February 1, 2010

Meet & Greet

    Wednesday afternoon, I went to an employer meet and greet hosted by the law school.  Since it was cold, I went with my black pant suit.  The problem is that I couldn't figure out what to wear as a blouse.  If it were an interview I would have worn a button down, but a Meet & Greet isn't AS formal.  After looking through my closet and coming up with a back up option Tuesday night (a light aqua blue sweater), I went to Target Wednesday after my first class in search for a nice shell which is perfectly within the rules of My Closet Shopping Challenge.


From L-R clockwise

    If you've been to a Target lately, you may have seen their Merona Collection offerings.  The current in-store offerings are a bit Mad Men + Spring inspired.  Thinking that the lovely tops would work under a blazer I tried some on, the ones pictured above to be exact.  I was *really* hoping the Elizabeth Bow Top would work, but it didn't.  Not sure if its because I had to try on a Large, but the neckline was just too low and the bow did not sit right under a jacket (ie it didn't look like it did on the model).  I was hoping to be able to just tie it in a knot and let the pieces hang, but the low neckline would have made that impossible without layering a tank underneath, which I did not want to do.  I ended up buying the Elsie shell as it was the best of the four I tried on (and fyi it did not fit me nearly as nicely as it does the model, but I digress).  I was a bit worried about the geometric print, but it turns out there was no need to worry.  
    On my way home, I stopped at the consignment store and found a beautiful red silk-spandex shell.  The owner of the store has known me for a while and gave me an additional 10% student discount off of the blouse that already had a 25% discount, so I was able to get it for $12, about half of what the the Target blouse cost.  I got home, steamed the shell, threw on my suit, did my hair and makeup, went to class and then to the meet and greet.   (As an aside, I highly recommend getting a garment steamer.  For fabrics such as silk and thin knits, it allows you to get wrinkles out fast. Also, by steaming you're able to remove a LOT of smells so you won't need to wash delicate items as often, thus making them last longer.  I was able to find mine at Bed Bath & Beyond on clearance as it had been returned and was listed at half price.  So keep your eyes open, you'll never know when you'll encounter a great deal!)
    Back to business: The meet and greet was fine.  There were 9 employers and the only one that I was really interested in didn't have the funding to hire attorneys.  The other employers were all big firms that have already hired who they're going to hire for the year.  I did talk to some of our career services ladies and they told me to keep an eye out for job fairs and the like. 
    What I like most about this outfit is that I felt really good in it.  Even though I've lost weight since I bought this suit, the jacket fit wonderfully.  The pants, not so much.  I had to MacGyver them into staying them into place by wearing Assets pantyhose under the pants and folding the top over the pants.  And it worked!  As I mentioned in this post, I like to keep my hair under control when at a career event, so I opted for a low bun with pinned back bangs.  The pearls were sort of an obvious choice considering my lack of jewelry.  All in all, I felt like I looked the part of a lawyer.  What do you all think, do I look like an attorney to you?  
The Details: 
Black Suit: Garfield & Marks (separates) 
Black heels: Aldo
Red shell: Patrick Christopher Selections via Consignment store
Freshwater pearls: strung by me
Earrings: Blue Nile


 

9 comments:

Law Girl said...

You look super professional! And yes you definitely look like a lawyer. I'm sorry the job scene is looking rough. Are you graduating? Or is this a summer position?

That top was a great find at the thrift store. I'm also impressed that you made your necklace. And your earrings are pretty too. My engagement ring came from Blue Nile and we're getting our wedding bands from there too. I'm impressed with their stuff (both price and quality!)

A-C said...

Thanks chickie! It's great to know I can at least look the part. I'm graduating in May and taking the bar in July. I'm hoping to find a position before all of this, but I feel like its rather likely that I won't find one until after I take (and pass) the bar.

Blue Nile rocks. I got my earrings as a bday present for myself for $50. The Fiance wanted to get my engagement ring from them too, but he wanted me to be able to go to a store to get it cleaned and taken care of in case something went wrong. We might consider getting our wedding bands from them though. Let me know how that goes, k?

A-C said...

To answer about the necklace, last April The Fiance and I went on vacation to Myrtle Beach and there was a great little store that sells beads and things in strands of string. I bought 3 different ones of freshwater pearls and only just a month ago turned them into necklaces. It was actually pretty easy. Let me know if you decide to try it for yourself, I can give put together a quickie DIY if you need it.

Law Girl said...

Ugh I feel your pain. I'm graduating in May also. I have an unofficial offer at the prosecutor's office but no promises since its totally contingent on the budget.

I'll let you know how the wedding bands turn out. When are you getting married? I'm tying the knot in August.

A-C said...

Congrats! In the ideal world where I get everything I want, we would be getting married in August too (8/9/10) a year after we got engaged in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, we don't live in that world so we're shooting for Spring of next year in Puerto Rico.

Law Girl said...

Oooh sounds fun! Destination wedding:)

Yeah I must be crazy getting married like a week and a half after I take the bar exam. Oh well!

A-C said...

Well, its not *much* of a destination wedding, my parents live in PR. Also we got engaged there too. :)

Angela said...

You look great.

A-C said...

Thanks Savvy Gal!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...