Suiting

My new job seems to necessitate a new wardrobe. At my current job, I normally wear business casual clothes--a nice mix of slacks and shirts and an occasional skirt. I love the ease of my business casual wardrobe and the fact that I don't have to worry about pantyhose or suiting. But everything will change April 28--my first day of work on the Hill.

When I was a Hill intern in graduate school, I scoured Nordstrom Rack and Macy's for reasonably priced suits and invested in a few pairs of shoes fit for the hard, marble floors. I also bought lots of hosiery and even a garter belt (I heart stockings! They slip but you don't get the stuffed sausage feeling). I still have most of those clothes and I'm very happy that I spent the money back then on a few basics. Unfortunately, my body has morphed a bit in the past 5 years so that a few of the items I used to wear as an intern no longer fit (too much pizza and chocolate, right?).

To remedy my wardrobe predicament without breaking the bank, I'm hoping to invest in a basic black suit set (jacket, skirt and slacks) that fits well and is of a good quality. I think that I can rotate a black suit during the week—mixing and matching tops and shoes—and throwing in my other non-black suits to make my repeats less obvious. Eventually, I will acquire one or two more reasonably-priced non-black suits, but I think that right now, I should save my money for the upcoming drop in my salary.

The suit search has been very frustrating so far. I didn't realize how expensive suiting can be ($300 for a jacket?!). But time is running out and a basic black suit, like the little black dress, is a staple of any professional women's wardrobe.