How to Find and Buy a Professional Wardrobe on a Budget

How to Find and Buy a Professional Wardrobe on a Budget

In this post we continue on from our previous article, Building a Top-Notch Professional Wardrobe - One Piece at a Time, where we talked about do's and dont's for selecting your business attire.

It is possible to build a great looking, classic and polished professional wardrobe on a budget; the key is in making smart purchases.

Men: Start with a dark neutral suit, I favor charcoal grey or black (however, navy will also work). Next up, add a few white shirts, a quality pair of dress shoes, a leather belt, a few pairs of dress socks and a couple of ties. From here, add a colored shirt or two, another tie, and eventually a second suit and pair of dress shoes. Suits are the most expensive part of the professional wardrobe, and you will get a huge return if you invest in a quality suit up front. A professional man can always looked polished with a minimum number of items, changing your tie changes your whole look! If you get bored, try adding a pocket square for a dash of color. Once you have a few suits, you can expand your wardrobe by adding slacks, cardigans, long sleeve v-neck sweaters and patterned shirts one at a time. Before you know it, you will have the professional wardrobe you always wanted.

Women: Start with a dark neutral suit, I favor charcoal grey or black (however, navy will also work). Next up, add a few tops/blouses in neutral colors, a quality pair of pumps, a polished handbag and a few pieces of conservative jewelry. From here, you can grow your wardrobe with brightly colored blouses, sweater sets and scarves, and eventually a second suit or separates that can mix and match with your original suit, as well as another pair of classic pumps. Suits are the most expensive part of the professional wardrobe, and you will get a huge return if you invest in a quality suit up front. A woman can really maximize her wardrobe with minimal expense by adding a scarf or statement necklace to an ordinary suit/dress. If you get bored, try belting a cardigan or blouse over a pencil skirt and topping it with a cardigan or blazer. With the right key pieces your options will be limitless!

Don't forget to check out another article of ours about workplace tips and professionalism, Professionalism in the Workplace.