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Originally Posted by uniquetobeme
My GF has a job interview and we went to over 5 stores trying to find something that looks professional but not a suit and tie. Any ideas/advice? She wears men's clothing, but isn't comfortable in a suit and tie. It's tough because it seems to look really professional either you have to wear women's clothes, or go with a suit and tie option. Where is the in-between? The interview is for an Executive Administrative Assistant position.
I know she can't do this...  |
Hi, I work in a very professional environment.
I wear men's dress slacks. Not ones that are a part of a suit, but they are dressy slacks in the same sort of way. Unlike khakis (which are not dressy enough, they would have some polyester in them...or something besides all cotton).
I then wear a dress shirt that one could wear with a tie, but I just skip the tie. Do not wear a t-shirt underneath, that dresses down the outfit. Button up to the highest button before the top. I do not wear a jacket because this screams male. I already look male, this just take it too far over the edge for my line of work. So, just dress pants and a dress shirt.
The biggest errors that butches make is that they get shirts that are too big. Make sure the shoulder seam is on the shoulders. SO many butches wear shirts with the shoulders hanging past the shoulders. This looks sloppy.
Go into a store like Calvin Klein. The type of dress pants that would make sense would be hanging on a rack (not in folded stacks, which are the khaki, cotton type). Typically the shirts I would buy would be hanging on a hanger, not the ones in the clear wrapping packages. I'm sorry I don't know the verbiage on this, but the ones in the packages tend to have the buttons set up in a way that works if one wears a tie, but without a tie, the second button is too close to the top of the neck. The ones on the rack open more naturally at the neck.
Personally, I think that more fitted shirts guys are wearing look a lot better and less boxy/sloppy, if she is thin enough to wear this type. You will see signs that indicate that it is a "fitted" shirt.
Anyway, I would skip department stores and hit individual places like Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, etc. Don't be afraid to ask the sales people to help you. Just look for a gay guy. :-)
Obviously in an Exec Admin Assistant position, how nicely dressed someone looks is important. I have also learned that it is less about what one is actually wearing, and more about how well it fits one's body and if it is pressed with no wrinkles. Go for crisp lines.
Good luck.
I will send Kelt in because he knows this stuff...