Building a Professional Wardrobe: the first steps

 Heading into my senior year of college has left professionalism weighing on my mind lately. One of the biggest things I want to accomplish this year is accumulating interview and office-ready pieces for my wardrobe. I love jeans and t-shirts as much as the next person, but I know that combination won't get me good reviews in my job search.

Aside from that, the summer is coming to a close, and that means prepping for all that "back to school" stuff!

It's been years since my grandma has taken me "school clothes shopping". The other day, though, we went "professional clothes shopping" with some killer coupons for Khol's and I ended up with some great basic pieces and over $250 in savings. Today I want to share with you some of the basics I found, and introduce you to the beginnings of my professional wardrobe.

First off, I knew I was going to need a blazer or two . Trying to find a blazer that fits right and is of a good quality without spending a fortune can be really difficult. Make sure the sleeves are long enough, and that it cinches well at the waist, but that there's still some give. If you're anything like me, you'll be layering like crazy come fall and winter, and you won't want to feel like a stuffed sausage because your blazer is too tight. After searching the whole store (you think I'm exaggerating...) I still didn't find the classic black one I was looking for, but I did find a grey and a cream one that are a nice transition between casual and professional.

Then to counteract my eternal jean and sundress problem (it's not really a problem, I swear. I can quit anytime I want). The blazers should help me dress up my sundresses, and maybe that will make them more applicable professionally, but I needed some classier bottom pieces to help balance the massive pile of American Eagle jeans (basically the only place that carries my right size) sitting in my closet.

What I love about these pieces is that they are cool neutrals, which gives me a lot of wiggle room in how I wear them. I also really love the details on the pants. It's unlikely that many others will notice (especially the lace on the inside of the waistband) but it's fun to find little surprises like that when you're shopping.

Another thing my grandma wanted to make sure we found were some blouses with long sleeves for the fall and winter. That search was an overwhelming success, too!

The pictures here don't really do them justice. The blue one is really sheer and has a lace back on the top panel which I absolutely love, and the black and white shirt has key holes in the front and back along the neckline. Professional, but sexy. Both were awesome scores and on sale. The blue blouse might see a little wear-time before the school year. It's honestly a miracle that all the tags are still on these clothes, guys. I usually can't restrain myself that well.

Last but not least, I love to layer, so I looked for some really nice layering pieces with fun details to add interest to what might otherwise be a pretty plain professional outfit.

There you have it. My basic first steps to creating a professional wardrobe that's interview ready and mega versatile. What are your must-haves for interview outfits? What do you wear to the office on a daily basis?

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P.S. This post was brought to you by M80. They found me and offered a rockin' prize to show them a little love! Of course, all the clothes and opinions featured in this post are my own, and were not provided by M80.