Interview Outfits
Need to nail the perfect look for your dream job?
How to dress for that all important job interview is critical!
You’ve impressed them with your resume, now you just have to wow them at the face to face interview. It is a competitive world out there, where first impressions count, so looking the part really matters.
In a world where office dress codes seem to be ever changing, and becoming more relaxed. You need to show you understand the style of the company, and are not dressed up like someone from the 90’s or way to casual, who is totally out of touch with what to wear for work.
Style Tips for the perfect interview outfit:
- Wear something you are comfortable in….you have enough on your plate, the clothes should fit you well and not be cutting off circulation anywhere, worry about what you are saying, not what you are wearing!
- Watch your fabric choices. Linen creases like a screwed up tissue, and silk is the most unforgiving fabric if your nerves make you sweat.
- Clean and ironed is a no brainer right? You’d think so, but we’ve seen lots of corners cut here.
- Avoid prints that are too loud
- Find out the company dress code, and dress the smarter end of this. You can always dress down when you start, you can’t dress up if you’ve gone to casual at the interview.
- Talk with your hands? Don’t wear bangles or bracelets that will bang on the table during the interview.
- Shoes – make sure you can walk in them girls. It can be a long walk from reception to the interview room, make sure you can stride your way there and not be dragging your feet and crippling your toes.
Room for adding individuality? Of course! Room for taking a fashion risk? Absolutely not!
Follow our stylists’ guide to the perfect interview outfit:
Business Formal. EG. Law, Accountancy, Recruitment, Financial Services.
You need to dress at the top end of this dress code, and look sharp. This is a great example of an outfit, if matching two piece suits don’t float your boat and want to add a hint of colour.
Business Professional. EG. FMCG, Telco, Insurance.
Slightly less formal, add a pop of colour to accent your look.
Creative. EG. Media, Advertising, Design.
An opportunity to be more adventurous with pattern, colour and accesories.
Service Jobs. EG. Medical Professionals, Hospitality.
You’ll need to wear a uniform when you start, so there is a no real dress code, but you still need to look the part and stand out from the competition.
We can put together a stylish, work wardrobe for you in a 3hr Personal Styling Session (yes, we can nail it in 3 hours!!) from $375.
Available 7 days a week in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne.
Contact us now to book your session.
Summer workwear – feeling a bit hot under the collar?
As we force Christmas trees back into their boxes, and try to remember our login passwords for work, the same old, same old work clothes are not doing much to lift our spirits!
It’s gonna get super HOT across the country this week, so if you are staring at your wardrobe wondering where all the breezy, stylish, summer clothes are hiding….let us share our stylists’ top summer work picks with you and say goodbye to boring workwear!
Say farewell to those black pants for summer:
Boohoo $36, Boden $120, ASOS $49
Playsuits are not just for partying:
Karen Millen $445, Pop Cherry $79.99, ShowPo $79.95
Skirts:
Review $169.99, Scanlan Theodore $400, Finders Keepers $149.95
Tops:
The Iconic $49.95, Country Road $139, Equipment at ShopBop $328.49
Dresses:
The White Owl Boutique $69, Ted Baker $349, Reiss $180 (sale)
Blazers:
Saba $109 (sale), Forever New $99.99
If you need some help finding your office style, we can help you nail it in one of our 3hour Personal Styling Sessions (in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast).
You won’t believe what we can achieve in the time! Read what others are staying about their sessions here.
Contact us to find out more, we can’t wait to help you shop up a storm!
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What to Wear to Work
As PWC announce they are ditching their dress code for staff in Australia*, they join so many other companies who realise we don’t need to dress so formally to look smart. But, as the dress codes ties are loosened and employees are welcomed to dress as they think appropriate …does this cause more problems than it fixes?
If you were one of the many who quite enjoyed throwing on your ‘uniform’ of a suit, top and heels…and are now left wondering what the hell you are supposed to wear to work, you are not alone.
At Ruby Slippers we are receiving plenty of distress calls from professional gals in need of help, too busy to spend hours trawling the shops, needing to look professional, but not too formal or outdated.
We can help girls, don’t worry!
Here are some of our favourite corporate looks to inspire you:
We love a jumpsuit!
Forget boring work pants, go wide leg or cigarette:
Make your skirts a little more interesting:
Add a hint of animal print:
Don’t be afraid of pattern and prints:
Nail your look with a killer dress:
All these looks and more can be found on our Corporate Style Pinterest page.
We can put together a stylish, work wardrobe for you in a 3hr Personal Styling Session (yes, we can nail it in 3 hours!!) for $375.
Available 7 days a week in Sydney and Melbourne.
Contact us now to book your session
*Read PWC Dress Code Article here.
Can you be forced to wear heels for work?
The Guardian has reported that a UK receptionist at accountancy firm PWC, has been sacked after refusing to wear heels for work. Did someone say it was 2016…they must have missed that!
Check out the story here. It’s worth a read!
At Ruby Slippers, we love a heel, but we are totally backing Nicola (the poor receptionist) in her campaign #myheelsmychoice. No women should be forced to wear heels for work….seriously, even SJP wears flats, and no one bought into that crazy chick in Jurassic World out running a T-REX in heels?!?
There is nothing unprofessional about wearing flat shoes, the key is choosing the right pair. If you are wearing a suit or channeling a smart, corporate look we would always recommend a pointed toe flat, so your shoes don’t look out of place.
Here’s our top pic of flats perfect for the office:
Charles and Keith, $69
Marc Jacobs, at Barney New York, $400.95
Shoes of Prey at David Jones, $219
ASOS, $46
Witchery, $129.95
Wittner, $179.95
Nine West, $129.95
So ditch the heels, get some super sexy flats!
Tag us on instagram so we can see your foxy, footwear choices! x
Top 5 items every Corporate Girl needs in her wardrobe…
At Ruby Slippers we know getting the basics right are the building blocks to every perfect work wardrobe, cost per wear your office clothes need to be really earning their keep.
So, buy the right key pieces, and spend wisely.
To help – follow our Stylists picks to the 5 key pieces every corporate girl needs in their wardrobe!
1.The Shirt. It doesn’t need to be classic white, and it definitely doesn’t need to be a standard button up. Play around with a style, pattern and fabric that works for you. We love:
Witchery, $99.95. The Iconic, $59.95. Marcs, $179
2. The Blazer. How to smarten up an outfit in the blink of an eye…don’t underestimate the power of a blazer! Match the appropriate level of tailoring to your style and workplace, we love the grey jersey for a more casual look, right up to the structured suit jacket for super corporate style.
David Lawrence, $299. H&M, $39.95. Review, $159 (on sale)
3. The Bottoms. You may be thinking that’s a little vague…but at Ruby Slippers, we don’t believe in one size fits all..there is a bottom style for everyone, it’s just finding yours. Match the style to your body shape and opt for a neutral in navy, black or grey.
Great for inverted triangles…Ted Baker, $170 (on sale). Perfect for the hourglass, Sheike, $119.95. Great for pears, Veronika Maine, $219.
Pears – these are your pants, Carla Zampatti, $469. Apples, – these side fastening pants are fab, City Chic, $79.95, We LOVE these David Lawrence pants, perfect for rectangles, inverted triangles, hourglasses…any of our petite friends too, $129.
4. The Shoe. Opt for a heel height you can actually walk around the office all day in…your toes will thank you! Flats are totally fine for work, but opt for a pointy toe, and a patent design to ensure they look smart enough. For heel lovers, nude or black are great choices. If you want something a little different, opt for a colour that goes with most of the clothes in your wardrobe, so you get the most wear out of them.
Karen Millen, $225. Charles and Keith, $99. Shoes of Prey at DJ’s, $264. ASOS, $42.
5. The Bag. More is definitely more when it comes to your work bag. Cost per wear, you are going to get your money’s worth, you are ‘wearing’ this everyday, so spend the most you can afford…we give you our total permission!!
Shopbop, $595.94. Trenary, $149.25 (on sale). Sophie Hulme, $1038 Kate Spade, $298.
Let us whip your work wardrobe into a style frenzy…we offer 3 hour Personal Shopping Packages in Sydney and Melbourne for $375. Contact us for more information.
Main image from ASOS, Jacket $89
For all the Mumma’s Running the Morning Gauntlet…
Since bringing a little person into this world, I’ve constantly questioned what the hell I did with all my time before I had kids?!
Did it really take me an hour to get ready for work? What was I doing? How did I not know I could shower, brush my teeth and shave my legs at the same time?
I never knew the true meaning of organised, tired, efficient or most importantly unconditional love, before having my bubba…I could potentially be running the country right now, if I had worked as efficiently pre kids as I do now!!!
One of the challenges that seems to go unnoticed is the gauntlet of getting to work, with a daycare/school stop on the way.
The SAS, Navy Seals et al need to listen up, because if they are looking to introduce a new training challenge I’d suggest a morning in the life of a working mum (or dad).
How about getting up at 5am (when you’ve had the obligatory nightly wake up from a small person), getting kids ready for school, lunches made, washing on, dishwasher on, out the door and sitting at your desk for 7.30am. With hair and make up done. It’s hardcore.
At Ruby Slippers we want to help make this mission as simple as possible, so here’s our Stylists guide to getting you out of the house and at your desk looking effortlessly chic.
Our top tips for busy, working Mums:
- Be prepared. You need to move like a well-oiled machine when that alarm goes off. You need to have an outfit hanging ready to go (including shoes and accessories), it is the only way you can get out of the door on time.
- Wear dresses. I am not good at maths, but a skirt and a top is 2 pieces of clothing, a dress is one…keep it simple.
- Watch your fabric choices. However tired you are, never utter the words, ‘I’ll iron it in the morning’ cause you won’t have time. Choose fabrics carefully, if they crease in your hand in the store, leave them there…they have no place in your life. Silk is a big offender, stains and creases easily and is a bugger to iron. Choose fabrics you can hang to dry, that require little or no ironing.
- Use your dressing gown like a shield. Get ready, then wrap it around yourself like it’s an invisible cape! Let not an inch of scrambled egg, porridge or grubby little hands pass.
- Keep some accessories in your car or desk draw. It’s annoying when you get to work, and realise you didn’t have time to grab that bracelet you wanted to wear, or you know that dress would look so much better with a necklace. Well keep a little stash of your jewellery (the cheap stuff, not the family jewels), in your car or desk draw and get some different looks on high rotation.
- Chipped nails look worse than no nail polish. Remember what goes on, must get touched up. To the people who invented shellac I literally love you. Best invention ever…until you have to give up another 20/30 mins getting the stuff removed. ARGH. Our advice, if you don’t have time to have it removed, don’t get it put on. Just keep your nails, short and neat.
- Photograph your outfit combinations. This is great if you wear the same things over, and over, and over. Lay everything out on your bed and take photos of every combination. Work in shoes and jewellery. You then have a personal stylist living in your phone, so when you’re just about to fall into bed, you can flick past your family selfies and quickly find an outfit combination.
- Buy great basics. Spend your money wisely on the pieces you’ll wear over and over. That great pair of black pants you wear every week? They need to be the best you can afford.
If you still need some help give us a call. We can help organise your wardrobe, photograph all your outfits and efficiently shop for what you really need. Packages start from $225, find out more here.
We know it’s a tough gig, so remember to high 5 all the other mumma’s struggle with the morning gauntlet.
The Ruby Team
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