The college graduate's guide to dressing for work
Or, how to change your personal style (with intention)
Welcome to the Esther Studio newsletter! I’m Carly, PhD, a marketing professor and jewelry designer living in the Midwest. This newsletter is my bold, sincere, down-to-earth take on personal style. Thanks for being here. Consider subscribing so you don’t miss a post!
Earlier this month, I stood onstage at my college’s commencement, reading graduates’ names as they passed by to get their diplomas and start their new lives. As I popped up for air in between names, I loved catching glimpses of my students’ smiles and hearing their friends and families cheer them on. They’ve been waiting a long time for this, and they’re ready to go.
In the lead-up to graduation, my students often expressed their combined excitement and concern for their new jobs, or the job market. Naturally, their visits to my office got me reflecting on my own early career experiences. Things were different for me, for so many reasons, but things were also the same: the new schedule, the new responsibilities, the new outfits.
Finding and keeping a post-grad job is serious business. Slightly less serious business is dressing for that job. While college has become a place of hoodies and sweatpants, most graduates will need to make some swaps to fit in at work. This project comes with many challenges, including financial cost and the emotional ups and downs of negotiating a new identity. I’ve been there, done that, and I have some thoughts.
In this post, I’m sharing six tips for new graduates who want to ace their work wardrobes. My advice isn’t a list of things to buy. Rather, I’ve got some thoughts on mindsets you can use to help guide the process of sourcing, buying, and styling a new “look.” Throughout the post, my assumption is that you already have some clothes to work with, but you might need to go shopping too. I don’t want you to have to spend all your money doing this.
If you’re beyond this early-career season of life, consider reading on for inspiration on changing your personal style (with intention). Or, please pass this post along to a young person in your life. Let’s go!
1. Dress for a feeling
Instead of racing into some online shopping or even mood boarding, start by thinking about how you want to feel in your job. This is both aspirational and practical. I think, on a broad level, we all want to feel powerful and confident, but what about on a smaller day-to-day, moment-to-moment level?
Clothing evokes feelings, and it’s within our control to name the feelings we’re aiming for. When I’m teaching, I want to feel polished but playful. I don’t want to dress so formally that I lose touch with the humor I bring to class. Translating this goal into clothing means ditching the typical business school power suit for the colorful separates I can layer in quirky combinations.
When you’re sitting at your desk, click-clacking on the work-issued keyboard, how do you want your clothes to feel on your body? How will that feeling translate to your mindset? When you think of the vibe you want to bring to work on a regular Tuesday, what kind of clothes would make that happen?
These questions rein us in from buying a wardrobe full of clothes we don’t necessarily need or want. For example, if you’re doing a lot of standing at work, comfort might be a priority, which would likely rule out stilettos. If you’re spending a lot of time with young people or children, you might prioritize a casual touch to keep your vibe approachable. If your job has multiple types of demands, your wardrobe will have to be flexible to keep up.
Action items
Make a list of events you’ll encounter in a typical workday (e.g., commute, meetings, solo computer work). For each event, write down how you’d like to feel, followed by the practical considerations this feeling raises for your wardrobe.
Identify a few pieces in your closet that you know will make you feel your best at work. Clear space for them in your closet to make sure you always see them when you’re getting dressed, and use them as the gold-standard for when you’re buying new clothes. Anything you bring in has to be as useful as those pieces.
2. Honor who you really are
When you go to work every day, you are going to work every day. This is the same you who was a college student just weeks or months ago, not some idealized version of yourself. If you try to dress your way to an entirely different personality, you’re going to waste money and also feel pretty weird in the process.
A lot of the mistakes I made early in my career came from dressing according to stereotypes around work. We think teachers wear X, or marketers wear Y, so these are the things we should wear, too.
When we dress according to stereotypes, we lose sight of what makes us special. I fell into this trap when I first started my PhD. Buying into stereotypes about students, I wore some pretty casual outfits to school. I was physically comfortable in my sweatshirts and jeans, but I felt like I was wearing a costume. These clothes didn’t communicate to myself (or others) that I was actually a professor in training.
My style evolved for the better when I kept the casual vibe but took things up a notch. I wore comfortable dresses with knee-high boots, or jeans with loafers. When I got to campus in these outfits, I was honoring the part of me that needs to feel a bit dressed up to really “get down to business.”
Even now, when most of my colleagues dress quite casually, I feel like myself when I’m dressed up a bit. No matter the occasion or context, I have to honor myself with my clothing. I’d love for you to do that too.
Action items
Make a list of things you know to be true and non-negotiable about your style. Maybe you know you like loose clothing, or you prefer neutrals. Bring this list while you’re shopping and don’t compromise just because you might change when you start your job.
Don’t feel like you need to be trying out head-to-toe new looks. Instead, try taking an outfit you already enjoy wearing and just changing one or two elements to make it work appropriate. In the early days, make sure anything you wear to work contains something familiar, which will be comforting.
3. Consider care and maintenance
Something I didn’t quite realize when I started my first (and only) 9-to-5 job out of my master’s program was just how much my new schedule would demand from me. I went from being a student with nothing concrete on my calendar except writing and thinking and drinking coffee to having a place I needed to be for eight hours a day, plus a commute.
This was so exhausting for me that it meant everything else needed to be simplified, including my wardrobe. A lot of classic work wear pieces, like blazers and dress pants, require special care, so I needed to consider what kind of effort I was willing to expend for my appearance.
For example, I love silk blouses. They make me feel like the most fabulous version of myself. I love all the rich colors, patterns, and silhouettes. You know what I don’t love, though? Going back and forth to the dry cleaners, and paying for dry cleaning for silk blouses. Alas, I no longer wear silk blouses.
Factoring in your preferences around clothing care and maintenance is a necessary part of cultivating your personal style. Be realistic. If you feel fabulous in something but don’t want to sacrifice the time or money required for its upkeep, that’s a bad investment. No matter how stylish it is, that item will sit in your closet or in the bottom of your laundry hamper.
Before you buy anything new, check the care tag on the label. If it’s asking too much of you, give it a pass. Consider that if you weren’t the type to hand wash a garment in college, you probably won’t magically develop the inclination now - and it’s quite likely you won’t have the time.
Action items
Wait a few weeks into a new job before fully assessing your capacity for clothing-related maintenance. Once you have a sense of your schedule and energy levels, make a list of weekly, monthly, or seasonal tasks that need your attention. For example, I do my laundry every weekend, while I clean and condition my shoes every season.
Keep a stock of basic supplies handy so you have what you need to take care of your clothes. My personal toolkit for clothing includes a steamer, a sweater shaver, and a sewing kit. For footwear, I use leather conditioner and waterproofing spray.
4. Plan to experiment
As much as I judge some of my early professional outfit choices, I have to look back and smile at myself for all the fashion risks I took at the time. I think part of me was excited to have a big-girl paycheck to be able to spend on fun clothes, but I was also just figuring out my style in the only way I knew how.
When you’re in a period of personal transition, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to decide on your “look.” Today’s personal style influencers will tell you that you have to pin it down - to be able to describe it in three words, for example - but you don’t have to do any of that. You can be a boho office siren one day and a corporate cowgirl the next.
Clothes are important, but not so important that you feel stressed or bogged down by “rules.” Part of the fun is figuring it all out, which can be messy. Anything cringe that happens now is just something you can remember fondly in the future.
Action items
If you’re feeling especially experimental, figure out how to play around without spending too much money. Here are some ideas:
Make some never-before-seen combinations with clothes you already own.
Spend an hour at your local thrift store and try on anything that even vaguely catches your attention.
Borrow some clothes from a friend, relative, or significant other.
If an experiment doesn’t work out, it’s no big deal - you learned something about yourself!
5. Make it a long-term project
There’s no timeline to figuring out your professional style. There is also no end point. No prize. Across a job, a career, and a lifetime, your style will go through a million small iterations or even dramatic shifts. We’ll get dressed every day for the rest of our lives. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?
It could be tempting to try to solve a fashion problem with the words “Add to cart,” but try to let this one happen over time. Months and years. This will be easier on your wallet as well as your psyche. You can’t buy your way to personal style - it has to be practiced, felt, and viscerally learned on a day-to-day basis.
If you want to start somewhere, pick a style North Star. Identify where you’d like to end up if you had your dream wardrobe, today. Recognize that you don’t need to own everything today, next week, or even next month. Part of the fun is the journey of it all; you’re curating your own art gallery, right in your closet.
Action items
Setting a monthly clothing budget can do wonders for your style. Having to think within constraints means you’ll only buy what you really want or need, rather than every shiny thing that catches your attention.
Keep a running wish list. This can be abstract (“navy blue blazer”) or concrete (a link to a specific navy blue blazer). Edit your wish list as you learn more about yourself.
6. Know when to invest and when to save
When it comes to clothing, I take issue with the concept of “investment pieces,” in that not everything can or should be an investment. Especially if you’re in an experimental phase with your style, it’s just not sensible to spend half a paycheck on every item on your wish list.
Considering your day-to-day schedule and the demands it places on your wardrobe, your investment pieces will be unique to you. You’ll also have your own idea of what an “investment” even means. Don’t go broke paying for clothes - it’s not worth it! Rather, consider the value you might place on each item, and spend accordingly.
Personally, I don’t mind paying “more” for footwear. I’m on my feet a lot at work, but I also take good care of my shoes and they can last for several years if I’m careful. Treating my feet kindly with quality shoes means I’ll have a more peaceful day.
Conversely, I’m happy to save money on denim. In my experience, paying “more” for jeans doesn’t mean I’ll like them more. My body size tends to fluctuate, too, so I often need to size up or down depending on the season. I don’t want to pay a lot of money for something that might not have longevity in my closet.
Action items
Once you’ve spent some time in your job, conduct a wear audit on your clothes. Which items are you wearing often? Put those on your radar for pieces that might merit an investment in the near or distant future.
The next time you’re shopping IRL, take the time to try on the same type of items from different brands across the price spectrum. See how they look and feel on you. If you can’t notice a huge difference between the items, that’s an opportunity to save. If something more expensive makes your heart sing, put it on your wish list!
You’ve got this, grad
Beginning a new chapter of life is both exciting and nerve-wracking. The right clothes can make the experience even better. That being said, I want to finish with the idea that you already have everything you need to succeed. There aren’t any clothes you can buy that will make you smarter or cooler. You’re smart and cool all on your own.
If you find yourself standing in front of your closet, perplexed about what to wear, remember that a work wardrobe is a long-term project. You’ve got the job. Just show up today. Then tomorrow. Then the next day. Every good outfit along the way is just a bonus. I believe in you.
For all of us here - in any season of life - I hope this post gave you some ideas of how you can change your personal style with intention, over time. We are constantly changing, and it’s a gift when our closets reflect our many varied selves. Whoever they might be!
Even though it's been quite some years since I graduated I still found some great tips in this as I'm rebuilding my wardrobe. Especially the dress for a feeling part and honouring ourselves. So often we can get caught up in what we think we are supposed to wear or end up wearing the same as everyone else.