Guide to Basic Women’s Suiting
12/3/2024: Some of the best sales on suiting are continued, including reader favorite suiting from Ann Taylor and J.Crew.
It can be tricky for women to find a great interview suit — but our shopping guide for women's suits will help you get started. We update the text of this page often; in the meantime please add your own comments about women's suiting on this page. Please keep all comments on this page strictly on topic.
Table of Contents
- General Notes on Interview Suits for Women
- What Kind of Suit to Buy for Interviews
- What Women Should Wear Beneath Suit Blazers
- How to Choose Accessories For Your Interview Outfit
- Before You Wear Your Suit
- Where to Find Budget Women's Suits
Related Posts on Women's Suits
- The Best Women's Suits of 2024
- The Best Women's Suits if You're On a Budget
- Plus-Size Suits for Interviews
- The Best Suits for Tall Women
- Where to Find Stylish Petite Suits for Women
- Where to Find Suits with Dresses Instead of Skirts
- Where to Find Interview Suits if You're Pregnant
- The Best Washable Suits for Women
- The Best Travel-Friendly Suits for Women
- The Best Eco-Friendly Suits for Women
- Tips to Look Stylish in Women's Pants Suits
More Posts on Suit-Adjacent Topics
- The Best Tops to Wear Under Suit Jackets
- The Best Coats to Wear Over a Suit in Winter
- Courtroom Attire for Women Lawyers
- The Corporette Guide to Comfortable Heels
- What to Look For in Interview Flats
- The Best Work Bags for Women That Look Great with Suits
- C-Suite Style for Women: How to Upgrade Your Work Wardrobe After a Promotion
(Pictured at top: Blazer / Blouse / Skirt / Watch / Pearls / Earrings / Sheer tights / Heels / Tote — see more specific thoughts on which suits are best for women, below.)
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Interview Suits for Women: A General Note
If you are interviewing for a conservative job (law, investment banking, consulting, etc.), the whole point is that the interviewer is interested in your brain — not your fashion sense.
Your resume and your words should speak louder than your clothes, and to that end, the entire goal of the interview outfit should be to make sure that it doesn't distract the interviewer. Show personality through your words, not your clothes.
(Psst: you may also want to check out our page focusing on courtroom attire for women lawyers.)
What Kind of Suit to Buy for Interviews
The Best Color Suit for Interviews
What color suit should you get? Most people will tell you that young professional women should buy a navy suit or a dark charcoal suit, if only because both colors are less severe than black.
Personally, I think a black suit is fine as well — and if you're on a budget, it's easier to break the suit into separates once you're working. (In fact, black suits are so popular right now that one reader even wondered if she could “get away” with a gray suit for interviews!)
Please do not try to match different black fabrics to “make” a suit, though. If you're only buying one or two suits, do your best to avoid pinstripes — they tend to be more memorable, harder to accessorize, and the pieces tend to be harder to wear as separates. (If you do end up buying one, though, check out our tips on how to wear a pinstriped suit and how to mix a dark blue pinstriped blazer with black.)
Eventually you may want to expand your suit collection with non-traditional suit colors.
As of 2024, some of our favorite mid-range suits for women (which sometimes have such frequent sales that they come down to the same range as our “budget” suits) include Ann Taylor, J.Crew, Talbots, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, and Antonio Melani. (Talbots and J.Crew usually have plus sizes, and the others offer petites.)
Skirt Suit v. Pantsuit
Should you wear a skirt suit or a pantsuit? Traditionally, the most conservative answer here was a skirt suit (or a suit with a dress)– times are fortunately changing and in all but the most conservative of places a pantsuit is usually fine. (If you're interviewing in the South, for certain judges, or with senior partners over age 75 or so, you still may want to play it safe and go with a skirt suit.)
{related: the best interview attire for different types of jobs}
There are still pros to the skirt suit anyway, though: if you're looking to buy something classic, the pencil skirt has been in for eons, while suiting pants have gone through a number of trendy iterations — plus, they really should be hemmed for either heels or flats, which limits your shoe choices more than a skirt does. Another pro: If you're buying a suit on a budget, it can also be far easier to find a skirt that looks good by itself and can be worn as a separate in your wardrobe.
The major con: a skirt suit generally does mean sheer tights or pantyhose, although tights may be acceptable in colder weather. Avoid a miniskirt at all costs, and be careful of vents in the skirt — what seems like an acceptable side-slit may reach mid-thigh once you're sitting down.
Always, always, always do an interview mirror check: pull your chair to the front of a full-length mirror and sit down in front of it, to assess your interview outfit.
You may also want to check out our poll on proper hem lengths for skirts — it seems like just above your knee is a good length.
Please back away from the shorts suit. If you're only buying one suit I'd avoid the short-sleeved suit as well.
Always, always, always do an interview mirror check: pull your chair to the front of a full-length mirror and sit down in front of it, to assess your interview outfit.
Should I Buy Suit Separates or a Suiting Set?
Separates or a set? A number of suits are sold as a set, with one price (and one size) for both the jacket and the bottom.
In general, suiting separates are better — you can buy multiple pieces, and in the size you need for each part.
For example, there may be both a matching skirt and a pant, or sometimes even multiple jackets in different cuts.
Just make sure you dry clean all of the pieces together so they wear the same.
In general, suiting separates are better… Just make sure you dry clean all of the pieces together so they wear the same.
What Women Should Wear Beneath Suit Blazers
What to wear beneath the suit? From a practical perspective, sleeves are good things — even if the sleeved item is a short-sleeved silk sweater rather than a camisole or “shell.” This will help you extend the number of wears before you have to dry clean it (and you shouldn't have to dry clean your suit that often).
Otherwise, for an interview you want something that isn't too fussy — a white, blue or pink button-down can be great, provided there is no gaping.
Check out our Guide to the Best Tops under Suits… below, some classics:
Wear a Crisp Dress Shirt Beneath a Suit
Hunting for a crisp, collared button-front blouse? Some of our longtime favorites include Ann Taylor and J.Crew; iron-free options from Brooks Brothers and Foxcroft, and we'd splurge on Boss. Also check out our DIY options for gaping blouses — and note that if you just want a collar beneath a sweater, you can always go for a fake collar instead.
A Short-Sleeved Silk Sweater
A short-sleeved silk sweater can be great, or even a silk jersey t-shirt can be fine provided that it looks like new and is opaque enough.
Some of our favorite short-sleeved sweater tees for 2024 include cashmere ones from Quince ($45!), Ann Taylor, Theory, J.Crew,* and Boden. (* plus sizes too!) For other materials, try Tuckernuck (cashmere/silk), J.Crew Factory (100% cotton), and Amazon (viscose/poly). As of 2024, Nordstrom and Anthropologie both have a huge selection of sweater tees. (All of the ones below come in white and black, as well as other colors!)
Hunting for opaque white T-shirts for work? As of 2024, we'd suggest checking the double-layer lines from Boden, Halogen, Express, Old Navy, and Hobbs, as well as great sources for basic Pima cotton such as L.L.Bean, Uniqlo, Everlane, Banana Republic, and Talbots. (This $268 tee also gets great reviews for opacity, and Elizabeth swears by this tee under $30!)
More Notes on Tops Beneath Your Suit Blazer
While prints are acceptable, the safest way to play it safe is to go with a solid color that flatters your skin tone. (A white blouse with a black suit is fine, but it sometimes has just a hint of “I might be a waiter — or a hired killer” look about it with women, so be warned.)
Some people think a square neck is the best look of all with suits; others prefer to wear blouses beneath their suits. I
In terms of what colors to wear with your suit, for an interview it's probably best to stick with solid classics (white, black, or pastels like blue, pink, or lavender).
How to Choose Accessories For Your Interview Outfit
The Best Shoes and Bags for Interview Attire
Note that you can wear black leather with navy (as well as cordovan, a reddish burgundy that can be difficult to find in women's shoes). In the men's world, brown is often thought to “dress down” a navy suit.
Our Guide to Comfortable Heels may be helpful to you, as well as our most recent roundup of comfortable black pumps, and the readers' comments there. Ultimately you should be looking for a closed-toe pump that you can walk in for at least a few blocks, in case your interview includes lunch at a local restaurant.
Hunting for comfortable work heels? We've got a whole guide just for that, but some of our favorites include Marc Fisher LTD, Sam Edelman, M.M.LaFleur, and Cole Haan. On the pricier side, check out Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, and Sarah Flint. For comfort-first styles, look to Vionic, Sofft, and Naturalizer.
In terms of what bag to carry to an interview — I always like to carry a bag that is big enough to hold a folder with copies of my resume in it. (I empty the usual contents of my purse into the tote bag and just carry the one bag.) The bag doesn't have to be leather — a nylon one is lighter, in fact — but it should be as nondescript as possible. (Here's an affordable one, or this Tory Burch is a classic.)
If you're curious for specific brand recommendations, check out our roundups of professional tote bags. In general, note that T.J.Maxx and the like can be great spots to find a simple black tote bag.
For shoes: Ultimately you should be looking for a closed-toe pump that you can walk in for at least a few blocks, in case your interview includes lunch at a local restaurant.
What Jewelry to Wear To An Interview
As for jewelry — think conservative here. Your earrings should be posts, or at the very least things that don't swish about if you nod your head. (See above re: distractions.) You should wear a watch (yes, even if you use your cellphone to check the time — watches signify reliability to the interviewer).
I'm always a fan of a simple, high-quality pearl necklace; a larger statement necklace would also work provided that it fits with the rest of the outfit. Avoid wearing bracelets that will make noise if you shake hands.
Skirt Suits & Pantyhose
Do I really have to wear pantyhose or sheer tights? In the past, readers have frowned on wearing tights for interviews — and bare legs are certainly not advisable.
Nude-for-you hose is the most popular for interviews — check out our advice on how to wear pantyhose if you're having problems such as runs.
For non-interview days, tights are fine — we've talked about the best opaque tights, how to launder your tights, and what color tights to wear with a navy suit.
Before You Wear Your Suit
Before you wear your suit… at the very least, be sure to open any vents that are sewn shut with an X (particularly on the back of the jacket or on the back of the skirt).
Pockets may also be sewn shut, but you don't have to open these — a lot of times items seem to lay better if the pockets are closed (I rip open one blazer pocket so I have a place to stick business cards, but almost always leave pants pockets shut).
Tailoring your suit can make a big difference (and may be necessary if you're petite). We've talked about the most common tailoring alterations that women get, as well as specific topics such as how to tailor a plus-sized blazer.
Your blazer doesn't need to button, at least not absolutely, but it should be close.
Buy a suit that fits you — don't obsess over the size — and wear it with confidence.
How to Maintain Your Suit
As noted above, you shouldn't have to dry clean your suit very often, and you should dry clean all of the pieces together so they wear evenly.
In the rare event that your suit rips after just a few wears, your first line of defense should be to call the company; after that try taking it to a tailor.
When your suit starts to look shiny (or dry cleaning doesn't take the smell away), it's time to get a new suit.
Which suiting brands are best?
Suit quality differs from brand to brand, but in addition to quality it can be a matter of finding which suits fit your shape.
For example, Theory suits are loved by women with a straight figure — but they can be problematic for curvier women, who tend to prefer Ann Taylor or Tahari lines.
Meanwhile, petite women's suiting, tall women's suiting, and plus-sized suits all have their own challenges. Roughly, here are the different tiers:
Where to Find Budget Women's Suits
Some of our favorite budget-friendly interview suits for women include stores like Banana Republic Factory*†, J.Crew Factory*†, Mango*, and Express†, as well as widely available brands like Anne Klein Executive, Vince Camuto*, Calvin Klein*†, and Tahari ASL. For a vintage vibe, check Amazon seller Marycrafts*. (* = some plus sizes also, † = petites)
Lowest price (under $150 for a suit): Some of the stores you frequented as a teenager do have a surprising number of lower-priced suiting options, such as Express — but while they may be more affordable, the quality may be lesser (and the cuts a bit more sexy) than the sometimes frumpier brands you can find at a sales rack at Nordstrom Rack or T.J.Maxx, such as Kasper or Le Suit.
Macy's has a great selection of suiting separates and sets that are made for Macy's by designers — their “Everyday Value” or “EDV” line includes AK Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, and Tahari by ASL; Nordstrom also sells those lines (and more expensive suits as well). Chadwicks can also be a source of inexpensive suits if you're really in a bind. Great deals can also be had at some of the brands' websites themselves. Here's our more recent discussion on the best inexpensive women's suits.
Mid-level ($200-$400 for a suit): Many readers will swear that the quality has changed/is changing on these lines, but for the moment, I consider all of these brands to be the staple of many working women's wardrobes: Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and J.Crew. Brooks Brothers cuts can be a bit boxier, but they're also a great source for mid-level suits; Talbots has also recently started making less boxy cuts for suits.
Expensive: Theory suits are considered the gold standard by many (and sold at Nordstrom and other department stores). Hugo Boss also has lovely suits, and Reiss is drool worthy as well.
There are obviously other suiting brands out there, many of which I would put in the “power suit with personality” category, including everything from Rebecca Taylor and Nanette Lepore to Armani, St. John's, Chanel, Akris Punto, and Max Mara — this is the kind of thing that we tend to explore with our regular Wednesday feature, Suit of the Week.
Readers, which are your favorite brands for suits? What do you look for when you're getting a suit tailored, or when you're trying to decide between two suits?
Also, please don't forget to check out other Corporette shopping guides!