulations!

Thistle

Veteran

Congratulations! I can't help with Canadian retailers, but I know you can find those trousers with some of the wonderful help already noted above.

I am so glad you got the position!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Congrats!! I am so happy for you!!

The ladies have you sorted for suggestions. Good luck and we are here if you need us.

Jules

Veteran

Love me some Joe Fresh especially for fun patterned items, and if they are nearby they are always worth a look, but they don't have a big selection of workplace basics such as trousers. They'll have a few generally trendy picks but not a selection of cuts and fits. Same with denim. But they do have a lot of nice silk shirts right now especially at the flagship stores (things I don't see on the website for some reason).

catgirl

Veteran

OMG, what is the JOB!? Am dying to know!

Ariadne

Veteran

Thanks SO much, everyone! I'm thrilled.

I have a strict rule about not talking about work on the Internet, but I will say it's writing-related (my field), non-profit, and fairly creative.

I'm not going to buy much right now--I have some blouses, cardis, jackets, flats, and so on, and my body and style are in flux right now. Plus it's only 2 days a week; I'll be herding kids the rest of the week. A couple of key pieces are definitely in order, though.

I may try to go to the mall tonight to check out BR, because of the sale. The same mall has the Bay, Aritzia, Jacob, BCBG, Aldo, as well as some expensive places like Michael Kors, Wear Else, and Gap (note to self: check out the skinny pants Angie and a lot of you wear). I'm going to do some preliminary checking into their online offerings and maybe post a few possibilities in a new thread for feedback.

I have a couple of cardigans, some good belts,

Suz, I didn't realize you got all those amazing items at Winners! I thought they were from Holt Renfrew! I will be downtown next week for Dress for Success so I think I'll try to scout out the Runway section if I can't make it there this weekend. Downtown also has JCrew and Club Monaco and Zara and a Joe Fresh store (I want to check out those silk shirts!).

Sears has shut down in my area.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yup - every bit of it came from Winners! I also bought a much less well advised sweater in a gorgeous cobalt. It was not from the Runway and was inexpensive and filled a wardrobe hole and I love the colour on me...but it's awful to wear. Bags out instantaneously. That one will go in my donate pile very soon. The cashmere sweater was also from the regular part of the store and isn't the highest quality, but it has done me extremely well this winter and I will probably get at least another season out of it.

The Theory turtleneck, moto pants, and the slouchy pants were all Runway items, and although not cheap, were a whole heck of a lot less than they would have been at full price!

Ariadne

Veteran

I would die for a pair of moto pants. I love them. I need to try some slouchy pants and see how I feel about them on myself.

I got some knits (cardis and pullovers) from BR and Gap this year and they've all pilled horrifically within 2 wears. I'm so ticked off. I definitely need to find another source for knits.

cciele

Veteran

Congrats--your new job sounds exciting

I'm also in the writing field, and dress ranges from casual to business casual. I find myself consistently wearing one piece of denim to add the casual element to whatever else I'm wearing,e.g., denim trousers or leggings, cropped denim moto jacket, denim buttondown shirt.

Ariadne

Veteran

Cathy, that's interesting! I'm sure I will wear denim. I want to make sure I have a handle on how others in the workplace wear it before I try it.

rute, I forgot to mention that I particularly love the first look you posted. I'd wear something like that (maybe without the blingy necklace, and with flats).

Ariadne

Veteran

I'm going through my closet right now* and it turns out I have about five million acceptable outfits I can produce with what I already own. Who knew? Most of them don't fit with my aspirational style, but they fit my new job's dress code, my body, and my budget, and are stylish even if they're not the style I necessarily want right now. It's good to know I'm covered and can take my time.

I think I'm going to go window shop tonight and try on a few things at BR and Aritzia anyway; there are a few items I want to see on my body, and I'm loving a lot of the tweed pants looks I'm finding on Pinterest. I want to skew conservative at first and get a sense of how creative and edgy I can be without standing out like a sore thumb.

*I'm jettisoning a bunch of stuff I have no desire to wear anymore while I'm at it.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow, that sounds terrific! I wanted to add that the outfit you wore when we met would be a super one (once you're a bit settled there.) Also, you bought two fantastic jackets that look stupendous on you during that afternoon. Any trousers you buy can work really well with those. And even if you don't love your pencil skirts, I'll bet they can be really funked up and will fit the aspirational style if paired with a jacket and some great booties. Maybe you can focus on the footwear since I know you've been looking for a while and there should be some good sales on now?

Ariadne

Veteran

I think that's what I'll do, Suz. Footwear, maybe a pair of slim black pants (I have a pair of classic Mexx charcoal bootcut ones I thrifted; they go with just about everything I own, but I'd like two pairs to rotate), maybe a warm coat of some sort because my puffer is unpresentable at this point. It's going to be cold for a while longer and I'll be spending 1.5 hours on transit each way, with two outdoor transfers.

The pencil skirts may get another chance, at least for a while. One is dark denim (JCrew) and one is charcoal pinstripe H&M ($5 thrifted) and are several years old, but still in perfect shape. It seems that tights hate me, though. If they fit at the thighs they fall off my waist; if they fit my waist they're too tight at the thighs. I wasted almost $100 on well-reviewed fleece and wool tights from SockDreams this year and none of them fit. My plain opaque nylon ones are fine, but not super warm.

Sad news about the bright orange jacket--it had a flaw and had to be returned But I have a black one and a tweed one and a few cardigans.

Anonymous

Firstly, congrats.

I think your idea of taking your time is a great one. You said you had enough of your own clothes to start off. I did the same thing after being home a few years, ran out and bought clothes ( great pants at Cleo ) only to find the corporate culture had changed a bit.

Maybe buy yourself a couple of tops to perk yourself up but get the feel for the office first. Just my 2 cents

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