suits for OCI (for women) Forum

[Lwoods]

Does anyone know what stores make good tops for bustier people? I know I'll need to end up tailoring most things anyway, but I can't even see how things are supposed to fit a lot of the time when I'm shopping (I'm pretty thin, but I typically have to get large tops...so I usually just end up swimming in fabric all around my midsection and don't know what it's actually supposed to look like). Sigh, I hate the fact that nothing ever seems to fit me

In what size? Simplybe, a British company, makes button downs in different cup sizes but goes from sizes 10-28. I also can't really wear button downs because of my chest size so i just wear a nice camisole or like a silk shell or something.

The bras I wear are British labels! I haven't found an American bra line with 30 bands and larger cup sizes. I'll definitely have to look into Simplybe.

[JG Hall]

Hey girls, I'm very short and skinny and I get all my skirts from BEBE. They have 00 and because much of the time they have spandex in them they fit just fine. I normally have to get them hemmed but sometime i get lucky and because BEBE makes shorter skirts they're fine. I also buy steve madden and guess heels because they are comfortable and not too much $$ I'd try there! Unfortunately I cannot wear any bottom from Ann Taylor because they are too big even in the petite section. If anyone can let me know where to find slacks or suit pants in basically a triple zero or smaller I'd appreciate it. I've tried everywhere I can think of and no brand makes pants for me... they are all way too long in the crotch and too bog around the waist. too many issues for me to want to take it to a tailor and have them re-make my pants. or should i just buy some and have them ripped apart and put back together by a tailor? lol

if you're really that thin, try and find some helmut lang suits from seasons past. but I wouldn't wear pant suits to OCI anyway...

[anonymcoffee]

really like this thread! I am still not sure if the hose issue got resolved. I have only worn black hose for my interviews (the thin one you can see the skin through not really thick legging type). I have some cream colored ones but they're a different color from my legs and I feel like a granny I guess I'll go back to look for new ones that match but the light colored ones seem to look so odd. Any ideas as to a specific material or brand that matches skin color...what is the consensus on what hose should be worn (if at all haha)?

[formerbiglawpartner]

Believe it or not, some firms actually have extensive wardrobe policies. Try to get your hands on it if possible. Most require hosiery to be worn (no bare legs no matter how perfect!). Just go to a decent department store hosiery department. They should be able to help you find a good skin tone match for nude hosiery. I think the off-black or navy are fine to match your suits as are opaques stockings in the winter. Most of the advice on this site looks pretty good. Just err on the side of being more conservative as a summer associate. Black, gray, navy, maybe beige suits should work best. Stick with closed toe pumps and I would go with a medium sized structured bag rather than one of the enormous hobos that are popular these days. Women are at somewhat of a disadvantage because their size; you don't have to emphasize it by being dwarfed by your bag.

[formerbiglawpartner]

One more thought. If you are clerking at a firm for the summer and have not yet been furnished a copy of the firm's dress code/policy, just email the head of their HR department and request it. Sadly, the dress code is simply trickier for women, particularly if they have any kind of "Casual Friday" attire. To give you an idea of how conservative I would be as a summer associate, I would then wear skirt suits or a dress with a jacket M-Th and whip out a pantsuit for Friday. I would always have a jacket with me. (The little sweaters the girls wear now make you look too much like a secretary--no offense to Michele Obama. Stay away from them while clerking, IMO.)

[keg411]

really like this thread! I am still not sure if the hose issue got resolved. I have only worn black hose for my interviews (the thin one you can see the skin through not really thick legging type). I have some cream colored ones but they're a different color from my legs and I feel like a granny I guess I'll go back to look for new ones that match but the light colored ones seem to look so odd. Any ideas as to a specific material or brand that matches skin color...what is the consensus on what hose should be worn (if at all haha)?

I usually wear off-black in the winter and nude/tan in the summer. I usually just get the 2/3 packs at the supermarket for cheap so I don't think the brand really matters.

[fjsms]

How much of a no-no are pants suits for OCI/callbacks? I made the mistake of getting a tattoo on my ankle for my 18th birthday, and while I can do a decent job of covering it, pants suits are MUCH safer. I have been wearing (pants) suits to interviews and to work most days for several years with no issues (I'm in finance), but all the talk of skirt suits makes me nervous!

[mths]

I have a great theory suit in black that I love but is too expensive to duplicate for 1L OCI. Where's a good place to shop for some more professional but less expensive suits so I have more than one to wear to all my interviews?

Also, would it be a safe bet to get all my suits in black or are any other colors appropriate?

[crumpetsandtea]

I have a great theory suit in black that I love but is too expensive to duplicate for 1L OCI. Where's a good place to shop for some more professional but less expensive suits so I have more than one to wear to all my interviews?

Ann Taylor, Nordstrom Rack, Macy's, J. Crew? Possibly Banana Republic?

That's where I'm heading when it comes time to buy new suits, anyway. I guess it depends on your price range...I'm certainly no expert.

[tiniestdancer7]

How much of a no-no are pants suits for OCI/callbacks? I made the mistake of getting a tattoo on my ankle for my 18th birthday, and while I can do a decent job of covering it, pants suits are MUCH safer. I have been wearing (pants) suits to interviews and to work most days for several years with no issues (I'm in finance), but all the talk of skirt suits makes me nervous!

i'm guessing any time of boot or ankle shoe is out? lol

[Dany]

Women still wear hose? Crap.

[anonymcoffee]

@at the poster above me, haha I know...hose is so weird overall, that's why I've been trying to find a good one. I will head to a department store just because the ones I have now are from CVS. As for suits, you could try Ann Taylor LOFT and Macy's on the cheaper end and JCrew and Banana Republic for the more expensive ones.

[Peace of Mind]

if you're really that thin, try and find some helmut lang suits from seasons past. but I wouldn't wear pant suits to OCI anyway...

thanks! where would i find these? nordstroms? saks? how much do they run? I'm not big on pant suits but i do like to wear pants with a nice shirt, especially when it's cold i was just thinking i could use some pants, since i have none

[Eugenie Danglars]

Lol, Dany...you don't wear hose all the time? I always wear hose for any sort of non-just fun occasion when I'm wearing a skirt. Church, work (teaching in US or abroad), volunteering, whatever. I was super excited when my mom let me wear hose for the first time because they're "what adults wear." Now I think that bare legs (except at the beach or something) look unprofessional.

[Lwoods]

Lol, Dany...you don't wear hose all the time? I always wear hose for any sort of non-just fun occasion when I'm wearing a skirt. Church, work (teaching in US or abroad), volunteering, whatever. I was super excited when my mom let me wear hose for the first time because they're "what adults wear." Now I think that bare legs (except at the beach or something) look unprofessional.

Hmm... the female attorneys I interacted with at the white shoe firm I worked at in NY only wore hose if they were going to court. I hate hose and never wear it. Bare legs or tights for me.
I work in the fashion industry right now, and I don't think anyone wears hose, not even our (female) CEO. Law is a different beast, though.

[Eugenie Danglars]

Lol, Dany...you don't wear hose all the time? I always wear hose for any sort of non-just fun occasion when I'm wearing a skirt. Church, work (teaching in US or abroad), volunteering, whatever. I was super excited when my mom let me wear hose for the first time because they're "what adults wear." Now I think that bare legs (except at the beach or something) look unprofessional.

Hmm... the female attorneys I interacted with at the white shoe firm I worked at in NY only wore hose if they were going to court. I hate hose and never wear it. Bare legs or tights for me.
I work in the fashion industry right now, and I don't think anyone wears hose, not even our (female) CEO. Law is a different beast, though.

I also grew up conservative and Southern, so maybe I have an old-fashioned perspective.

[keg411]

Lol, Dany...you don't wear hose all the time? I always wear hose for any sort of non-just fun occasion when I'm wearing a skirt. Church, work (teaching in US or abroad), volunteering, whatever. I was super excited when my mom let me wear hose for the first time because they're "what adults wear." Now I think that bare legs (except at the beach or something) look unprofessional.

Hmm... the female attorneys I interacted with at the white shoe firm I worked at in NY only wore hose if they were going to court. I hate hose and never wear it. Bare legs or tights for me.
I work in the fashion industry right now, and I don't think anyone wears hose, not even our (female) CEO. Law is a different beast, though.

I doubt you need them on an every day basis (at least if your firm is business casual), but I thought this thread was about interviews, which tend to be way more formal.

[Dany]

It can't be an overall southern/conservative thing because both at home and at school (both in the deep south) I'm around a lot of women in suits and only those ~50 and up wear hose. They're not lawyers, though, so obviously I'll have to suck it up when I start dressing for the legal field. Ughhhhhhh I am sad. And aside from a business/work environment I'd never dream of wearing them anywhere else or with a skirt or dress.

[Eugenie Danglars]

It can't be an overall southern/conservative thing because both at home and at school (both in the deep south) I'm around a lot of women in suits and only those ~50 and up wear hose. They're not lawyers, though, so obviously I'll have to suck it up when I start dressing for the legal field. Ughhhhhhh I am sad. And aside from a business/work environment I'd never dream of wearing them anywhere else or with a skirt or dress.

Wait, did you just call me old?

[tiniestdancer7]

lol

[OperaSoprano]

Hose for OCI and for court, with your skirt suits = yes.

Hose for every day at a business casual firm, nonprofit, or corporation (I interned in house at a fashion company and have worked in fashion) = no.

Note that your mileage may vary, and if you want to wear them on the first day, or until you can get a sense of what attorneys there are wearing, this may make sense to do, but I base this on personal observations. People here are well dressed and fashion forward, but bare legs seem to be the norm for all but the most formal occasions (see above.) My own rule of thumb is that I don't wear hose if I'm not wearing a suit, so it's really only a part of business formal for me.

For anyone who lives in the NYC area, I think it's worth the time and money to trek up to Woodbury Commons and visit the Theory outlet. I got a very good deal on a charcoal gray skirt suit last summer. The Club Monaco suiting doesn't really go on sale, but it's the next best thing IMO if you need to get a similar fit, and there is a student discount.

To the person who asked about the tattoo, can you cover it with tattoo concealer for OCI? I am not sure if that will stay in place under hose, but if not, I would go with a pantsuit. I did see people wearing them at OCI, and know for a fact some of them had very successful interview cycles.

[tiniestdancer7]

kat von d has some pretty good concealer at sephora i think

[paralegal2009]

i work at a V5 firm as a paralegal (female) and women wear hose/tights/pants in the winter because it is cold in NYC (almost always dark, but sometimes sheer), but no one wears hose in the summer or anytime it is warm. maybe the older secretaries, but there aren't any old attorneys or partners who are women (sigh), so i really haven't seen that. i think that would be really strange to wear in warm weather as a woman under 45--just what i have observed.

[fjsms]

Cover up with hose works ok - I've actually had a couple of laser treatments on it, so it is lighter than it once was (had a little bit of an issue with laser, though, so I'm nervous about continuing). It's hard to get it covered completely, so it's always possible that it would be noticeable to someone looking closely. I'll probably stick with pants suits if I can get away with it - will save me from buying new suits too!

[JJDancer]

I'm not asking this strictly for OCI - more for business casual/business events like alumni receptions:

x posted from another thread..

- What are the most classic/conservative suit colors in law?
Black, charcoal, lighter grey (is this ok?), brown (dark), navy .. am I on the right track?

And only completely matching suits are considered business attire right? (meaning no lighter and darker shades of the same color in pants/jacket) for any alumni reception type events. (obviously for OCI they need to be a complete set)

Thanks!