Business Attire...Striped Suit with WHAT kind of tops?

[Shadowe]

Ok, my lack of *recently* acceptable business attire knowledge is showing...

Back in the day...I would never pair anything with a striped business suit than a solid colour blouse/top/sweater.  Nowadays I see a lot of difference in the styles being worn in offices. So I am curious as to what you all think about what sort of colour/pattern would be acceptable with a subtle striped suit, and a bolder striped suit.

My first thought is the subtle one, could be played with more, though not too bold a pattern of tops, whereas the bolder stripe, such as a black and white, would need more of a solid colour with it to look appropriate.

I have just found a lovely Style & Co black suit with subtle pink fine lined stripes, and also a dark navy with a bolder broader white stripe.  I add these two lovely suits to my charcoal grey suit.

I am getting my business wardrobe together as I may be seriously looking for a new job in a couple of months.  Long story, for another time.

Any thoughts folks?

[ejvc]

Well, I'd wear solid for an interview, but I think you could pair some other things with it.  A small floral, in the same colourway, for example.  Stripy sort of patterns such as pintucks on a solid colour blouse. Probably other things.

[movinon]

I have many pinstripes in the stash - gotta get those going for interviews - but a couple ready to wear.  Of course it depends on what kind of job you're going for...  I work in marketing and have to blend business sense with creative work and staff, or also consider (rightly or wrongly) the age of staff I'm going to be working with.  Even if I may be old enough to be some of their moms I don't want someone to judge that by wearing something overly conservative/staid. To avoid looking too stuffy for an interview I would go with a solid but a lower neckline and some interesting jewelry.  Usually not too artsy but not too plain or conservative either.  I haven't found patterns I'd mix with pinstripes but I DO like to mix textures...  i.e. I'll wear a navy pinstripe pantsuit with a ruffled white lace top, or white camisole with lace at top of neckline, or in my black/brown tweedy version a black tank with cotton embroidered lace (oh there's a name for this type lace I can't recall at the moment) for more tone on tone look. Not that I'm an expert or have been booking the days with interviews but I think it's important to carry the message that you'll be a respectable representative of the company they are confident in, yet not too uptight and able to mix in/relate with staff of many ages.  At least at my age that's more and more important!

[Shadowe]

Thanks for these ideas!  I had thought about mixing textures, and have bought some lovely peachskin blouses, that are solid but one is very shimmery, but not gaudy, the other is shadow striped (in the weave you can see the stripe) I also have several solid colour blouses in my wardrobe as well, that are frilly or lacy, but not overdone.

I am keeping my eye out for a nice bold purple, and a blue based solid red blouse.  Those are two colours that look awesome on me, but I don't own in business types.

Keep the ideas coming folks, I need all the help I can get!

Side Note:  Being in management now, it appalls me to see some of the younger people coming in for apps, and interviews, and the way they seem to dress nowadays...MUCH TOO CASUAL, in my humble opinion.  But I guess that just means I am getting older eh?   

[movinon]

Side Note:  Being in management now, it appalls me to see some of the younger people coming in for apps, and interviews, and the way they seem to dress nowadays...MUCH TOO CASUAL, in my humble opinion.  But I guess that just means I am getting older eh?   

No it means those were not properly trained.  Either they didn't use a career center at their college or have been given no direction or think the rules aren't really the rules or don't apply to them.  Because I have worked with plenty of 20 somethings, even right out of school, who, though they may be somewhat casual once hired, as appropriate for the company, come in perfectly attired.  The insurance company I was with  was small and privately held and did a lot of new agent recruiting and since we didn't have a big HR/in house somehow I got wrangled into doing initial interviews at recruiting sessions.  Plenty of young jobseekers well dressed and presentable.

[Shadowe]

Karen, I am glad to hear that...I said some, because so many which come into our store, though a retail location, have been in jeans/tees/sloppy clothing, or things MUCH too casual.  It is sad to see those folks as some of them might actually have been good employees, but we seldom look past their appearance due to dress code and business/medical clothing requirements.  We even had one lady who came in to pick up an app, looking very smart in a business suit, etc. who then appeared at her interview in mismatched lounge around the house cleaning (for me at least) clothing, with no sock, stockings or anything...have to wonder sometimes...eh? 

[RuthieK]

I have worn various striped pant suits for work for a while (though I am currently moving to more of a separates look but lets leave that to one side).
I am a Clear and Warm person in colouring, so I look best if I wear a fairly strong colour in my tops. So how I wear my pinstripe suits is with a bold coloured knit top. I don't wear shirts much becuase I find the collars tend to get tangled with the jacket collars.

So for instance with my chocolate brown pinstripe suit, the stripes are very fine and ivory coloured, so the suit reads as dark brown, and I like this particularly with turquoise or teal, becuase the stripes are subtle I do wear print knit tops where they are white and turquoise or teal and white (more colours than that seems to make it more casual).
I wear moderately low necklines (as my neck is short) and add interesting chunky costume jewellery in the teal/turquoise tones. I avoid bracelets, very large earrings and big rings for work, but a statement necklace with moderate earrings always seems to work well.

I have a black and white pinstriped suit with unusual buttons, and detailing where the stripe is bolder, so this with suit I don't wear a patterned top. Instead I have usually a plain red top, but perhaps also red shoes and bags. With all that extra red I would probably have a black beaded necklace to bring the balance back.

Particularly for interviews you want the focus to be on your face. You are not trying to look sexy, but you do want to look like you care about yourself. Somehow looking groomed sends the message which says 'I am a competent and organised person. I am the kind of individual who would be an asset to your organisation'. I think if you show on the outside that you value yourself, this helps others to see your value, especially in the artificial situation of an interview when they have no real chance to get to know the real you. You are giving a shortcut into your personality with how you have chosen to present yourself.

So have an experiment with fabric lengths. Wrap one fabric round the torso , and then drape another around your shoulders. How do the two play together? What colours make you look well, confident etc?
If you have blue or green eyes, a top in a colour which emphasises the colour of your eyes can be very flattering as it draws the eye to your face which is always a good thing. Long necks look better with a collared top, short necks generally without.
(I personally don't like plain darks worn with whites/pales on me, if I do it I add a strong colour in accessories to inject some life. This may just be me though so if you like monochrome then go for it.)

[DebbieY]

Karen, I am glad to hear that...I said some, because so many which come into our store, though a retail location, have been in jeans/tees/sloppy clothing, or things MUCH too casual.  It is sad to see those folks as some of them might actually have been good employees, but we seldom look past their appearance due to dress code and business/medical clothing requirements.  We even had one lady who came in to pick up an app, looking very smart in a business suit, etc. who then appeared at her interview in mismatched lounge around the house cleaning (for me at least) clothing, with no sock, stockings or anything...have to wonder sometimes...eh? 

Just looking at it from a different piont of view, could it be that these people (especially the young ones) don't own much if anything in the way of business attire? Obviously not the case of the lady mentioned above as she had already been seen in a suit, but some of the younger ones who haven't had a job or not held one in a while might not have anything suitable in their wardrobe or have the funds to get something until they land a job. I think this is especially true of the young ones who leave home far too early and don't have a support system to draw on (eg if they are no longer at home with parents and able to ask for help). Just a thought ...

[sewsanna]

I keep hearing that HR types are now quite young. Twenty somethings are hiring people old enough to be their parents.

While I definately would dress on the conservative side, I'd also make sure what I wore was in style. I like Movinon's idea of a lower necked top under a jacket. A nice piece of neck jewelry would be appropriate, as well. Nothing too overstated, but a nice polished look is what you are going for.

I've known of an HR person who became unhappy with an interviewee who came sans pantyhose, so I'd be careful about sandals.

Good luck on assembing your interview wardrobe, and good luck interviewing.

[Threads]

Law firms are pretty conservative - I wouldn't mix prints and stripes to meet a client.  But even being conservative, it is not very often that we need to wear a full-on jacket/matching skirt type suit.  More often a jacket over a dress, or a cardigan and pants.  In fact, lots of cardigans and twin sets.

Scarves are a great way to introduce colors and patterns, particularly with a sweater or other more casual top.  And it is easy to make scarves out of silk yardage - run up the cut edges with a rolled hem foot and leave the selvages; or fray the cut edges.  Or get white silk blanks and paint them to work with your suits.

[su-sew]

While I have rarely needed to wear a full suit (jacket and matching pants), I have 2 pairs of navy blue pinstripes trousers- I have worn a pink and white small floral print blouse with these pants and a white necklace.

Generally, I wear very few print and mostly solid colours, though, in my wardrobe.

[Teaf5]

Stripes, especially pinstripes, do not have a full "print" effect in combinations with other fabrics and can often be used as the solid.  For an easy, visual exploration of this concept, stop by the menswear department of a very nice store and check out the neckties. Surprisingly, most striped suits are worn with print ties, and the shirt may be a solid color or another stripe.  Home decorators also use stripes in 3-pattern combinations, and usually the stripe is the quietest of the three.  Quilters also mix patterns, and many quilt books and sites give advice on combining multiple patterns.

Ultimately, you have to choose something that you are comfortable with, and if you don't like to mix stripes with other patterns, you don't have to.  However, it can be very liberating to play with patterns, textures, and colors to create a fresh, attractive combination.  While it is a good idea to play it safe for a job interview, there's no reason to hide behind subdued, plain colors all the time.

[ejvc]

Hi Teaf5, welcome and thanks for posting - you should see an official welcome in a little while but meantime I'm just saying hi.  Good comments about the menswear department.  I also agree with Ruthie that it depends on the strength of the stripe.

Also like Ruthie, I think that here in the UK suits are *much* more common business attire in all kinds of firms.  I worked in the creative industries (advertising/marketing/design) for many years, and now I'm in academia, and I can tell you I see people in full suits all the time in both.  I myself wore skirt suits a tremendous amount when working (I could never get a trouser suit I liked) and I always also wear them to conferences and suchlike, and nor am I overdressed.  I think this is also common in continental Europe; everyone working seemed to wear suits in Italy and France when I last visited; in Sweden it is slightly more casual, but the US is the most casual.

[Mary Jo]

I have a black with silver/white pin stripe jacket that looks good with high end print/knit tops.  The most successful ones combine black and white with one other color.  My two favorites:  a large scale white and teal floral print on a black background, and a medium scale  electric blue and black words/landscape montage on a white background.  I've been looking around for a black, red, and white print...

[Mary Jo]

For your two new suits, you might try looking at a print that combines black, pink and gray, and another that combines navy, white and lime green.  The scale and amount of contrast will effect the overall look.