Please, Just Put On a Blazer.

Dispatch from a twenty-something making it in corporate America

I’m going to hold your hand when I tell you this: you’ve got to put on a blazer. The job market can be daunting for recent graduates, and let’s be honest—shows like Emily in Paris don’t exactly reflect the reality of office attire. I often notice a common thread among young professionals, whether they’re entering their first internship or trudging through multiple rounds of interviews for their first ‘grown-up’ job, and it’s that they struggle to navigate dressing for a professional environment. It can be incredibly nerve-wracking and if you aren’t equipped with the right knowledge, it’s easy to become lost in a sea of tapered-leg chinos and nipped-in blazers (if this is your thing, that’s okay, no judging—but if it isn’t, keep reading). So, interns and young professionals, I’m talking directly to you here. I promise I’m not that much older than you, and I’m chronically online, so you can trust me, okay? Though my teenage sisters would beg to differ…I digress.

I get it—I've been there myself. I remember my first day as an intern at Tibi as if it were yesterday. I wore a sculpted baby blue mohair Tibi sweater from a past season (borrowed from my older sister), paired with black chino barrel-leg trousers and kitten heels. My shoulder-length hair was styled in loose waves, tucked behind my ears. It was January 2021, and while my supervisor was out sick with Covid, she trusted me to dive in solo—a decision that ultimately set me up for success. I arrived at the office before anyone else, and set my things down at my new desk. I remember texting my aforementioned older sister telling her how I couldn’t believe I was really in this office when suddenly I heard a familiar voice ringing through the showroom—a voice that I knew from watching countless hours of Style Class. Amy. I had never been so nervous in my life. This was my dream internship and I wanted so badly to make a good impression; for her to know that I was sharp, capable, and quick on my feet. My eyes followed her as she walked through the showroom, to her office, and then…to me? She had a handbag in her hands and very coolly asked if I could schedule a messenger to have the handbag sent uptown for a shoot. I said, “Yes, of course,” and then urgently texted my supervisor that I had no idea how to call a messenger and that I needed help (Haha. Thank you, Courtney). Looking back now, I realize Amy gave me that task before I could even introduce myself because she saw potential in me—or perhaps because I was already dressed like one of her full-time employees.

Fast forward nearly four years, and I’m now a senior team member. While I don’t claim that my wardrobe alone is the reason for my career growth at Tibi, I do believe my office attire played a significant role in shaping how I was perceived. Dressing thoughtfully helped establish my credibility (even when I had very little as someone just beginning their career) and communicate that I was ready to tackle challenges and solve problems effectively. And before you make the argument that young people can’t afford expensive suiting (which is a valid argument, by the way)—I’m not telling you that you need to shell out a grand on a blazer. In fact, quite the opposite, as I sit here at my desk writing this article in a pair of blue jeans and a 30-year-old vintage Ralph Lauren blazer that I snagged from my dad’s closet before I moved to New York. My point is simple: using your visuals to convey who you are is critical, especially when you’re beginning your career. It’s one of the key tools we have for communication, and it’s imperative that you approach it with intention and strategy, regardless of your budget (that is, until you get to a place where you can shell out a few extra dollars for a great investment piece, but we’ll get to those later). I want to share a few key strategies that I used when preparing my wardrobe for my first foray into the workforce, with the hope of offering guidance to those who may feel uncertain about how to seamlessly incorporate professional pieces into a wardrobe rotation as a young professional.

1. *Try* to identify your Three Adjectives. I say try because odds are you are still in the process of figuring out what your personal style is. And that’s okay. But if you at least get yourself on the right track, you’ll be less likely to build a bifurcated closet. I encourage you to be incredibly mindful of your purchases from this moment on—I speak from experience, as I am still working on purging old experimental pieces that I reluctantly held onto from my later college years. Set aside some dedicated quality time with yourself, and make a list of the things you’re naturally drawn to, the values that you hold close to your heart, and how you want to be perceived. Connect those dots, you may find yourself erasing and starting over, often. That’s part of the process. But I promise you, a cohesive through-line will emerge.

2. Investigate the company culture and dress codes thoroughly. If you’ve just landed your dream internship or entry-level position, it’s critical to understand the company’s vibe when it comes to office attire. Review the dress code outlined in the employee handbook and take notes (I am actually begging you to please do this, please). The phrase “dress for the job you want” rings true, and how you apply this advice is your choice. I’ll use myself as an example: I work in a creative environment, but my role walks the line between content creation/ideation and revenue strategy. If I were to present a content strategy proposal in a bustier top and tiered midi skirt, I would bet that my audience would be more curious about which sound bath retreat I just came from rather than my plan for scaling our organic marketing channels year-over-year. There is a balance between self-expression and what’s appropriate in a work setting, and understanding this balance will allow you to arrive feeling like yourself, but also ready to approach the challenges of the day. The personal anecdote that I shared earlier is a more common occurrence than you would think—the intern in the blazer almost always gets asked to sit in on the meeting / present the project / work the event. Almost always.

3. Three words: Play, Dinner, Work. If you’re a young professional, especially one in a new city, your life is going to consist of three places that can be quite challenging when it comes to getting dressed. If you’ve sanctioned off distinct sections of your wardrobe for work, nightlife, and casual wear, you might be surprised to find that this approach can easily lead to overspending. Instead of investing in pieces that can transition seamlessly between different settings, you end up with a wardrobe that limits your options and leaves you feeling like you constantly have holes to fill with new pieces. I’m talking blazers that can go from cubicle to club with the swap of a top, button-downs that layered over a tank top feel refined and easy, and relaxed denim that doubles as trousers. When you can effortlessly manipulate your clothing to work for more than one setting, it’s a good thing. For your mind and for your wallet.

4. Avoid fast fashion. When a large chunk of your friends are accustomed to running to the nearest fast fashion store to buy a new going-out top every Friday after work, it’s hard not to succumb to the same vicious cycle. And in the moment it probably seems and feels harmless, but I promise you, there will come a day when you open the door to your closet and feel infuriated that you don’t identify with the dozens of trendy pieces that you wore once or twice and then replaced with another. And for what it’s worth, you can find incredible vintage around the same price point as many fast fashion pieces on the market right now. So, the next time you go to add that fast fashion statement top to your cart, do some digging on Vestiaire Collective or The Real Real and filter prices from Low to High. You’ll be amazed at the treasures you find and you’ll be better off for it.

For those of you who are ready to take the plunge and invest in a big-time piece for your starter wardrobe, these tips remain just as relevant. So long as you’re not sick of my two cents, I’d love to share some of the key items I invested in that carried me through the beginning of my career and beyond.

1. The Tropical Wool Stella Pant

2. The Tropical Wool Liam Blazer

3. The Tropical Wool Vest

4. The Crispy Nylon Stella Pleated Cargo Pant

5. The Calder Sweatpant

The Tropical Wool trinity quite literally became my lifeline at the beginning of my career and remains the ensemble that makes me feel strong, smart, and capable. I initially bought it to wear to my first runway show—there was something about the sharpness of a three-piece suit that just felt so right for the moment. Little did I know, it would become my go-to combination, worn together and apart, for years to follow. It’s worth noting that I’ve worn all three of these pieces in both office and night-life settings, and they never fail me. The Crispy Nylon Stella Pleated Cargo Pant and Calder Sweatpant are no-brainers for me—they carry me through long photoshoot days, walks to grab coffee on a Sunday morning, and with the right shoe they take me out to dinner.

All this to say, please…just put on a blazer. Okay?

A NOTE FROM AMY:

Stella, I want to add my observation here. Everything above was spot on. When you wrote about the office attire, your situations were from the POV of the colleague or boss. How you will be physically received. And it’s all true, these were my experiences at my internship at Ogilvy Advertising that parlayed into an account executive role for American Express. I want to share some additional thought here. The benefit of the blazer, the layer you can put on and turn “insta-professional” does two things:

• The blazer makes you FEEL and BELIEVE you are in the role you want to be seen in. If you’ve ever acted in a play, there’s a marked difference between how you feel when you’re practicing versus the full dress rehearsal. If you want to fully own the part, treat every day like a dress rehearsal.

• The blazer settles your mind. When you are distracted, it’s impossible to focus. It’s why we have silent modes on our phones, it’s why we have our earbuds on the noise cancellation setting. But if you’re mind is racing with wondering am I dressed ok, are they judging me, do they like what I’m wearing, etc., then you can’t get on with the tasks at hand. It’s as distracting as having TikTok on auto scroll next to your computer.

Not going to lie, when you described me walking to your desk I cringed for a hard moment praying you weren’t going to detail a DWP moment:

From the voice of a 50-something, who made my way initially in corporate America starting from the intern desk, I can attest. The blazer played a big role, as “tropey” as that may seem, Stella is right. I don’t think a tube top-legging-glitter slides Stella, albeit probably chic, would be writing this four years later with a Senior Manager title in charge of big things like marketing monetization. But here she sits. In her blazer, no less.