Portland style (professional, casual) (Hillsboro: sales, neighborhoods, buy)

[gosling357]

Hi guys,

You may remember me as the person from Delaware whose husband is interviewing with PSU next week. He'll be there all week cause they're flying him up for the face-to-face, and staying to look at neighborhoods. I charged him with noticing what people are wearing, but he is a man, so...I am turning to you.

As a school counselor, I dress as casually as I possibly can without going over the line. Plain knit shirts, corduroys, khakis, fashion sneakers. (I also work in a pretty poor school district, I'm sure this sort of thing wouldn't fly everywhere.) However, I am currently in talks with a job that would be offering me a temporary supervisor position, and I'm assuming I have to start dressing better. But I have also heard that people in Portland are a little more laid back than in other places, so I don't know what that translates to in terms of dress.

So my question is: Do I need to stock up on some suit separates and shells? Or can I get away with my semi-schlub style that I've been rocking the past forever? Also what sort of styles are people wearing in general around Portland? When it rains, do people wear high rain boots/rain coats or do the do the stoic thing and have wet pants bottoms? Are there a lot of heels, flats, or boots? I need to know how to prepare!

This is probably a stupid thread and I know everybody wears different stuff, but I guess it's just one of those things where I need some female help. Also I am a young-looking 30 (so I have been told) if that helps.

[SETabor]

Personally, I dress pretty much how you do except for the shoes. I have a pair of brown slip-on shoes that are a step above tennis shoes that I wear with jeans and corduroys but I wear slightly dressier shoes with khakis - brown or black lace-up loafers. That's pretty much as dressy as anyone in my office gets. Some people wear tennis shoes all the time but I think it doesn't look very professional. It probably depends on your school though. For shoes, it's mostly flats but that depends on your crowd.

If you're moving in the summer, you won't have to worry about rain stuff until the fall and can add it gradually as it becomes necessary. Waterproof shoes and coat generally work. It generally doesn't rain hard enough that your pants will get wet unless you're in the elements all day or step in a puddle.

[Nell Plotts]

A lot depends on your employer's culture, the customers you come in contact with, and your own style. Although I see many young women sporting tats I don't think they are attractive. If you have them wear clothing that covers them. For business wear ear rings as long as they don't dangle are fine, rings of other types not so.

I haven't noticed corduroy for a long time, khaki pants are common. In a casual setting polo style shirts are fine, T-style sweaters that can be dressed up with a costume necklace and cardigan go anywhere. I keep a suit (pants, skirt, jacket) handy that I can dress up or down easily. For an interview I would wear the pants or skirt with a plain knit light weight sweater, necklace, and a cardigan. The suit jacket I save for NYC, San Francisco (or funerals).

Footwear of all types can be seen on the street. In an interview I would wear something appropriate for the job. For example, if it requires a lot of walking comfortable rules the day. I have deck shoes and white canvas that I do not wear on the street. For an interview I would not wear athletic shoes.

Except perhaps to fill in an item in your wardrobe don't buy anything special. Wait until you get here. We have wonderful shopping.

Portland style: I live in a building with a lot of older wealthy women. At our Monday evening wine & cheese gathering recently one commented to another that they loved their jacket. "I found it at a resale shop on 23rd!", the wearer smiled. Classy, thrifty, rules the day.

[gosling357]

I'm actually not going to be in a school, I'll be (hopefully) working at a non profit as a supervisor. If it was a school I probably wouldn't worry about it.

My pants always get wet in the rain because I wear them long...I am tall and I have a horror dating back to middle school of "highwaters."

Glad to hear that heels are not big around there, since I'm already tall! I almost never wear heels.

[gosling357]

Love classy and thrifty! Glad you're not seeing a lot of suit jackets and blazers, I think they are so uncomfortable. Plus I am busty so they tend to make me look like a box. (That is also the reason I never wear button-down shirts, ever...the buttons gap. I hate it!)

The main reason I would buy anything while I still live in Delaware is for tax-free purposes. Plus then my sister can shop with me...she works in DC and has to dress up a lot more, and she's got a great sense of style. I tend to go for comfort a litte more.

[SETabor]

Oregon is tax-free too. The stylish sister is a great benefit but the weather/culture appropriateness might tilt you towards waiting.

[gosling357]

Oregon is tax-free???

I am the happiest person in the world!!!

[Leisesturm]

Interesting. I am a guy, but I've always had above average fashion sense. I've taken on the part time job of fashion consusltant for my SO as she has recently taken a position at a Portland non-profit. She is blind so she cannot do this herself and her mother lives in England. I don't like her mothers taste (shhhhh!!) but, to be fair, it is in shopping for casual wear where her choices most annoy me.

Portland is simultaneously more formal than you might first imagine, especially when coming from the Northeast, but also about as laid back and casual as you might suppose, expecially the suburbs. The advice to "wait and see" is certainly apt. The information about the excellent shopping is also spot on. Macy's will kill your wallet for the business casual stuff. Nordstrom rack is a must here. Target is surprisingly useful to the semi-corporate woman. Women have more versatility in the workplace. I say use it. My SO gets compliments on many of my selections so I think I'm doing a decent job of walking the fine line between appropriate and too casual. Especially around the courthouse in Hillsboro I see lots of very badly well dressed women. I try to avoid that look. Men's ties (or no tie).., suit pants too tight on top, too sloppy in the ankles. I'm not getting that. I'd like to find some nice scarves for my SO to wear as ties... the women at McGrath's wear ties that are very much wider than would be appropriate for a man and I like that look.

Finally, and very much FWIW... a couple of ex's ago was a woman who stood 6'1" in stocking feet. Her standard office heels were 2". 3" on Friday and Sunday and 4" on Saturday night. If you've got it, flaunt it, was her motto. Worked for me. I only mention this because I see plenty of heels around town. This is one area where you can probably trust a guy's take more than another woman's... ...

H

[SETabor]

Well, sales tax free. You'll pay out the yingyang on property taxes and incur a decent bite from income taxes.

[gosling357]

You know I'd heard that about property taxes, but we couldn't find anything specific about it on the internet (maybe we just don't know where to look). Excellent news about no sales tax! We were just saying the other day that no sales tax would be the only thing we would miss about Delaware...sounds like there's nothing to miss now! (Is anybody surprised? Delaware is a nonentity of a state.)