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Dress for success

You’ve got an interview. What are you going to say? That may be your biggest worry if you’re about to move toward a second career after military service. But you’ll need more than a good verbal presentation — because you’ll be saying something about yourself before you ever open your mouth.

According to Lillian D. Bjorseth, corporate trainer, career consultant and founder of Duoforce Enterprises Inc., people make quick judgments about you and your abilities because of the clothes you wear.

“Let’s say a hiring manager sees your résumé and thinks you look good on paper,” said Bjorseth. “But he walks into the lobby and sees that what you’re wearing doesn’t match his expectations. Your clothes are wrinkled or don’t fit you well. Or you’re wearing a short skirt, textured hose and bright red lipstick. Immediately that’s going to alter his judgment. When the image you present doesn’t match the expectation, it’ll work against you.”

Basics for men

Every industry has its own dress code. You’ve got to learn what it is and tailor it to both your body and your budget. So where do you start?

“I think every man should have, at the very least, one suit and one sport coat,” said George Zimmer, founder and chief executive of Men’s Wearhouse, a men’s clothing outlet.

“If you’re going to buy one sport coat, I recommend a navy blue, three-button blazer,” he said. “That’s a staple in men’s clothing. As for slacks, I’d recommend off-white, tan or gray. The navy blazer can be worn with all of those colors. If you’re going to buy a suit, I recommend a charcoal gray pinstripe. These two together will give the man the ability to have several different looks.”

When it comes to shirts, Zimmer believes color is an individual choice depending on the image you want to project.

“White is always appropriate,” he said. “White and light blue are more traditional looks. Lavender or purple or a patterned shirt and slacks give you a more forward fashion look.”

Basics for women

Women may traditionally be considered the fashion mavens, but Bjorseth sees plenty of mistakes on their part. Despite current female fashion trends, she still recommends erring on the side of “conservative.”

“You don’t want to wear anything that lowers the professional level of other women,” she said. “Short skirts and cleavage are fine on your own time, but the office isn’t the place for it. The staple for women should be suits or blazers in navy, black or ivory, basic dress slacks, skirts and understated make-up and jewelry. If you can hear it, don’t wear it.”

She has other pointers such as no perky ponytails or multiple bags. “Carry one bag, one that you can put your purse inside. It just gives you a more polished and professional look.”

Lorna Case is used to looking sharp. A West Point graduate, she served as an Army officer for four years and left the military in 2003. Case, an engineer, recently took a job with Tompkins Builders in Washington, D.C. She did her homework and learned the dress code expected of her.

“For an interview you want to look sharp anyway,” Case said. “But while I was there, I looked around at what everyone was wearing and ascertained what was needed, like nice skirts and slacks and suits. I still have a few more things I’ll need to get, like more shirts and dark pants, things I can mix and match.”

Getting your new uniform

There are unlimited places to shop — from discount outlets to department stores, mail-order catalogs to the Internet. But your wallet may not offer you so many choices.

Most clothing style consultants agree that even on the tightest budget, at the very least, men should have one sport coat, one business suit, several pairs of pants and several dress shirts — all of which can be mixed and matched. Women should go for the same ensemble — a suit, a blazer, and several skirts, blouses and slacks.

So how do you get the best look and stay within a budget? If you want to look savvy, you’ve got to shop the same way.

There are several things to consider besides the price — for instance, fabrics and styles and how they fit int your new work environment. When money is an issue, wash-and-wear fabrics may be your best bets. They eliminate dry cleaning costs, pack well for business travel, and are more apt to keep their shape. Read the tag inside the garment; look for polyester, rayon and cotton blends.

When it comes to suits, light-weight wool blends can be worn year-round, but be careful of heavier wools except during really cold weather. Stretch fabrics are good for casual suits, and linens, but while good choices in warm-to-moderate climates, they tend to wrinkle more than other fabrics.

Must-haves on $500 budget

You need a wardrobe bigger than the sum of its parts — so where you shop may be your most important consideration. Tighter budgets call for trips to outlets or online stores such as J.C. Penney, which has its store-brand men’s Stafford all-weather, light-weight wool or polyester blend suits for $120 to $130, ties for $15 each, and Oxford, wrinkle-free dress shirts for $20. Log on to Bizrate.com and you can find several different manufacturers and stores selling blazers in a variety of colors and fabrics for between $65 and $85.

If you decide to shop in department stores, look for the sales. You can find good, name-brand men’s slacks such as Dockers and St. John’s Bay for $30 to $45. And if you need the recommended pair each of black and brown shoes, head for discount stores like Ross, where leather loafers and Oxford-style dress shoes run about $50 each, and you can get matching leather belts for $16 to $20. If you make these selections in coordinating colors, you can wind up with a week’s worth of different looks for $467. Factor in the sales tax and maybe a few alterations and you’ve met your budget.

Women’s clothing prices mirror those of men’s when it comes to basics like suits, blazers and slacks. Brands such as Sag Harbor, Prague and Jones of New York offer affordable, conservative suits that can be matched with other blazers, slacks and skirts. Women can save up to 60 percent on designer labels like Claiborne and DKNY by shopping at Ross, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx.

Outlet malls offer more store choices for women’s apparel, and shopping options range from Dress Barn to Talbot’s and Saks. Plan ahead; you’ll save more by shopping at the end of the season. For example, a sale at Saks in May can yield a business suit for $50, and a knit skirt and matching cardigan for $15 each. Wool blazers that cost $85 in September are down to $25 in the spring. They may sit in the closet for five months — but that wait can save you as much as 75 percent.

Women might also want to check out catalog shopping. There are great deals and clearance sales in catalogs like Chadwick’s and Coldwater Creek, with business skirts and blouses for $20, and dresses as inexpensive as $40. Look for patterns or colors that will coordinate with black, navy or beige blazers. Look for online bargains that also throw in the shipping costs.

Women can save on an assortment of shoes by checking out the expensive pumps in fashion magazines, then clipping and taking ads to Payless or outlet stores where you can find similar pairs for $20. Time it right, and you can hit the two-for-one sales.

As for handbags, your best bet is to buy at least one good leather bag. Check advertised sales at stores like Kohl’s, Sears and Target, where you can save 40 percent to 50 percent.

All you need for $1,000

If you’ve got twice the budget, you can double your wardrobe with a second suit, another sport coat and a few more shirts. Or you can choose more expensive clothing lines. A Geoffrey Beene suit can run $200 and higher, while Calvin Klein summer suits run about $300 and up.

Once you’ve got a good suit, you can match it up with a Claiborne stretch cotton blazer for $150, or a wool blend for the same price. Depending on the look you want, Alfani iron-free shirts, at $40 to $60, will cut dry cleaning bills and time ironing. Ralph Lauren cotton-blend dress shirts run about $30.

To add designer pants to your wardrobe, Kenneth Cole stretch twill slacks are $30 to $65 on sale, and Perry Ellis rayon slacks about $50. For a casual look, Dockers has Irish linen wrinkle-free pants for $40 to $50. If you’re looking for dress shoes, Land’s End penny loafers go for about $150 and Alfani Oxford ties about $100.

Women with a $1,000 budget and an eye for quality can visit Overstock.com, where Anne Klein suits run $150 to $200, as opposed to department store prices of $340 and up. Buying one good suit leaves enough money for coordinating skirts and jackets, especially during sales. You can buy Austin Reed pencil skirts for $120 to wear with coordinating blazers at $85, then save on blouses by shopping at Ross or Blair.com. And remember to set aside at least $75 to $100 for a good leather handbag and pair of gold or silver earrings.

Most suits have to be dry cleaned. If you decide against purchasing wrinkle-free fabrics, you can still cut down on the cost of having your clothes pressed by shelling out $3 to $4 on ‘wrinkle free’ sprays. They’re sold in drug stores and supermarkets. Mist the wrinkled clothing until it is damp, hang the item, and within minutes, the wrinkles disappear.

Looking the part

When Owen Manor left the Marine Corps last year, he’d been wearing a uniform for five years. A former series commander at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, he had the training and skills to market himself in the corporate world. But even though he didn’t have a closet full of suits and business attire, he did have one advantage — he knew clothes fashion counted.

“In college, I had worked on Capitol Hill,” Manor said. “I knew what was expected in certain professional sectors. At that time, I had the Brooks Brothers suits and went to a place to get my clothes tailored. So this time around, I knew that I’d have to look the part again. And I’d also been advised during my transition about how important neatness and a professional image would be.”

Manor is currently in training to become an account executive. But before he started his job, he had a common dilemma — he needed new clothes and he didn’t have a lot to spend on them.

“In the beginning, I was hitting stores like Ross and T.J. Maxx,” he said. “I knew I could save money by shopping there until I could get a paycheck. The first things I bought were nice slacks and dress shirts. Later on, I was able to start looking at higher-end suits.”

While sales and online clearances can save you between 20 percent to 60 percent off department store prices, budget shoppers may also want to consider alternatives like thrift stores.

“You can get a name-brand or designer suit for well under $100,” said Marcia Anderson, manager of ACO Upscale Resale Shop in Allen, Texas. “Some resale clothing has never been worn or was worn only a few times. Thrift stores are also good places for accessories like scarves and belts or solid-colored shirts and pants. And you’ll only pay a few dollars.”

What to wear to the interview

The look — traditional or forward fashion — is your call. But what you wear to the interview and what you wear on the job is defined by the work environment.

“Learn the corporate culture in which you’re going to work,” Bjorseth said. “Home Depot has a corporate culture. A bank has a corporate culture. Dress appropriate to that. And always be neat and professional.”

Earline Lagueruela is president and chief executive of S&C Advertising and Public Relations, a firm with offices nationwide and an extensive list of clients.

“When I’m looking to hire someone, I want to see a person who is polished, well groomed, smiling and well put together,” Lagueruela said. “It isn’t so important whether they wear a suit. They can wear slacks and a sport coat or even nice slacks and a sweater. I want to see someone who looks professional.”

In industries such as construction and manufacturing, you may wear a sport coat to the interview, but the daily wardrobe might be more casual.

“A clean and neat image is more important,” said Bjorseth. “I’d recommend well-pressed slacks or good, casual pants like Dockers and a nice shirt tucked in. But it’s still a good idea to have a charcoal gray suit and a blazer for occasions when you might need it. These should be the first purchases you make.”

One more must-have

Between advertised savings, discount stores and thrift shops, you have a lot of choices for bargain shopping. But there is still one more expense most fashion consultants recommend in addition to garments — a good tailor.

“Whatever you wear should look as if it was made for you,” Bjorseth said.

“Most people don’t have hanger figures, meaning the way the suit looks on the hanger isn’t the way it’s going to look on you. So you have to factor in the cost of a tailor.”

The recommendation is to find tailors to alter the clothes you buy, not custom design them for you. Common alterations in manufactured garments are to the length of slacks, sleeves and skirts.

“I think it’s very important to have your clothes tailored,” said Zimmer of Men’s Wearhouse. “It does add an additional cost, generally about 10 percent of the cost of the garment.”

Time is another factor. In-store tailors and local tailors usually have garments ready within a week to 10 days. For an additional fee, some will do a faster turn-around.

If you find a good tailor, don’t forget to bring in your old clothes. You can expand your wardrobe by altering or updating suits, slacks and jackets.

“Never wear clothes or belts that used to fit,” Bjorseth said. “Considering the difference a well-fitting suit makes on a person, the cost of a tailor is really incidental. When your clothes fit you well, this increases your self-confidence and boosts your image.

“If you want to look sharp, stick with your military disciplines. They still apply in the civilian work force.”

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