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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Not a girl, not yet a woman.

Sylvie

Member

I'm 26 with an office job, and a generally conservative wardrobe with many quirky vintage pieces.

I seem to have hit a road block though. The Junior's section which was once a Mecca of wonderful choices for me seems too brightly colored, tiny and not as sophisticated as I would like to look.
All of the clothing in the "women's" section seems too conservative, or they're in crazy prints or they just plain don't fit me right.

I've all but given up on shopping after this metamorphosis and I'm just not sure where I go next.

Advice? Stores? Tips and tricks? ANYTHING will help. I just feel like I'm in style Limbo out there.

You're all beautiful angels, and I thank you greatly ahead of time for taking a minute to pass your wisdom down to me. XO

Dressing

16 replies

Latest reply was from

Liz

Veteran

Welcome! You've come to a great place for help, and I'm sure you'll get good pointers.

What stores have you been shopping in that seem too conservative or have crazy prints? Knowing what you don't like will help us point you toward what you might like.

(Oh, and at 26, you most definitely are a woman!)

Anonymous

Not sure what your budget is, but I'd try Club Monaco or Kit & Ace, and then independent boutiques that cater to a younger woman are an obvious choice. Do you follow your local retailers on instagram and Facebook? That's a great source of visual information . Topshop is another good , less expensive resource, for office pants, jackets, blouses etc with a twist. Pinterest can be a good source of visual inspiration too, but it also can be a self-perpetuating cycle of the same images from 4-5 years ago if you're not careful. For example, type "business casual office wear" into the search field, and then start narrowing it down by the classifications they suggest. Marie Claire magazine is a good magazine - digitally or print - for women your age too.....

DonnaF

Veteran

Also, what is your body type? For example, other than my loosely cut linen shirt, I do not expect items to fit me at J. Crew because their fit model seems to be a slim rectangle and I am too curvy to get a fit on most things there.

I have a daughter who will be turning 24 in a few months so I understand the challenges. She is 5' 2" and the cut of Petites does not work as well on her as junior cuts.

Have you tried Zara, Club Monaco, Anthropologie, H&M and Express? I mention them for fit models that might work and less conservative than Ann Taylor. You can buy vintage looks online but the name of the company escapes me right now.

Assume that you may have to cast wide net and won't find everything that you want and that fits you at a single place.

sylvie55

(website)

Welcome to another Sylvie! For a start, try going to the Finds on this website and take a look at Angie's Top Picks. She has an impeccable sense of style and I'm guessing you'll see some things that catch your eye. All have thorough information about stores and how they fit on various body types.

Anonymous

I am 70 and still find the best fit in the Junior section. Many many stores and brands make clothing cut for curvy women. I am not curvy. Try Loft and Banana Republic, J Crew, Gap and Express. Stay away from Penny's, Kohls, and most catalogue companies. I follow Angie picks and have favorite brands. You may find someone here who has is similar body and style to yours to watch for ideas.

fathenry

Veteran

I'm in my 40s, like Banana Republic for work wear. My colleagues in their later 20s wear some of it as well. There is a little bit of mix between conservative and slightly trendy for work. I have a straight up and down body and the pants cuts work. I like Zara for fun stuff and also a more straight cut pant but look carefully, some things have fallen apart after one season. Express also has trendy things that may fit on the more fun end of the spectrum.

Sal

Veteran

I cannot offer specific retailer advice but welcome to the forum.

There are dressing challenges at every age I think. I suggest looking around at bloggers or styles that you do like, and using them as inspiration. I find lots of inspiration here from different forum members who are different ages, shapes and have different lifestyles to me.

cindysmith

Veteran

I wish I had some helpful advice, but I'm kind of a weirdo who likes asymmetry and deconstruction and plain old destruction. (I literally have a scarf we shot holes in to make it awesome)

I do like Etsy a lot because there's something for everyone and many sellers make bespoke garments at little or no extra charge. I like yoox because it's a great way for me to afford brands/designers that would normally be out of my budget; it's also helped me discover new labels to like LOL.

I find that if I go to a department store website and go into their "contemporary" section, I find stuff that's not Juniors and yet still fresh and fun.

Anonymous

Welcome!

Perhaps you could wear some juniors items, but combine them with other things from the women's section?

Also, you don't have to wear "work wear" to look office-appropriate if you work in a business casual or casual environment. So you could wear a boho blouse but pair it with a blazer, for example.

Column

Veteran

I'll add Dillard's Antonio Melani and Gianni Bini lines to the mix. DD had good luck with these in her transition from juniors to womens lines.

Christina F.

Veteran

I also agree that you should try Loft. It has fun pieces that are also a step up in style, coverage and quality from the Juniors section.

ClaraT

Veteran

I second Banana Republic (lots of sales)--you can preserve a young style with brighter and trendier tops/scarves but be professional with knee-length skirts. Check out Tanya's posts--she may not be your exact age, but her work outfits are cute but work-appropriate (here's one link: https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....ty-sort-of)

rachylou

Veteran

What sort of business is your office? Budget? What sort of shopping is available in your area? All big chains but no, say, Uniqlo?

Anyways, I have a really quirky style, personally. I shop everywhere. Angie says leave no retail stone unturned. My thing is, I have to make a big effort to 'see.' My first instinct when I walk into some place like Macy's is to leave, lol. It doesn't seem like my kind of place necessarily. I have to look past suggested styling, paw through racks. I make a point to try on things that seem negligible or outright ugly to me on the hanger. The hanger lies...

Thirkellgirl

Veteran

Both my daughters work in a conservative business environment (27 and 24) and one wears a lot of Lands End sheath dresses with classic jewelry and the other wears a lot of Gap pants with interesting tops, many of which she's found at NY&Co. or Target. She also wears interesting jewelry (I have no idea where she finds it, but with simple cuts of her tops, bottoms and dresses (she had great luck at Kohls early in the season but it's very hit or miss - I suspect she's built a lot like you) her funky jewelry looks great.

Anonymous

I recommend Banana Republic. My 19-year-old really likes that store, as she is only 5' tall and it is the only store with sizes that fit her. I say sizes because the size she wears varies depending on the garment. She has to go in and try every single thing she buys. Based on that, I recommend shopping at a brick-and-mortar store, not online.

Anonymous

My DD is a size 0-2 and is 5'9". She has great luck at Express, but has found some items at WHBM that fit her well. But her fav store is Bloomingdales because they seem to have the greatest selection of varied styles.