Black Tote Bags

From purple backpacks to black tote bags:  Help me, I look like a bum!

You reluctantly roll out of bed and see a pair of sweatpants hanging over your desk chair. You put those on and do not even bother changing your shirt that you have slept in from the night before. You decide that slippers will suffice as shoes and you start your walk to class.

What?! Is that real life? Well…no, but that is college life. You have little care as to whether you even make it to your class; let alone what you look like once you are there. Nights are always late and mornings come too early. Responsibility is nowhere to be found. For four years. Then it is over.

Now you have a job that you absolutely cannot be late or absent for. You have clients to impress and bosses to please. You must look your best. You must at least look like a functioning human being. But your wardrobe has consisted of pajama-like attire for so long that you are not even sure if you have anything appropriate to wear and those student loans are making it pretty impossible to hit up the mall and totally replace your entire closet. So what is a young professional to do?

First of all, pull out any dresses that you have. Get rid of anything you may have worn to the club with the intentions of revealing your underwear. Keep the ones that are of an appropriate length. As long as they are not of a neon color, wild print, or sequined style, you can probably manage to work these dresses into your business casual attire. The top of your dress is most likely strapless, sleeveless, or low cut so get yourself a high buttoning cardigan and a blazer. Wear the blazer over the higher cut dresses and save the cardigan will full buttons for the ones that let out a bit too much cleavage.

The same idea with dresses can be used to cover up your shirts that are not quite appropriate for the workplace. You can also use camisoles to wear underneath of a low cut shirt to hide any exposed cleavage. For the rest of your shirts you can use layering to make a plain shirt seem dressier. For example, wear a vest over top of a plain long sleeved or plain short sleeved shirt. Or you can wear a button up shirt unbuttoned and over top of a looser shirt to pull it all together. Chances are that you have a few dressier tops so this may be the easiest section of your wardrobe to convert but just make sure that dressy does not mean flashy.

Hopefully by this point in your life you have been forced to acquire at least one pair of khaki pants and one pair of black pants whether they were for a waitressing job or a school honor’s assembly. Feel free to wear these pants a lot at your new job. Most people own multiple khaki, black, and grey colored work pants so no one will know that you are wearing the same pair. Just remember to give them a break long enough to wash them.

Skirts may be something you need to stay away from until you can buy a nice, work appropriate, black, blue, or brown pencil skirt. Until then, you can utilize longer skirts that you may own for family holidays or other events but avoid your bar skirts, and always avoid denim. Some shorter skirts could pass for work if you wear them with leggings but make sure that the skirt is loose and do not wear heels with that outfit as heels will make your legs look longer and therefore, make your skirt appear even shorter.

Even if you do not own many pairs of heels, you could luck out by the recent trends towards flats and boots. As long as they are not hooker looking boots, both flats and boots are great for the workplace. Heels are always appropriate with closed toed pumps being preferred. Once again, avoid anything flashy or extreme. If you do not already own a pair of black pumps, it would be wise to invest in a pair.

Other accessories that could be useful to buy to professionalize your current wardrobe are black tote bags, head bands, and belts. Head bands and belts make sure that your entire look is put together smoothly and securely. Black tote bags ensure that everything you carry to work is hidden away professionally. Besides, what can look more professional than business women walking into the office with black tote bags?