shopping clue, anyone?

[chhotii]

Imagine you are female; you have something coming up for which you have to dress up, in a professional style-- such as a court appearance or a job interview; it's too late to get anything custom-tailored; it's going to be sub-freezing that day; and you have a magic credit card, on which you can charge nearly any amount for the clothes you buy. Where do you go shopping?

Comments

[istemi.livejournal.com]

I got a great but expensive suit at Talbots. When the fabrics match it looks very pulled together. The danger with suits is getting the pants hemmed. You might be able to get a rush job, or if desperate, fold the extra length up inside, iron it so it looks like a real hem, and baste or safety pin the extra length to the seams inside where it won't show.

If you're not going the suit route, you'd be doing nice pants, neutral blouse, a really good jacket. And shoes that don't look too beat up. The jacket is the hardest part. Coldwater Creek has distinctive, expensive jackets, but I find the cut to be more boxy and middle aged. Eddie Bauer, Gap, or JJill might have something - check their website to see if they carry work clothes. Macys or other department store will have something nice, but maybe not distinctive.

Kohls or a department store can provide pants. Their blouses are hit or miss for me. You may have those already anyway.

Add a piece of flair to make it look more finished - necklace, pin, something shiny.

The Natick Collection has many stores ready and willing to take your money, especially with the new upscale section. Most of the stores I mentioned are there.

[skreeky]

Double sided tape is a great solution to emergency pants hemming, like istemi mentions. I've even used gaff in a pinch. Really. (Just remember to take it off before sending to the cleaner's, where they can probably put in a real hem anyway if you talk to them.)

I liked the suits selection recently at the Filene's Basement in Newton, down near the UDoIt. They even had a bunch of petite's stuff.

I still get my button-down blouses at places like Sears.

[istemi.livejournal.com]

Is double-sided tape strong enough? I'd do both, tape and safetypin to the side seams to be sure.

Good to know about Filenes Basement. I didn't care for the one in Framingham - a bit office-heavy - but I've been looking for petite blouses that are more tailored.

[skreeky]

Probably depends on the tape. I picked some up awhile back at Joanne's Fabrics that's meant specifically for hems. I can't imagine that the stuff I use in the wood shop wouldn't hold, though I'd be more worried about staining if I left it on. The stuff that comes with window insulating plastic is laughable - wouldn't count on that without a pin or two.