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Readers had an interesting threadjack about which women wear suits on a regular basis, and a lot of people noted that they kept an emergency suit (or blazer) in their office. It's been ages since we talked about what clothes to keep at the office, so let's revisit — what do you keep at your office for an emergency kit? When have you needed your “emergency” stash of clothes? (Instead of keeping clothes at the office, does anyone plan to make a lunchtime run to a nearby store in case of emergency? Which store?)
For my $.02, these are my lists…
Top 5 Clothes Items to Keep in a Business Casual Office
1. Black blazer — Throwing on a black blazer can be a great way to instantly make your look more authoritative. Good options include the reader favorite blazer pictured above or this comfortable knit blazer; if you know you won't wear it often you can still find great blazers under $50. (We've also discussed what to look for in a blazer to keep at the office.)
Some of the best blazers for women in 2024 — great for wearing as separates! — include options from Cinq à Sept, J.Crew (collarless and collared), Everlane, and Madewell. Hunting for a deal? Check out J.Crew Factory and Amazon (Cicy Bell, The Drop).
2. An “elevated tee” in a dark, neutral color — great for when you accidentally spill something on your shirt or release belatedly you don't like the neckline on the shirt you wore to work that day. If your backup shirt is dark you don't need to worry about what color your bra is.
Looking for the best work-appropriate T-shirts? As of 2024, some of our favorite dressy T-shirts for work are from Amazon Essentials, Theory, Everlane, J.Crew, Banana Republic, Nic + Zoe, and Vince — also check our posts on opaque white tees and the best plus-size tees for work!
3. Sneakers (and socks) — keep an old pair at the office in case of an emergency like a power blackout; they also come in handy if you manage to make it out for a quick walk.
4. A comfortable pair of pants — I've pulled these out for a lot of different reasons even in a business casual office, including wanting to be more comfortable for a late night at the office, having to help move office furniture, or suddenly needing to review so much paperwork that it was easier to put it on the floor and spread out. (Psst: if you know you're going to be spending a late night at the office, we rounded up the most comfortable workwear to wear for long haul days.)
5. A wrap in your base color, probably black. We've talked a ton about the different uses for an office pashmina; but quickly: you can use it to hide a stain, as a lap blanket, an emergency pillow, and more.
Top 3 ADDITIONAL Clothes to Keep in a Conservative Office
1. A more conservative pair of shoes. There have been a ton of trends with boots, wedges, peep toes, and more — but sometimes if you want to make an outfit more conservative you have to start from the bottom up. For my $.02, in this circumstance I would be more likely to sacrifice fashion for something that reads as “conservative” but is also walkable. (We just rounded up your best bets for comfortable heel brands; obviously neutral flats are also acceptable. If you can't walk in heels in tights you may want to consider keeping a shoe with a strap at the office.)
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.
2. A suit in a neutral color. Especially important if there's a chance you may get called into court or other VIP meeting.
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.)
3. Pantyhose in a nude-for-you shade. Whether or not pantyhose is “required” wearing tends to be very regional, as well as office- and industry-specific… but if there's even a 5% chance you'll really, really need it, it's better to just keep a box in your desk drawer.
How about you guys — what clothes do you keep at your office? For those of you who've worked in both a business casual office as well as a conservative office, how do your lists vary?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Anonymous
Is there anyone here in library science? Is it an interesting, creative, stable career? I am former biglaw, now in house atty with 9 years’ experience in a variety of industries and having a career crisis that this isn’t what I want to keep doing. I can’t stand the politics and backstabbing personalities I deal with in law and finance. I don’t really want to go back to school, but I’m having a hard time thinking of what I should do instead that won’t mean taking a 70% pay cut (which might be fulfilling work in nonprofits, but I can’t make work financially).
anon
My understanding is that the field is highly competitive and there are more graduates than jobs available. The other issue is that once people find a spot, they don’t leave. So, there’s not a lot of mobility — very similar to academia in that way.
pugsnbourbon
My sister is librarian with an MLS. Competition for jobs in academic and public libraries is fierce, jobs are generally low-paid and library systems can be hierarchical. Jobs in law libraries, public archives, and library computer science are better paid, but there’s still heavy competition for those.
Anonymous
Thank you both. Sounds like not a field I should be exploring.
Anon mlis
Usually, I don’t think public archives salaries are better paid.
Mimsy Borogrove
I’m an academic librarian at a top 20 university and from what I understand of lawyer salaries, my salary would be a MASSIVE paycut. Are you willing to go back to grad school? A MLIS is non-negotiable for pretty much every professional librarian position. Every place I’ve ever worked has thrown out applications for librarian positions just because the applicant didn’t have an MLIS. Additionally, the field is very competitive and difficult to get into, especially if you don’t have library work experience. Entry level librarian positions get hundreds of applicants and a lot of people do not value work experience that isn’t specifically in a library setting (not saying that’s a good practice, but that’s the reality).
Those are my standard caveats that I give to anyone asking about going into this field.
That said, I find my job interesting and creative. I think the field of librarianship is particularly volatile right now, so I’m not sure I would call it a stable industry, but my position is pretty solid. I find it helpful to be part of a core function of the library rather than a cooler, trendier position. I recommend learning about the different types of libraries and the different types of work within libraries to determine what specific area might interest you. That will give you a better idea about what your job opportunities are. I know that law libraries and law school libraries do look for people with a JD and an MLIS (kind of a unicorn combination) so that will give you a leg up, but would still require library work experience to break into the field. Think about what you would tell someone looking to transition into law- go on informational interviews, job shadow a few people in different areas, do a cost-benefit analysis on the time and monetary investment of grad school v. probable outcome. I think it takes a certain kind of personality to succeed in this field. Overall, we’re a welcoming bunch, but we had to fight our way into getting to do what we love and it’s not a fight that everyone is up for.
Anon
Have you considered a lateral move? I am also a lawyer (in-house now after formerly working at a large firm) and I deal with very little politics and backstabbing in my current position. It exists in my company, for sure, but rarely impacts me directly. The other employees in the legal department are all great people who respect and support one another, and actually so are the majority of the business people I work with. I make 6 figures in a LCOL city and have a good work-life balance, which allows me to pursue volunteer work and spend time with my family.
trefoil
Late to this – I have an MLIS and a JD, and have never worked as a librarian. I’m primarily a
trefoil
Wait.
I am primarily a litigator, but have used my MLIS for research, organization, systems and other more information-management type roles than librarianing.
It tends to be low-paid and competitive, and people tend to stay in positions for a long, long time if they get them.
Anonymous
Sorry I’m late to the discussion – If you are thinking about law librarianship, that might be a different story from what the other posters have said. I got my MLIS after six years of law practice and had a job offer almost right away. (It helped that I got involved in the local law library association while in library school, so I was a known entity when I started job-hunting). There seem to be a lot of open positions at all levels in law libraries (especially academic law libraries) these days for people with both a JD and and MLIS, and for the academic law libraries, having practice experience can make up for a lack of library experience. But make sure you like teaching and mentoring – a large part of my job is teaching legal research classes and meeting individually with students to help with their research. I love teaching, so I love my job, but there are stresses associated with teaching and grading too.
Anon
An extra pair of pants, after two incidents (both of which involved blood, neither of which involved my period). They’re not my favorite pants, but they are significantly better than walking around with blood all over the front of my pants.
Anon
Also, flats for when my shoes just are killing me for some reason, and a small purse when I don’t want to bring my full bag to something but need a little bit of storage.
Anon
This is an interesting one. Short answer: I keep a lot of clothes at my office (yay for going digital and freeing file cabinets for clothing storage). I have the following:
-blazers (multiple) to throw on for meetings when I feel like I’m otherwise a little underdressed or if I am carrying a lot of documents and want a pocket for my phone or need to bring business cards with me (why do more women’s clothes have pockets)
-a gaint basket of shoes. I don’t really wear heels anymore outside of work functions (my aging feet can’t handle) so pretty much any heels I have live at work. I also have several flats especially this time of year when I’m commuting in boots a lot
-2 spare suits in case of an impromptu client meeting. I’ve also busted out the skirts if I spill on myself or something during a regular day.
-yoga pants (not skin tight ones), t-shirts, sweatshirt. If I’m working late, I will fully change into comfy clothes after the senior partners have left for the day
-a spare nice top for under a suit or if I spill on myself
-several different wraps/shawls/oversized cardigans because our office like most is always too cold
-nylons/tights
-spare pair of underwear in a ziplock bag. For some reason changing underwear helps me feel fresher if I have an all-nighter (it’s been a while but I still keep a pair on hand in case)
-I also keep a pair of old sneakers for emergencies
Equestrian attorney
Flats, a scarf/blanket thingy, a company hoodie (oh the joys of working in tech) and a black blazer for impromptu external meetings (which are honestly pretty rare since I mostly talk on the phone, but it’s a holdover from my firm days).
When I was in private practice I actually stored a ton of clothes in the large closet next to my office (no one else used it), including about ten pairs of shoes and multiple full suits – I got dry cleaning picked up and delivered at the office. When I left, I realized I didn’t actually have enough closet space to store all my suits without this convenient wardrobe extension.
Cat
ALL the shoes. I don’t keep any work shoes at home.
Anon
Same. I have a drawer full of shoes in my cubicle.
journo
How do you keep shoes from not smelling up your desk? I try not to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row unless I have tights or socks on but, after all day in one pair of shoes, when I take them off they smell at least a little bit. Yes, I shower regularly. I would not be comfortable taking my shoes off at my desk unless it is to quickly slip on my commuting flats and thrust my work shoes into a bag before anyone smells them. Occasionally I’ll put a dryer sheet in my shoes overnight. I’d be nervous about opening a drawer full of old shoes at my cubicle.
Cat
I leave them under my desk overnight before I put them away.
Ellen
I used to keep many pair’s of shoes in the office, but then I found some missing, which I managed to trace to the IT guy, who has a foot fetish. Since then, I lock them up in my bottom cradenza, so I can take them with me to court or to a depo. The manageing partner’s brother also stares at my shoes, even tho they are NOT open toe’d, so I know that my feet must be cute (if there is such a thing). They are small (size 5 1/2), so it can’t be that unusueal. I try NOT to wear them to much around town, instead I wear my Nike Air’s to work in the summer, and yes, they do smell but I put Baby Powder in them to de-smell them.
And to the OP who wants to go from a lawyer to a librarian, don’t. I know a law librian, and she does NOT have a boyfriend and she wants one, but no man will look at her, let alone date and marry her, once they find out she is a librain.
Anonymous
all of my work shoes, flip flops, and a pair of work out shoes. Full workout outfit that gets changed out whenver I use it. Extra underwear and socks. Extra bag. 2 blazers.
Small Firm IP Litigator
None, unless you count the commuting shoes I keep in my car. Whatever I wear to work is fine for any improptu client meetings or sitting in on a depo (I don’t wear suits for these types of things). I practice only in federal court, so surprise hearings are somewhere between rare and non-existent. Even if it happened, I can literally see my apartment building from my window so I could go home and change there.
I do keep a little cosmetics bag with a comb, mirror, lipstick, powder, facial moisturizer, a tiny stick foundation, nail clippers, and an emery board in my work bag.
Mrs. Jones
A sweater, large scarf, comfy flats, and underwear.
anon
A have a backup raincoat and a pair of running shoes. That’s it.
Idea
For our “bonus gift” this year, our company gave us $100 to spend at a web store to buy clothes with our company logo on them.
I got 2 button-down shirts (blue and white) and a t-shirt and a bucket hat, all with company logo. At least they’re ladies’ cut.
All of that is in my cubicle, in case I am suddenly called into A Meeting with a client. Ugh. What a horrible gift.
Anonymous
Black tights, nude nylons, an extra laptop bag and a pair of walking shoes.
Anon
A pair of sneakers in case of earthquake or if I get the urge to take a walk at lunchtime (unlikely)
A lightweight linen shirt to wear as arm coverage instead of my usual blazer or cardigan if I do take said walk. A crushable hat
Several scarves and wraps because I run cold in my office. Some are here because I forgot them here.
A small box with various stud earrings because sometimes I forget to put on earrings and I prefer to wear them.
anon
I’m in a business casual office where we wear suits for hearings and big client meetings (which for me means about once every seven or eight weeks I have to wear one for a several days in a row for prep, hearing, and debrief.)
I keep:
-A black ponte blazer for surprise meetings
-Several cardigans (office is freezing)
-A fuzzy wrap/blanket situation
-All my work shoes (fun flats for every day looks, conservative black flats, black heels, nude heels)
-Leggings for late nights
I keep meaning to add a shirt in case of spills or other emergencies but I haven’t yet.
JD
I worked on the 26th floor when then fire alarm went off. I had to walk down the stairs in heels. Fortunately the building didn’t burn down (or up), but the next day I took an old pair of sneakers to put under my desk.
Junior Associate
– Several jackets (for client / internal meetings)
– a black sheath dress (to change into if I’m feeling too bloated in my skirt/pants, or if I spill something on myself)
– all 7 of my heels and pumps (I very rarely wear heels outside of the office)
– a pair of sneakers + socks
– a pair of slippers
– a pair of winter slippers (office is cold at night)
– a blanket and pillow/cushion (for naps after all-nighter, or when A/C is blasting)
– Betabrand black yoga dress pants (for all-nighters or days I don’t have any meetings; I put them on in my room and no one the wiser)
– a fresh change of underwear (for all-nighters)
– a t-shirt and sweatpants (for working out in the office gym)
– a towel (for showering in the office gym)
– a black cardigan
– multiple winter tights (black) / nude hose (for if I get a run)