Reader K asks about the merits of cheap interview suits for women…

I’m in the process of changing from a career where pajamas are appropriate work attire to something more “professional” and need all the help I can get. I have been shopping for an interview suit (my first ever and I am almost 40!) and am not sure how to weigh quality vs cost. My clothes budget has been limited to a few t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and maybe a sweater per year so I am unaccustomed to spending a significant amount of money on clothes. I have been browsing at discount stores like Ross, Marshalls, and Kohls to try and find my interview suit for under $100.

However, the more I read your blog the more I am wondering if I should suck it up and spend $200-300 on a suit that is wool from a store like Ann Taylor or Banana Republic. Aside from the fact that a well made wool suit will last longer than a synthetic Calvin Klein suit from Ross, do you think there is a significant visual difference? I figure that if my cheap suit works for the interview I can always invest in quality clothes once I have a job that pays more. However, the last thing I want is for the interviewer to think “damn, that’s a cheap suit!”. Any advice?

{related: the guide to basic women’s suiting}

Great, great question, and I think we should expand the discussion to the differences between LOTS of different price ranges.

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{related: the best women’s suits of 2022}

The Best Cheap Interview Suits for Women

Here’s my take:

Where to Find Interview Pant Suits Under $100

There are lots of suits to be found for under $100, but in general these are going to be sold as a single “suit” — one price for both the jacket and bottoms, whether you’re getting pants or a skirt. While the skirts can sometimes look OK when worn as a separate, the pants almost never do (at least, that’s my experience).

Furthermore, because these suits are so inexpensive, the fabric they’re made of is often difficult to work with and may wrinkle easily, hold smells more easily, and start to get a bit shiny when you dryclean them.

{related: how to look stylish in women’s pants suits}

Bottom line: These suits are great for when you want to bolster a professional wardrobe — particularly if you have to wear suits 5 times a week — but for my money, I would not purchase this kind of suit for an interview/wardrobe basic.

Interview Suits for Women Under $200

There are suit separates to be had for under $200, particularly at mall stores (think Express, or LOFT), as well as at department stores (Macy’s in particular has a number of “Every Day Value” separates from AK Anne Klein, Ellen Tracy, and Calvin Klein). These will be in basic, solid colors, you can get both pants and skirts (and maybe even multiple jackets) to match, in separate sizes (perfect if you need an 8 on top and a 6 in the bottom).

{related: what to wear for the dinner reception portion of an interview process}

The fabric will not be the best (see above), but in terms of bang for your buck, you’re going to get a lot more wear out of these pieces as a wardrobe staple as WELL as an interview suit. Furthermore, if you have to interview twice, you can wear the skirt once and the pants the next time, instead of wearing the same suit. You can also get a better suit that’s sold as a single unit for around $150 or so — I’ve had good luck with Tahari suits off the rack at Macy’s.

{related: the best interview attire for different types of jobs}

Bottom line: If you’re working on a very limited budget, these suits are going to be a better use of your money, give you more wardrobe flexibility, and generally look better than the $100-and-under category.

Suits for Women Under $500 (Mid-Range Suits for Women)

This is where your ability to watch sales is going to come into play, because it’s pretty common to see a $500 suit go on sale for under $250 if you know what you’re buying. This price range puts you into the better mall stores — Ann Taylor, J.Crew, Banana Republic — and you’ll start to see better fabrics here, such as natural fibers (look for wool you can wear year-round) as well as suiting separates.

{related: the best coats to wear over a suit in winter}

These suits are going to wear better, fit better, and be easier to wear as separates than any of the cheaper categories.

Investment Suits for Women Under $1000

The fabrics just keep getting better as you get into the range of Theory, Elie Tahari, Nanette Lepore, Rebecca Taylor, Hugo Boss, and more. In addition to seeing some great basics (Theory suits are, of course, a perennial favorite), there are some more interesting, lovely suits (as we frequently discover in our Suit of the Week feature).

The Best Designer Suits for Women Executives, Lawyers and Other Professionals

I’m sure there are differences in the fabrics and fit for this price range, but let’s just say it:  if you buy a suit in this price range it’s pretty much a) to cross something off your Fashion Bucket List, or b) because you’re so rich the price just does not matter. (Neither of those are bad reasons!)

{related: what are “the rules” for interview shoes (if there are any)?}

Ladies, what differences do you see in different price ranges for suits? How much does YOUR average suit cost (both in terms of sticker price and in terms of what you’ll actually pay, after any discounts)?

{related: interview makeup tips}

Stock photo at top via Shutterstock/Dean Drobot.

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Loving the simple, classic look of this Brooks Brothers suit. Great three-quarter length sleeves; great A-line skirt. We’d pair it with an understated brooch and earrings, perhaps — the mandarin collar already does a great job of directing focus to the face. The jacket (Wool Donegal Jacket) is $298 (available in petites as well, Petite Wool Donegal Jacket), and the skirt is $188 (Wool Donegal Skirt) (also available in petites, Petite Wool Donegal Skirt).

(L-7)

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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.

Workwear sales of note for 1.21.24

Our favorites are in bold!

• Amour Vert – End of season clearance: up to 70% off (readers love this short-sleeved silk blouse, some colors down to $59)
• Ann Taylor – 25% off full-price purchase, and extra 60% off 2+ sale styles (ends 1/22)
• Banana Republic – Up to 60% off sale styles plus an extra 25% off sale styles (ends 1/23)
• Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
• Club Monaco – Extra 60% off all sale
• Eloquii – $19+ select styles; 40% off everything else
• Everlane – Up to 70% off sale; reader favorites include the Dream Pant, their ReNew Transit backpack, silk blouses and their oversized blazers!
• J.Crew – Winter layers $24.50+; select cashmere from $49.50; up to extra 60% sale styles — readers love this blazer, this blazer, these pants, and their sweater blazers
• J.Crew Factory – Extra 70% off clearance; up to 60% off everything; readers love the schoolboy sweater blazer
• Lands’ End – Sleepwear from $19; 60% off everything else plus free shipping
• Nordstrom – 5x the points on beauty; sale, new markdowns added
• Reiss – Up to 60% off
• Talbots – Extra 60% off markdown sweaters, coats, scarves, and shoes; 50% off all other markdowns (here are all the reader favorites at Talbots)

Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Stay tuned for a list of our latest threadjacks!

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Whenever you have a seriously important professional day — for example, an interview — you need to be wearing your most conservative, “notice my brains not my fashion sense” outfit. This means, unfortunately, that you need to be sure you know how the suit you wear looks from all angles. How does it look if you need to reach across a table or desk to point to something? How does it look from the back — is there a slit in the skirt that goes too high? And finally — deathly important for interviews — how does your skirt suit look when you’re sitting down? Can you cross your legs, or do you show too much thigh?

Most women are well acquainted with checking their outfit out in the mirror before they run out the door, but for interview outfits you need to go even further. Pull a chair over to a full-length mirror and sit down in it — note how high your skirt goes when you sit. If you think you might be stooping at all during the day (to pick up papers or materials on the floor), do that as well. Basically, any possible action you might take during the day should be vetted between you and the mirror, to make sure you won’t be embarrassed.

The post Corporette 101: The Old Mirror Trick appeared first on Corporette.com.

This cotton skirt suit is simple, wearable, and just slightly preppy — the small “cactus stripe” running through it reminds us of men’s seersucker suits. To make things even better, it’s on sale — was $240, now $160. (And, apparently through 9/07, and get free shipping on $100 or more.)  It’s available in sizes 4 through 16. 2 Piece Cactus Stripe Jacket And Skirt Suit

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2016 Update: We still stand by the advice in this older reader mail asking if longer skirts appropriate for court, but you may also be interested in our recent discussion on whether women lawyers can wear interesting suits to court.

We’ve been thinking about this question since we first read it…

I have an important court appearance coming up. I will be arguing an appeal on a fairly significant issue. I have been wearing pants for years to trial. But are they appropriate before the more conservative court of appeals? Also, I have terrible legs (calves and ankles mainly ). Got them from my mom. I have always been insecure about them (thus the pants). Are there any suits out there with longer skirts. I don’t ever see them anymore. Are such skirts hopelessly out of style?

Obviously, long skirts had their heyday a while ago (we’re guessing at least 15 years) — but we remember thinking it was very chic when a friend of ours in law school wore a suit with one. In fact, the only skirt suit we could find that looked vaguely acceptable was this Austin Reed skirt suit, available at Overstock.com (size 4 only). If you have a longer skirt suit, or you can find one, we’d say go ahead and wear it if you’re comfortable in it — the people who really care whether you’re in a skirt suit will be sated by the longer skirt, and the people who don’t care what you wear — well, they won’t care. And you, you’ll be comfortable.

Otherwise… you’re in a tough spot. Obviously, appellate judges should be intelligent enough to see past a pantsuit (gasp!) and listen to the merits of an argument. But, then again, we know of at least one federal judge — blind! — who made his clerks tell him if a woman lawyer was wearing a skirt suit or not when she appeared before him. That’s how important it was to him. So, regrettably, our advice to you is  that if your gut is telling you to wear a skirt suit, then wear a skirt suit — after all, you are an advocate for a client and this issue is bigger than you. And it’s only one day (not even the whole day!) and, hopefully, you can find a suit that has both pants, a skirt, and a jacket, so the purchase isn’t a total bust.

Readers — if you have any different advice, please weigh in. Do you think longer skirts are appropriate for court?  (Or, if you’ve seen any long skirt suits, please let us know!)

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