by C
September 17, 2009
Fashion
Reader A writes in with an urgent request…
I sent in my cover letter + resume to a firm and was invited to a dinner with potentially 2+ members of the student hiring committee (I’m assuming other students were invited as well…) the restaurant is quite high end and I was wondering what recommendations you would have to wear. They didn’t mention a dress code. I’m thinking either: 1) A black dress + Black jacket OR 2) Black dress pants + dress shirt + black sweater over it. What would be your choice?
Ultimately, this is an interview, and that means one thing to us: full suit. Because it’s unclear, though, be prepared for the possibility that you will want to take off your jacket to be more casual. So, for example, choose a suit where you like the pants by themselves, and choose a layer beneath the suit that has sleeves and looks professional. A silk sweater would probably be our choice here, accessorized with pearls or other conservative (and good) jewelry. (Pictured above: August Silk Three-Quarter Sleeve Square Neck Sweater, available at Macy’s for $29.98 — we’d also recommend checking out your local Filene’s, TJ Maxx, or other discount store; for some reason they frequently have a wide variety of these silk sweaters.)
And yes, we did say pants — even though we’re normally huge fans of the skirt suit for interviews, because this is dinner, you want to avoid any appearance that you thought you were going on a date. Go with a skirt if you want; we’d avoid a dress at all costs.
Readers, what say you? Also, do you have any other tips for the tricky dinner interview? We’ll point you to an older post we wrote about dining etiquette; we’d also advise drinking very little (one glass of wine at most) and ordering something easy to eat, like ravioli.
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by C
September 17, 2009
Fashion
Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Reader A suggests this jersey sheath by Nicole Miller, noting “I adore the turquoise because it makes me feel like I can get away with something bright and trendy, while still remaining classic.” We also like the color (and the sales price!), and think it will look great in some markets, like the South, where a brightly-colored suit is popular. For a more urban market like New York, we’d mute it with a long boyfriend cardigan in black or gray, belted. It’s on sale for $74 at Nordstrom’s (was $188). Nicole Miller Matte Jersey Sheath
If you’ve recently seen a great work piece you’d like to recommend to the readers, please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. Unless you ask otherwise, we’ll refer to you by your first initial.
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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
