This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Eeeek! I had not seen this until this very morning — we filmed it a few weeks ago, super early one Saturday morning — the sun was shining, skies were blue, it was a comfortable temperature — oh so long ago! Many thanks to the talented director Yuli Ziv of Style Coalition, to Tara Drake for make-up and Jen Paelmo for hair, and to Jennine Jacob of The Coveted for photos! (Photo credit: Jennine Jacob.)
The really cool part about this collaboration is that I have a $250 JCPenney gift card to give away to one lucky reader! And, of the ten sites who participated in this project, one comment will be randomly selected to win a $1500 gift card.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m wearing a great dress from American Living by JCPenney, as well as my own pearls (Mikimoto), watch (Cartier), bag (Dooney & Bourke), and heels (Sacco). I think I got my earrings from Kaufmann’s in Cleveland (which is now Macy’s) — I’ve had them for years and wear them all the time.
In the video I talk about how my native-to-Kat style was a bit wacky/creative. Let’s put it this way: I was that kid in college who either dressed in all black or red pants with jewelry I’d made myself or found in one of Chicago’s thrift stores. So for me, adapting to Wall Street dressing was a challenge when I started working there back in 2003 or so. So: in order to enter the giveaway, PLEASE either a) tell us how your style has changed over the years — how you’ve adapted as you’ve gone from college to grad school to a professional job or b) tell us what your “made for” moment is, or c) which JCPenney outfit you’d like to wear to the office.
A winner will be drawn randomly on July 31, and I’ll announce here on the blog who was the winner on August 2. UPDATE: I’ll announce the winner on my blog, but PLEASE give me your e-mail address in your comment — I promise to keep ’em private, not sell your information, all that good stuff. Here are the official sweepstakes rules.
And, without further ado, my “Made For” moment!
The video series is sponsored by JCPenney and produced by Style Coalition.
Jen
My personal style is classic with a twist. I like things that fit extremely well and wind up looking unexpectedly sexy.
Amanda Davis
The short and simple of it is, I once didn’t give a damn and now I do. I used to wear whatever I grabbed out of the closet or drawer, paying no mind to whether or not it matched. It was typically grungy and boyish, and indeed, I was called “sir” a few times. Oy. Now I am as stereotypically girly as one can be. I love dresses, shoes, purses, the whole bit. I guess I’m conservative with a flair of vintage and fun. Love bold accessories. Thanks for this great giveaway!
Amanda Davis – Buckeye7081@gmail.com
E
Not MHC class of 2000? This is EC — if you are the same, we went to elementary, middle, high school together. What a small world, though I can’t figure out the Buckeye connection of your email, so I may be off.
Sorry if this is off topic and inappropriate Kat — I don’t know anyother way, and I’m dying to know!
E
I went to a women’s college. NOT fashion forward at all. Arrived at medical school with no professional wardrobe and minimal budget. My best friend in med school had gone to Duke on a scholarship, and I picked up a million tips from her about where to shop for professional clothes on a budget, though admittedly everything was boring and frumpy and unobjectionable and bland.
Fastfoward to surgical residency, which started with basic trousers and blouses (and sweaters, wow, do I love me crew neck fine-gauge sweaters under a white coat in every color of the rainbow). I have the benefit or curse of wearing my white lab coat with my professional garb, which can hide a multitude of sins but also constrains the number of layers one should put on. My husband has been incredibly encouraging of me spending more on good quality basics. I was intimidated by Nordstroms initially, but now am in love. One thing that I’ve realized is that the more expensive house brand (Classiques Entier) fits me much much better than the lower cost (Semantiks). I am overweight and pear shaped, and often discouraged by how I look in clothes. Well fitting well made clothes make me feel like a million bucks, and it’s taken me awhile to realize that I deserve them, and that when something looks bad on me, it’s not because I’m a horrible person (or horribly shaped) it’s because the cut of the garment doesn’t work for me.
Now, I’ve branched out from the solid dark trouser/solid bright sweater combo to solid trouser and patterned silk blouse, button down with vest over or some other combo. I’m branching out and corporette has brought my attention to some fabulous ideas. I do love shoes and am building a collection of shoes that pop under my dark pants. Thankfully, I am in a field where peep toe is acceptable, though I would never wear open toe for hygiene reasons.
Nenette Mougeot
I prefer pantsuits to dresses, something comfy and stylish!
Cami
My “made for moment” are those few hours when I’m able to do yoga every week. It totally relaxes me and makes me feel so much better!
camigwilliam@gmail.com
KarenG
My early years working required very conservative suits, hose/tights, and heels. Things have become much more relaxed now, so I pretty much live in dress pants, blouses, and cardigans and flats!
Gabrielle Smith
I used to dress very casually – all khakis and cardigans. These days, though, I dress more professionally – I work at a law firm. But I try to embrace my ethnicity by playing with my jewelry to freshen up look.
FinanceMe
The moment that I defined my style I was shopping at Nordstrom’s with a friend. I picked up a classic black short-sleeved turtleneck cashmere sweater. It is gorgeous, fits me perfectly and is timeless. My friend commented that she would never spend that much on a plain black sweater. She would spend on a sweater – it just could not be plain and black. I told her that this was exactly the type of sweater that I wanted to invest in – something that looks great, is of high quality and is classic. That is my “made for” moment and , I hope, who I am.
Jessie C.
I’ve always loved classic and timeless style and pieces, my style doesn’t change much all these years, I still love Jeans, fitted white tee and my mikimoto pearls!
Julie L.
I used to wear jeans, a plain tee or turtleneck, black Con’s and gold posts every single day, no matter what the occasion. Luckily, that minimalist look has transitioned nicely to more professional clothes. Just swap the jeans for blue or black wool pants, the cotton tee-shirt for on in merino or cashmere, and the sneakers for black pumps. Add a blazer and I’m ready to roll!
A
I’ve just started wearing dresses again after many years of only suits (some pants suits, some skirt suits), and it’s great. My professional clothing has evolved from only skirt suits or dresses at a conservative law office in the mid-’90s, through “extreme” business casual as I joined a small consulting firm and shared an office with graphic designers who literally threw toys around the room and played loud rock music (usually) on headphones (they wore jeans and t-shirts; I wore casual pants/skirts with nice Ts and cardigans or casual jackets, and always suits for client visits). Now I’m in banking and wear suits again mostly, but lately have bought a few dresses. My requirement is that they be machine washable. I’m no longer willing to wear anything that must be dry cleaned after one wearing. I hadn’t looked at JC Penney for anything in years, but the dresses featured here are awesome.
legalicious07
My style was pretty much non-existent for the first two decades of my life. Coming off years of Catholic school uniforms, I was a complete novice when it came to fashion, make-up, and style. Even now that I’m well into my twenties, my sense of style is not yet solidified. I’m learning–slowly but surely–what shapes and silhouettes suit me, what colors work best for my complexion, how to invest in quality over quantity, etc. I still haven’t found my look yet, but I’m working on it! I like classic, clean lines in tailored clothing. I’d love to have Stacy “Shut Up” London’s wardrobe!
Working Mom
I have finally discovered the beauty of the simple dress. Don’t need to think about matching top and bottom, goes on easy, leaves me time to feed my kids in the morning. I would never have been caught in a dress during my first post-college job, which was in a small mountain town. Back then, dressing up was wearing my best pair of Dansko clogs. I don’t know why it took me so long to discover the dress, but I’m loving it. Can’t order enough of them.
CG
a) tell us how your style has changed over the years — how you’ve adapted as you’ve gone from college to grad school to a professional job
I grew up outside of US where we had to wear uniforms in school so first day of college was the first occasion to “express my style”. Looking back I should have waited until I knew what my style was before expressing it. I showed up on the first day in wearing black jeans with a brown henley tucked in (and no belt!) and a crocheted white vest. I also had my hair tied back in a tight ponytail, wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a huge faux leather handbag instead of the cool backpacks that everyone else wore. Very unfortunate.
At my first job in DC, I used to wear polyester pants with equally horrid polyester tops. In fact, one intern I hired told me that in her first interview all she could think about was how my outfit was so bad. This was after we became best friends but still – the truth is hard to hear.
Amanda S.
My transition from West Coast undergrad to East Coast law school to West Coast public interest internships has required me to figure out what type of “business casual” is formal enough to show that I’m not too young, yet still fun enough able to show my personality. Right now, I’m working out how to accessorize creatively, instead of sticking to the same small necklaces and earrings. The other part of my transition was definitely cutting 17 inches of hair toward the end of undergrad (check out Locks for Love to donate yours!), allowing me to settle into a more professional, yet modern, above-the-shoulder haircut.
FinanceGal
My style is still evolving- four years out of school, I am finally in a place where I don’t feel guilty spending more than $50 on an item of clothing, and slowly but surely I’m replacing my ‘disposable’ clothes, shoes, and bags, with enduring ones.
janet
My made for moment would be a nice get together by the pool and a bbq! I would choose the American Living halterkini and swim skirt and a pair of light blue sandals for a easy outfit for the pool or lounging!!!
Meredith
Excellent video, Kat! You are so relaxed, articulate and look great!
Like you, my style had to change quite a bit in my transition from school to work. It basically required buying a whole new wardrobe! I was always draped in crazy jewelry and lived in jeans. Now in the corporate world, I’ve been able to preserve my love of jewelry by often wearing a statement piece of jewelry with my outfit, like a necklace or a bracelet, but then I’ve gone with very classic lines, like pencil skirts and sheath dresses. I’m a huge fan of simple and straight forward clothing choices and then adding jewelry to jazz it up.
Good luck with the sweepstakes!
– Meredith
TAB
I still feel guilty spending a lot on clothes and therefore still can’t bring myself to buy anything that is not on sale. But I’m trying to buy more natural fabrics now, less synthetics.
Kandis
I grew up around very fashionable women. My grandmother dressed in her Pierre Cardin, and my mother, in what could only be described as Herve Ledger knockoffs. I think I’ve always been aware of fashion and I enjoy it. I found my style pretty earlyin life, basically a mash up of classic, urban and ethnic. Sounds like an unlikely mix , but for me it’s a combination of my grandmother’s classic influence, my mother’s urban sensibilities and my own love for all things ethnic. A typical high school outfit was a pair of kente cloth “hammer pants”, a black blazer, black Ked’s, the world’s largest pair of gold earrings and a fedora!!!! I thought I looked great. In college I wore a mud cloth mini dress (and I do mean mini), unbuttoned oxford shirt and black Doc Martins, which by the way, I think I still like. Currently, I still have the same style just done differently. I still love mud cloth, but now it’s relegated to the lining of a blazer, on a camisole (under a shirt), or perhaps an accessory. My style is what it is, and I may make some amendments to it every now and again, but that’s life. I didn’t outgrow my style; my style grew up with me.
Rachel
My dressing has changed over the years in a big way…JEANS. I went from wearing them nearly every day in college and grad school to maybe wearing them on Saturday during a non-summer weekend.
kjw
Since undergrad I have transitioned from a steady wardrobe of jeans and t-shirts to professional. One difficulty I face is creating a personal style that is professional, but still young so that my wardrobe does not age me beyond my years. Corporette was a great find to help me with this transition.
Btw, I picked up the dress that Kat is wearing in the video. It is classic and fun.
RMGillespie
I went from thrift store retro (including garters and stockings instead of pantyhose) through mommy professional (baby socks in the pockets, need to wipe off goo easily) to business attire in a masculine profession that would let me go from the office to a worksite in a hard hat. Combining Landsend for basics, Daffy’s discount for color and shape and a really good haircut. No casual Fridays for me, I just want to get dressed in good clothes without a lot of thought. I own a couple of very good Jones Wear jackets and suits – made for winning in tough meetings with people who earn twice as much as me.
laura
In college, I was a jeans + tshirt kind of girl. Once I made it into the workforce, I slowly embraced skirts, but was still Kohl’s slacks and a semi-cute top in a solid color. Dork alert! Only in the past two or three years have I developed a style. It’s taken relentless scouring of fashion blogs, a keen eye from a coworker, and shopping sales at places like Anthro, Macy’s, and J.Crew.
I would still totally wear jeans a tshirt to work every day if I could.
lauraloops at gmail dot com
Sara
I went from hoodies/jeans ponytail and little make-up to suits (with a bit of flair to them), make-up and a short hairstyle. I am under 30 and am still working out my professional style. I live for causal Fridays where I get to wear denim trouser pant and a cute tee with a blazer.
NH
I’m a young professional. In law school I dressed like a slob (partly because I didn’t have much money and partly because I never paid attention to what I was wearing because it was “unimportant”). I ended up articling at a national business law firm and learned soon how I had to “brush up my image”. Last year I actually went to a personal stylist at a major department store and learned how to break away from the standard, conservative suits and into some more “young” professional clothes that help me look professional yet stylish. I learned it was worth it to have fewer, more quality pieces then many cheaper ones. :)
Wendy
My “Made for” momentis when I am finally down getting the kids off to school, the hosue started, and I get a little time to ‘DO” for myself. it happends at all differnt timesf the day, but i snatch it when Ican!
Kristen
My style has changed dramatically in the last few years; I used to own only 2 pairs of shoes, both of them ugly black loafers, and I would literally get shaky legs in heels. Now I own so many shoes people envy my collection, and my heels are my favorite part!
Julie
I used to be a jeans and tee shirt person and now never wear tee shirts. But I do get to wear jeans once a week at work.
mk
I grew up in the mountains and went to college in a small mountain town where I wore outdoorsy hiking clothes (a la Patagonia) or hippy skirts (while following Phish). Worked in DC as an intern in college I had many many people tell me I would have to “clean up” once I left college … I didn’t clean up for another 5 years.
Then I started a position as a 28-year old professor teaching graduate students. With most of my students older than me and undergraduates asking me out, I found I really needed to look older / more professional on the job. I really struggled to figure out how to dress in a professional way, that still let me have my own style. Corporette has been a really useful resource for me. I buy stuff that is highlighted here all the time.
I now get compliments from my students on my dresses and shoes. It still shocks me to have people comment on my “style” – something I never imagined I would have!
ShootingStarsMag
My style has mostly changed in little ways. I wear more girly outfits like dresses and tights. I used to dress a lot like a boy…i still do the whole jeans/t-shirt thing though.
Pam
My office style has gotten more casual over the years – started with exclusively silk dresses and skirt suits – now include tailored pants with stylish tops in the mix
Christy
I’ve gone from mostly t-shirts and jeans to longer skirts and button down tops.
faith
Hi, Great giveaway! I went from dressing up nice all the time to what I call mommy gear. lol …I’d love the chance to be able to go shopping for myself for a change. To be able to get out of the mommy gear that is stained and torn from the kids. Back into something nice my husband would love that it might help out in the romance department too. Woo Hoo that would be great. It would truly be a win win for me. colemanfaith@comcast.net Thanks for the chance
Wendy C.
I’ve managed to make my outfits office appropriate by wearing one, fun & colorful piece (i.e. boldly printed shirt) in combination in an ensemble with more toned-down, classic pieces.
Amanda H
My style has evolved dramatically. I went from a baggy-jean, concert tee-shirt clad teenager with piercings and blue streaks in my hair to a punk rock college kid to the black pants, cardigan, sometimes skirt or wrap dress coporette lady.
I work as a copywriter in a casual office but I think dressing up and making an impression is important. I grew up in a very working class enivornment and have trouble giving myself permission to spend money on nice clothes. The giftcard would definitely help! Love the blog. My email is amandahalm@yahoo.com
michelle r
My style has changed a lot !!!! I went suits (while working) to tees & jeans (now a stay at home mom)
Wehaf
I still wear jeans almost every day, but I went from t-shirts with logos/funny sayings on them to buttons downs.
Kathrine Russell
I know my style has changed because I have to think about whether I have court this week before getting that blue manicure :)
Nanayaa
My style has changed because in high school leggings and legwarmers were in, but as I grew up, I’m more into sophisticated things for American Living!