Our Tips For Buying A Work Wardrobe On A Budget

Congratulations you’ve secured your new job, you’ve written a smashing cover letter, you’ve aced the interview and you’re set to start next week, one thing you’ve likely to have forgotten though is what the hell you’re going to wear! Plus you probably don’t have £2000 spare to splash out on designer suits, and while it might be tempting to take out some Short Term Loans, those are only for financial emergencies and shouldn’t be used to elevate your work wear. So, with all this in mind, here are our top tips for buying a work wardrobe on a budget.

Check Your New Office’s Dress Code

Office dress codes vary from business to business, so it’s important that you know what is expected of your clothing before you arrive on your first day, to ensure that you make a good impression amongst your new colleagues.

You can find out your new place of work’s dress code, by thinking back to your interview and what the person interviewed you was wearing. Although you likely wore a suit, they wouldn’t have had to dress up for an interview, so use them as a barometer of what is generally acceptable in your new workplace.

For the sake of this article we’re going to supply you with tips operating around a smart dress code.

But if your new work place has a more casual vibe you could choose to shop supreme from Stadium Goods.

Invest In Versatile And Easy To Match Pieces

Versatility is the key to making a budget stretch, so when it comes to buying the core of your work wardrobe go for neutral colours, opt for blacks, blues, grays, beiges and whites.

Not only can they be worn multiple times without drawing much attention to yourself, they can also be mixed and matched with other items from your wardrobe.

As for a ratio of each colour, for men we would suggest that you opt for around 3 blazers, 5 button up shirts, 3 pairs of trousers  and 2 pairs of shoes, each item in a neutral color.

Women have more options for formal wear, but we’d suggest 2 blazers, 2 cardigans, 2 skirts and 2 pair of shoes which provides around 10 different outfits.

If this seems like quite a large expenditure, add to your collection gradually, buying a few new pieces each month.

Don’t Be Scared Of Hand-Me-Downs

While the mere mention of ‘hand-me-downs’ may spark traumatic memories of the past when you were forced to wear your older sibling’s shirt to school which was 3x too big for you, now you’re fully grown, used clothes can actually serve as a great alternative to buying your work wardrobe from new and they’ll most likely fit now as well.

Ask your friends or family if they have any office wear that they’re not using or want to get rid of and add it to your collection.

Provided it’s not damaged or haggard, it’s unlikely that your colleague’s will even notice you’re wearing a used blazer.

We hope that these tips will help you to buy your work wardrobe on a budget and ensure that you make a good impression at your new place of work. Good luck and we wish you the very best in the future with your new job!