I love getting to know other bloggers (ahem, The Design Dialogues) and it's especially fun to learn they're my age and balancing blogging with life as a full-time college student. This was precisely the case with 21-year-old Carly of The College Prepster, the wildly popular blog of style advice for the well-clad collegiate. I was thrilled when she suggested that we swap blogs for a day and immediately decided to write about the essentials of the preppy young professional (a subject near and dear to my heart as I begin to think seriously about where I'd like to be next year). Well, great minds think alike, because Carly's post is all about her secrets of dressing for success! Enjoy!
Dress for success.
Yes, it’s cliché. But for good reason – it works.
I have a theory around the idea of power outfits. We all have them. That dress you slip into and feel like you’re in total control of everything or a pair of shoes that makes you stand two inches taller. Somewhere buried in each of our closets is this power outfit.
Doing a little research (okay, okay, stalking) on Mackenzie, I came to the conclusion that she is an extremely driven and successful 21-year-old. Being 21 myself, I am realizing more and more that real life is just around the corner. Internships and job interviews await us all.
Something I’ve been working on this semester is growing up my wardrobe. I want to express myself, my goals, my beliefs, my ambitions through how I dress. I want to walk into a room and have people know a little bit about me without having to utter a word – and for them to want to know more!
This is not something that can occur overnight… that much I know. Besides the inevitable financial investment, doing a major wardrobe overhaul needs to be carefully calculated and taken slow. Spending a ton of money in a super short period of time will only lead to one thing: a bunch of clothes that you probably will wear once or twice. I think the process is most effective if done in collective shifts, not unlike a diet. (We all know how well crash dieting works….)
While each individual person has specific needs (and tastes) as far as wardrobes go, here are my top ten picks for what every girl should own as she makes her way into the real world:
- Navy blazer
- Dressy ballet flats
- Perfectly fitted black slacks
- Oxford shirts
- A simple, yet bold, stack
- Blouse tank tops for layering
- Dress up or down skirts
- Colorful cardigans
- Age-appropriate business dress
- Jeans that you can be proud of
Wherever you’re heading in life, put your best foot (and outfit) forward!
xoxo
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Thank you so much, Carly! Don't forget to pop over to The College Prepster to see my picks for the preppy young professional's closet and home.
