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Thanks for the advice. Anne Taylor was recommended to me, too. Does Mod-Cloth, or for that matter Macy's, J.C. Penny, Dillards, Sears, or Forever 21, have some of the same things, though?
Macy's and Dillards, yes. Sears and JCPenney no. Clothes tend to be cheap and tacky there - cheap can work for those with excellent fashion sense, but not for the fasion-impaired. However, Sears has Lands End, which while it is cheap and not great quality sometimes, is not tacky and would be a safe, conservative, choice.
Avoid Forever 21 at all costs, as well as any other stores clearly geared toward teenagers (the Limited, Abercrombie, etc).
OP, this verges on troll territory. If you would even consider wearing that anywhere but a Renaissance festival I strongly suggest you go to Ann Taylor or at least Lands End and buy an outfit straight from the catalog and do no try to choose your own clothes at all. Ever.
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Originally Posted by kmb501
I was thinking about orthopedic shoes with a low heel or wedges, would that work? I hurt my feet, and the kids make fun of the way I walk sometimes, because my posture isn't correct. I've heard heels help with that. Dress Shoes | Womens
Can I substitute a pencil skirt for the pants? Is it okay to wear an open blazer, the kinds without shoulder pads? I like the long cardigan sweaters, too. Are they appropriate? I thought they looked elegant yet "older."
Wow, thanks for the tip about A-line skirts. I thought they were quite flattering to my figure. If they are inappropriate for work, when would they be appropriate for me?
I can't see the shoe link. Any comfortable shoe is probably fine. Heels don't help with shoe pain. Exercises help with posture, not heels. Maybe you need some physical therapy or something if there is something wrong with your posture. Also, maybe some physical exercise would be good for you.
Pencil skirts work with almost anything. Open blazers are fine, but hard to get the right fit; also expensive and not that comfortable for teaching in a hot climate. A cardigan is better for teaching. They are practically the teaching uniform, so yes, they are appropriate.
I did not say don't wear A-line skirts. A-line is fine. I said avoid flouncy and full skirts. They are girly - this is fine and very cute for a lot of women, but having seen your posts and your issues, this is not the look you want. Also, they are not great on a heavy body, especially with flats. This look can go very bad, so avoid it.
I've been looking at your posts in this and the other forum for a while, and I'm starting to wonder if you are either a troll or had a very strange upbringing. You seem very intelligent in many ways, and yet sort of clueless - very clueless - at the same time. I'm trying to imagine how that can happen.
Avoid Forever 21 at all costs, as well as any other stores clearly geared toward teenagers (the Limited, Abercrombie, etc).
Disagree, with a good eye you can find work appropriate stuff at forever21, and you can get accessories. It isn't all bad, as long as you make sure the skirts/dresses are the proper length!
The Limited is totally appropriate, it is about 75% work clothing. Feel free to shot there! They have great trousers, contemporary suits and plenty of work appropriate dresses. Defintiely go there. It is less boring than Ann Taylor.
Also at your age, you might want to spend more time at Ann Taylor Loft, and less time at regular An Taylor. Ann Taylor skews towards 30+. The Loft is meant for women under 35 and has more contemporary, yet appropriate pieces.
Abercrombie is basically all casual clothing. You can probably skip it unless you need jeans for the weekend.
As for Dillards, Macy's and the like, choose your section wisely. Brands like INC skew a little younger. Jones New York and Ralph Lauren are too old for you. Vince Camuto and Michael Kors are at the grey line for you age wise, but they typically have great pencil skirts! Alfani skews really old, but with a good eye you can find some nice stuff. There are many other brands in the store, but I can't go into all of them.
Sears and JCPenny? You can absolutely find good stuff in those stores too. In Sears, go over to Metaphor for basics (pants, skirts and cardigans). Most of the rest of the store is too old for you! (Lands End included!). In JCPenny, go over to the Joe Fresh section and the Worthington for work friendly stuff. Some will be the wrong age for you, and generally speaking these stores don't have well made clothing. But they are definitely good enough to last for a little while and tide you over till you can upgrade your basics and find your style.
J. Crew is a good choice for age appropriate professional wear, as is NY and Company. I'd check out those.
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Oh, and no to the peplum. Keep it simple.
Peplum would be great for you as it seems you might have narrower hips! This is a really easy to wear peplum top. Try something like this with a pencil skirt! Product Detail | H&M US
These are all completely work appropriate peplum tops! Wold look great with a pencil skirt and age appropriate!
*I can't tell from the image if the top part is sheer, if so tread with caution at work! But other days? Absolutely. And since you aren't busty you can do a high neckline like this.
I've been looking at your posts in this and the other forum for a while, and I'm starting to wonder if you are either a troll or had a very strange upbringing. You seem very intelligent in many ways, and yet sort of clueless - very clueless - at the same time. I'm trying to imagine how that can happen.
Um...no, I'm not a troll, at least I'm not trying to be. That's not the first time someone has said that to me, though. What am I doing to make people think that?
Okay, I'm also a little confused about the peplum top. It's made to help camouflage the tummy, right? What other shirts camouflage the tummy?
Disagree, with a good eye you can find work appropriate stuff at forever21, and you can get accessories. It isn't all bad, as long as you make sure the skirts/dresses are the proper length!
The Limited is totally appropriate, it is about 75% work clothing. Feel free to shot there! They have great trousers, contemporary suits and plenty of work appropriate dresses. Defintiely go there. It is less boring than Ann Taylor.
Also at your age, you might want to spend more time at Ann Taylor Loft, and less time at regular An Taylor. Ann Taylor skews towards 30+. The Loft is meant for women under 35 and has more contemporary, yet appropriate pieces.
Abercrombie is basically all casual clothing. You can probably skip it unless you need jeans for the weekend.
As for Dillards, Macy's and the like, choose your section wisely. Brands like INC skew a little younger. Jones New York and Ralph Lauren are too old for you. Vince Camuto and Michael Kors are at the grey line for you age wise, but they typically have great pencil skirts! Alfani skews really old, but with a good eye you can find some nice stuff. There are many other brands in the store, but I can't go into all of them.
Sears and JCPenny? You can absolutely find good stuff in those stores too. In Sears, go over to Metaphor for basics (pants, skirts and cardigans). Most of the rest of the store is too old for you! (Lands End included!). In JCPenny, go over to the Joe Fresh section and the Worthington for work friendly stuff. Some will be the wrong age for you, and generally speaking these stores don't have well made clothing. But they are definitely good enough to last for a little while and tide you over till you can upgrade your basics and find your style.
J. Crew is a good choice for age appropriate professional wear, as is NY and Company. I'd check out those.
Peplum would be great for you as it seems you might have narrower hips! This is a really easy to wear peplum top. Try something like this with a pencil skirt! Product Detail | H&M US
These are all completely work appropriate peplum tops! Wold look great with a pencil skirt and age appropriate!
*I can't tell from the image if the top part is sheer, if so tread with caution at work! But other days? Absolutely. And since you aren't busty you can do a high neckline like this.
The key to shopping at these stores is that you NEED a good eye to find the right stuff. OP has a bad eye. People keep giving advice as though she can put together an outfit. She can't - that's the problem. She needs it all done for her and a guarantee that it's professional. Ann Taylor offers that. Loft does not. My guess is that OP's needs are more in the line of looking like a normal person than of looking fashionable.
Um...no, I'm not a troll, at least I'm not trying to be. That's not the first time someone has said that to me, though. What am I doing to make people think that?
Okay, I'm also a little confused about the peplum top. It's made to help camouflage the tummy, right? What other shirts camouflage the tummy?
Well, you posted a link to a top that is inappropriate for anything but a costume, for one. What on earth are you wearing now?? Maybe take a pic of some clothes (they don't have to be on you) and post them? I'm really curious.
Also, some of your posts in the teaching forum have the same kind of occasionally bizarre ideas. Did you have a strange upbringing? Like a religious cult, or homeschooling or something?
Well, you posted a link to a top that is inappropriate for anything but a costume, for one. What on earth are you wearing now?? Maybe take a pic of some clothes (they don't have to be on you) and post them? I'm really curious.
Also, some of your posts in the teaching forum have the same kind of occasionally bizarre ideas. Did you have a strange upbringing? Like a religious cult, or homeschooling or something?
Huh? I don't really know what would qualify as "strange." This is the United States; all kinds of cultures live here. Since I don't know what qualifies as 'strange," though, I guess I'm equally clueless about what is considered "normal."
Background:
I'm from a small city in the Deep South. We have a lot of internationals who come here for work and school. There are a few different religions and many different subcultures here. It's not as diverse as a major big city, but there's enough to provide a few choices. I also didn't have a lot of opportunity to experiment with fashion, though, because we mostly wore uniforms at school, so there was no real room to experiment.
What you should focus on is an appropriate (possibly boring) wardrobe for work, and then look for clothes for the weekend that suit your personal taste, like that blouse you posted a link to. You don't want to stand out for your clothes at school...it's better to be the person who blends in because she's dressed appropriately all the time. You also don't need to spend a fortune having clothes custom made or trying to buy designer brands. You're not going to be a hard to find size either...5'6" and 140lbs sounds like the average American woman. I doubt you really have that much tummy to hide either...yeah, it might show in a skin-tight dress, but it's not going to be an issue in your work clothes.
About heels...at the last school my kids went to, most of the teachers wore heels. The kids said that the teachers kept bedroom slippers in the classroom and only wore the heels when they were going out of the classroom. They also said the heels were nice because they could hear the teacher coming back down the hallway. It seems like some comfortable flats would be more practical.
What you should focus on is an appropriate (possibly boring) wardrobe for work, and then look for clothes for the weekend that suit your personal taste, like that blouse you posted a link to. You don't want to stand out for your clothes at school...it's better to be the person who blends in because she's dressed appropriately all the time. You also don't need to spend a fortune having clothes custom made or trying to buy designer brands. You're not going to be a hard to find size either...5'6" and 140lbs sounds like the average American woman. I doubt you really have that much tummy to hide either...yeah, it might show in a skin-tight dress, but it's not going to be an issue in your work clothes.
About heels...at the last school my kids went to, most of the teachers wore heels. The kids said that the teachers kept bedroom slippers in the classroom and only wore the heels when they were going out of the classroom. They also said the heels were nice because they could hear the teacher coming back down the hallway. It seems like some comfortable flats would be more practical.
I totally agree with you about the boring part. I think that's a good choice here.
I wore heels my first few years of teaching. In retrospect, it was a poor choice. It made me not want to stand up and move around much, because by the end of the day my feet were killing me. Also made it hard to walk around with all my books and things. One winter I slipped on some ice while tottering into the building with my bags and stacks of books, and not only did I get hurt, but I actually managed to ding a coworker's car on the way down!
I think you would enjoy the TV show "What Not To Wear". It's funny and VERY informative about dressing for your body AND career (or whatever) and you see the people have to throw out their entire wardrobe and start over. They go shopping and try to apply the tips they got then they have to go back and show the coaches what they bought etc. Sometimes they're totally frozen unable to pick anything or scared and the coaches come and shop with them.
They also get a hair and makeup makeover.
It's a funny show but really helpful. They go to all different stores even H&M. They teach you the BASICS of a good wardrobe and things like "buy the pants to fit your waist/hips then have them tailored if you need to" and how to FIT a good pair of slacks. And where the JACKET or BLOUSE should hit you. Or how to compensate for different things like giant boobs.
And how NOT TO SHOP in the JUNIORS dept when you are over age 18! LOL
You can probably watch the shows online. Try it - you'll laugh AND learn something.
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