Interview Outfit: Leather, Fishnets & Florals

I wore this sassy outfit to my interview with a fashion company — I’m a fashion, marketing project manager working in fashion is great for allowing you to dress with personality. The company’s customer is a metropolitan, fun woman so, thats exactly what I decided to be. While I wanted to look prim and pressed, I also wanted to show my personality. The only thing I felt was “necessary” was a knee length dress — in order to look most professional. The rest of the outfit was up to me and I needed to say everything I wanted them to see – polished, professional and passionate.

i’ve worn this floral dress before & love how it completely changes vibes depending on what I pair it with. The leather jacket and fishnet stockings gave me the edginess I needed. Fishnet stocking my not be typical for a Wall Street job, but (done the right way) is a great way to deal with the cold in a classy way that won’t make you look old like flesh colored stocking might. My dress was long enough to cover most of my legs, so I felt good about it. For the rest of the day, I took advantage of the front slit in the button-up dress to feel a bit sexier when I needed to. I add a little sex appeal in my outfits because I have a baby face — sometimes this reminds folks that I’m a grown a$$ woman, after all.

NYC fashion means a lot of things, but if you don’t know which way to go, black is the easiest choice. The pink flowers lightened up the outfit and made it feel like spring on this sunny day. The dress is long sleeve; it was breezy out and not warn enough to just wear the dress. The leather blazer is from a thrift store — Thrift stores are my favorite place to get real, affordable leathers and furs. I wore this jacket because it looks like a blazer. Now that the weather is semi-nice, it’s nice to up looking light and fresh, as opposed to having on a full winter coat.

Your bag and shoes are most important, in my opinion. I like to look expensive. I like to put my labels on for an interview; when people think you know about money, they’re more likely to give you more money. It might sound stupid, but humans are more shallow than we want to admit. If you look like you don’t like nice things or can’t afford nice things, why should they pay you 10-20K more than you make right now? I like to look like “this girl knows things…” My black Gucci bag and Louboutin boots always do the trick. These are my go-to accessories when I’m trying to look fancy. Instead of buying 10 pairs of shitty black boots and 10 stupid black bags, I saved up and bought these items that I knew would last forever. I’ve had the strap on the bag fixed and the soles on the shoes replaced — they will last me forever.

As for my hair — I like to wear my hair straight to interviews. My sistas might hate me for this but I, too, find it easier to manage when my hair is straight. Worst case scenario — I can pull it back into a pony tail easier when it’s straightened. Truth is, people have their opinions, no matter how you passionately you feel or how hard you fight. Some people are intimidated by the afro; I don’t want to intimidate anyone. I will surely show up to interview #2 or day #1 on the job with my hair in a fro, but I like my hair straight for an interview… and that’s it.

Do you find dressing for interviews tough? What vibe do you go for? Do you wear your hair natural or pressed? Let me know your thoughts below!