The past , say, 5-7 years has seen my professional look drift slowly and steadily from really dressed up , to completely dressed down. I don't like it.
The casualization of the workplace in general is part of it, size changes are another, and being less interested in spending a lot of money on clothes is yet another . Obviously, if I had an unlimited budget , I'd be going nuts, but reality means being careful, and responsible. I really dislike waste and excess.
Regardless of the reasons why I dropped the ball, I want to ramp up my style and bring more polish to my look . I've let myself fall into a bad habit of wearing jeans to call on clients (especially in the winter) along with boots and a coat and some random sweater, and I think my laziness is not helping my state of mind and how I feel about myself. I used to be the queen of the suit, the blouse, the pumps, the bags, the pencil skirt etc, but was often mocked for being so dressed up when no one else was . So eventually, I relaxed, and so did my standards.
So, in terms of blowing the dust off of my work style, which involves calling on retail stores and meeting with buyers (rural , urban and everything inbetween) , where do I start? I don't have the budget to buy everything all at once, or even a piece in every category, so I'm trying to figure out what to focus on first.
I really lack in dress pants, have NO skirts (wouldn't even know where to start there ) , and very, very few professional -looking tops . I do have a small collection of blazers , and probably enough pair of shoes to make a more professional statement, but even that might need addressing. One of my stumbling blocks is a dislike of typical work wear : polyester printed tops, straight legged dress pants, cardigans , flat shoes etc. I have a closet full of jeans, blazers, bombers, knit jackets, jogger style pants, t-shirts, tanks in various fabrics, and the trendy shoe of the season . If I had to go to a job interview tomorrow, I'd be hooped.
What do you recommend starting with? Any thoughts on sales rep wear and how to brush up when you are feeling lousy...are all welcome.
Thanks!