What to Wear When: You Have a Job Interview

By Sean McGrathIt seems like everyone around me is on the hunt for a job! What does that mean for me? Providing a lot of advice on resumes, cover-letters and, yes, interview fashion. For those of you who read my post about workwear, you'll notice that how you dress once you have a job is very different from how you dress to get a job. What kind of sense does that make? OK, that's valid, but I don't make the rules! I'm just here to make sure you know them.

Look for professional separates. Suits are great, easy ways to pull together a professional look and, for some positions, an absolute necessity. But if your interview is in a more casual office, separates are a great way to create a more stylish look, while sticking to the neutral color scheme suggested by hiring experts. Think of mixing a camel-colored blazer with navy pants. If you’re more adventurous (and the office even more casual), you may decide on a printed top, skirt or pants, balanced out with solids. Select items with modern cuts and details to project style without looking young or inappropriate.by Bree

Find a good tailor or seamstress. If you discard everything else in this post, please pay attention to this. The difference between looking stylish and frumpy is often the good work of a great tailor. Whether you buy a new suit or just a new blazer to wear with something you already own, it won’t fit perfectly right off the shelf. For instance, if you’re buying a blazer, make sure it fits properly through the shoulders, can be buttoned without pulling and isn’t too short in the sleeves. As long as you have too much fabric, rather than too little, your tailor can very easily alter the blazer to fit you like a glove. That custom fit adds a level of polish and style that is simply unachievable right off the rack.by Bree

Use color smartly and sparingly. There is an inverse relationship between how formal you need to dress and how much color you should wear to an interview. In the most formal business environments, you may not be able to get away with anything, but if the office is business casual, try adding a stylish flair with a scarf or pocket square or perhaps even a blouse. Stick with cool colors, such as green or blue. A survey by The Ladders showed that executives responded negatively to interviewees wearing orange, red and pink.by bree

Accessorize with elegance. I love big, chunky, statement-making jewelry, but for an important interview, leave the cuffs and feathers at home. Pearls are a great option, and nicely complement a neutral palette. If you have a delicate necklace you never seem to have occasion to wear, now is it’s time. Stick with your fine jewelry, and keep it simple. Don’t layer up on necklaces, bracelets or rings. Keep it simple. Bonus: For a fun pop of color you can actually get away with, accessorize with a brightly colored handbag.

By Sean McgrathKeep your makeup professional. Now is not the time to try a smoky eye and falsies. Instead, wear a natural eyeshadow (look for something that is pretty close to your natural skin tone), pencil eyeliner and mascara for your eyes. Be sure to have you eyebrows groomed in advance! Foundation, a subtle blush and finishing powder is about all you’ll want for your face. No need for excessive contouring. Finish your look with a nude lipstick or gloss, and you’ll be good to go. The great thing about this look is that it’s simple enough to wear to work every day.

Choose the right shoes. Practical, attractive shoes can be hard to find, but you need them in your life. Wearing a five inch heel to an interview just isn’t a good look, even if they’re close-toed black pumps. Keep your heel height practical. As far as what type of shoe is appropriate, I like to stick with a basic pump to be safe, but peeptoes and slingbacks can be OK for more casual offices. Sandals, flip-flops, platforms and espadrilles, however, are never OK.

Miscellaneous grooming. Earlier I mentioned to be sure to have your eyebrows groomed before an interview, but they aren’t the only things that need grooming. Got a little peach fuzz on your lip or chin? Handle that.

While we're discussing body hair, let's spend a moment on your legs. If you're going to wear a skirt or dress, shave your legs. And then cover them with a pair of shear hose. I know it feels old-fashioned, but many hiring managers will still frown on bare legs, even in 2013.

Plan on wearing a peeptoe shoe? You need a pedicure—and not just any old pedi, either. Make sure you have your toenails cut short, squared off and polished a neutral color. Save the electric blue for after you get hired! Your nails should be a professional length, and match the color you selected for your toes. No nail art. Seriously.by Bree

Hair. For an interview, your hair should be neat, relatively simple and unadorned. Follow the same basic principles as my advice on at work hair, keeping in mind that you may want to put in a little extra effort since you’re making a first impression.

Poise in a Pinch: How to get top quality for bottom dollar shipped to your door

I've been thinking a lot about money prison budgets and cutting my heart out spending lately, and being poised on a pinch. You know why? Because until I reach that champagne life that Ne-yo was singing about, I have to stick to a financial plan to make me reach my goals. That means tightening up the belt every once in awhile. It means choosing to pay for a fence around my house over a New York shopping spree or trip to the Dominican Republic. It means less date nights and fancy dinners with my hubby...saying no to gala event invites, concerts, and cultural events… sad day.

I’m depressed now. I think I’ll pamper myself back to happy with a spa day, mani-pedi, or some bath products… ohhh wait. Those cost money. *rattles money prison bars threateningly*

Another sad consideration that affects the fashion budget is how much gas costs! No more all day mall crawling or boutique shopping with these prices unless you live in walking or biking distance, or have awesome public transportation. (<- What would you do with the bags??) Even thifters need to weigh their options between the savings on threads and the gas burned to get ‘em (great reason to carpool, but also great risk of having your amazing finds poached by the fashion frenemies that rode along).

It’s sounding like a real no-win situation here, but trust The Gathered Ladies to do a little digging and keep you posted on tips and tricks to stay glam and pampered while stacking paper… in a savings account. Let’s discuss some new ways to get your hands on hot, expensive, clothes for pennies on the dollar without even leaving your house!

Clothing Rentals

Let’s start with the basics. If you’re pressed to have just the right outfit for that special occasion or formal event, clothing rental is a great option.

Rent the Runway – The most well known of online clothing rental/retail sites, Rent the Runway allows a shopper to select designer clothing, jewelry, accessories, and other essential for a fraction of the retail price. Rentals are for a 4 or 8 day period, return shipping is included, and so is the cleaning and maintenance of the items. Prices vary by item and rental time. They’ll even ship 2 sizes at a time!

Pros: user-friendly website, expensive stuff for cheap, retail as well as rental, reputable, no regrets policy.

Cons: No plus sized selection. Only 1-2 days to return clothes, no shoes for rental, more for special occasions than ready-to-wear.

Gwynnie Bee – Gwynnie Bee is a clothing rental site specifically serving sized 10-28 with great fashion. Shoppers subscribe to the site, pay a monthly fee, and maintain a virtual “closet” from GB’s curated collection composed on popular plus-sized fashion designers. The closet works like a Netflix queue. Monthly subscription fees range from 35$-159$ per month. Clothing comes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10 pieces at a time, with pre-paid return shipping and cleaning of clothes.

Pros: keep the clothes as long as you want, option to buy a rented piece, large sizes, personal style consultation, first month free

Cons: smaller collection, no smaller sizes

Bag Borrow or Steal – Made famous by the Sex and the City Movie, this handbag and accessories rental giant is still going strong. Their service is totally about making the best designer bags and accessories accessible. On their site, you can rent, buy, and even sell!

Pros: authenticity guaranteed, reputable, huge selection, designer shoes sold on the “private sale” part of the site, free standard shipping on all orders. Separate handbag cleaning service. You can sell authentic designer bags that you did not rent or buy on the site!

Cons: only sale bags rent for <100$, rental period is only 1 month. 

Box Subscription Services 

An even newer hot trend is box subscription. Users subscribe to these services and are sent boxes full of fashion, beauty products (full size and deluxe, or samples depending on the service), hair products, food, panties… even socks… monthly! The main difference between rental and subscription is that the fee is the only charge, and most of the time you have literally no control over what you’re sent. It’s like a mystery box full of girl power and ovarian glitter appears in your mailbox every month! For a really thorough inventory of different fashion and beauty subscription sites and reviews of their boxes, check out My Subscription Addiction. We’ll just cover some of our faves here to whet your appetite. 

Le Tote -  Le tote charges a monthly fee (49$) and works off of a queue like Gwynnie Bee, but the twist on this one is that you’re not in charge of it. Instead Le Tote allows you to create a profile to define your style. They curate a “tote” of 3 garments and 2 accessories from your “infinite closet” and ship them to you for free free free. Every tote is a surprise. Keep as long as you want. When you return the items (unless you want to buy), a new tote is sent!

Pros: keep clothes as long as you want, option to buy, no shopping required

Cons: no shopping required (?!), no plus size selection

 

Birchbox is one of the oldest and most popular beauty subscription boxes out there and has a great reputation for being able to introduce lovely ladies to their next favorite things.  I have friends who swear by this service, which sends 4-5 high end beauty samples and lifestyle samples (think tea, snack, candle). This box also has a 10$ monthly fee, the lowest we’ve heard of, so you know we had to include it in our poised in a pinch post!

Pros: high end products, no shopping required, super low cost.

Cons: sample size only 

Juniper markets itself as “the smarter way to manage your period”. We had to include this one for sheer ingenuity! Every month, subscribers receive their favorite brand of tampon shipped by mail, as many as needed. Along with the essentials to ward off Aunt Flo the monthly red bomber, Juniper thoughtfully and lovely packs deluxe pamper and comfort items (think gourmet honey, tea, chocolate covered pretzels, beauty samples… everything you didn’t know you required until this box started arriving). The fee? 28$ a month. Sold!

Pro: no period panic, no buying a multi-pack of tampons of which half are USELESS(!), no store embarrassment, discrete packaging, snacky-poos and treats to pamper yourself.

Cons: ummm?

So that’s all that I can pack in for today folks! (<--see what I did there?) Make sure to check out My Subscription Addiction for an even more comprehensive list of boxes to buy.

Want to share your box or rental review with us? Email or facebook to share and if we like it, we’ll share it! 

A Gathered Event: 2013 LA Fashion Corner Fashion Show "Caring with Style"

This Friday, we had the privilege of being invited to the 2013 LA Fashion Corner red carpet event and fashion show "Caring with Style" which benefits arts for abused children. There's nothing better than being fashion forward and passionate about people in need. The show premiered clothing by four talented designer lines Mister Triple X, House of 11, Kami Shade Collection, and M the Movement. The event was held at Hollywood luxury nightclub Boulevard 3. The fashion show featured live performance from music group ZupaNova and the event had several give-aways and an after party.  We loved mingling in the exclusive VIP lofts and we'll be bringing you more hot fashion from emerging designers we met here. Check out our recap of the fashion and pics below! And if you didn't see it yesterday, look at the fashion spread from attendees who were looking quite lovely!

Mister Triple XThis collection was dark and edgy and featured swimwear and clothing that was creative with rock star appeal. Mister Triple X is an American fashion and skate board brand based in Los Angeles.

House of 11

House of Eleven was our favorite line. The collection featured luxurious fabrics of leathers, creams, sheer and sleek silhouettes. The line was cohesive and it was easy to see the allure of these clothes in the crowd's reaction. They definitely deserved an A-plus for presentation as their models were styled with consideration from head to toe. 

Kami Shade Collection

Photos by Bob Delgadillo

Another fan favorite was the color and size friendly line of Kami Shade. Although the clothes were beautiful, there were several aesthetics present in this show. The retro swimwear was sexy and eye catching. There were also several contemporary & trendy pieces like the striped cat-suit and gold embellished club dresses. This collection also showcased several sequenced and sparkly evening pieces. Despite the 3 different directions, the collection overall had a range of charm for women in different occasions and life stages, but nonetheless fashionable!

M... The Movement

Photos 2-4 by Bob Delgadillo

M... The Movement was a collection that left me a little puzzled. I can totally see the catchiness behind a grimy street wear aesthetic. However, the collection used lots of tights for women and basics for men. One of the male models wore dark denim jeans, an asymmetric "high-lo" white T and an electric blue turban? I struggled to find the strong statement  behind these clothes. Comprised of mostly greys and blacks, with some cool electric neon-colored Native American inspired necklaces and accessories, the overall presentation lacked runway appeal. On the positive side, there were several pieces that independently could be a great purchase. And the live-performance by Zupa Nova was a rocking backdrop to the clothes.

Boulevard 3 courtyard and live model & after party fun

We hope you enjoyed the recap! If you have a fashion show or event you'd like for us to attend please email us at thegatheredlady@gmail.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @thegatheredlady.

The Gathered Fashion Spread (July 21, 2013): Super Sunday Edition!

We've been busy here at The Gathered Lady attending all sorts of fabulous events. Just this Friday we were at the 2013 LA Fashion Corner Red Carpet Event and Charity Fashion Show "Caring with Style". We know your dying to here about the event, so check back tomorrow for our recap and fashion highlights. For today, we're sharing our favorite fashion from the night. This crowd was truly fashion forward- check them out!

Do you and your friends have style when you go out and about? Submit your fierce pictures to thegatheredlady@gmail.com and you may make our Gathered Fashion Spread!  

Style. You have it. We Love it. 

(L) Khaleah Bradshaw/ (R) Kenya Jametta, CEO of LA Emerging Designers

(L) Ricki Morris of Visionary Style/ (C) Monet Lamb, 1st African Woman Fashion Truck Owner/ (R) Angelique Bates, Actress & Recording Artist

(C) Bree of The Gathered Lady(C) Amber, blogger Amberwavesofstyle(R.1st) Terita Malone, Talent Director of TM models

Do you have a gathered event you would love for us to attend and share the fashionable experience in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, or New Orleans? If so, send us an email to  thegatheredlady@gmail.com or invite us via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @ TheGatheredLady!

Summer Vacation Fashion Inspiration: Cruise!

Happy Friday fashionistas! I will start by saying that the idea for this post is completely selfish. You see, I am eagerly counting down the days until I set sail on a Caribbean cruise for my summer vacation. It occupies my thoughts, and is ever in the back of my mind should I break out of budget prison to do a little overspending shopping browsing (without buying a thing I swear *hides DSW receipt*).  The outfit planning for this trip to paradise began months ago, before I even made one payment! Can you say obssessed? 

You will be happy to hear that I've busted out of my selfish phase into a selfless one, during which I am going to share some cruise vacation fashion inspiration with you, as well as some insight into cruisin', which is truly a lifestyle choice, one enjoyed by my family and many of my friends. Don't worry-- you can trust me. I'm reputable not only as a gathered lady, but also as an experienced traveler who has literally cruised around the world... more than once. Ready? Let's go! 

The Sea Day 

Every cruise, no matter the route or ports, will probably have one or more sea days. These are days that you enjoy the ship's activities, dining, and amenities for the entire day. In other words, you're not getting off the ship so make yourself at home. This is one of my favorite things about cruising! Instead of being cramped and uncomfortable while you're enroute to your destination, you get to relax (or not), eat (or not), rest (or not)... you get my point. It's yo thang! 

On a sea day you want to be comfortable as you move about the ship. The wind is pretty constant and strong at sea, so I don't recommend hats (despite the big-hatted images the vacation brochures might evoke, your amazing milliner's miracle WILL wind up in the drink without the use of copious hat pins). Scarves are cool on the other hand, because they can be tied and are versatile. I've also rocked them as headwraps. Note that the highest heel here is a platform. That's on purpose. A ship is in constant motion, and that swaying plays heel on the balance and ankles. Not to mention that even if you take elevators everywhere, there are still stairs you can't avoid, and some portals are old-school naval style and you may need to step over them to enter your cabin, or the bathroom, for instance. 

Lastly, don't forget to bring your tunes and your e-reader or magazines. There's nothing like finding a beach chair and some breezy shade (or sun) to enjoy the time passing by. Le sigh... 

The Shore Day 

The opposite of the sea day is the shore day. Getting off the ship, yay! What you do with your day is up to you, but with ports of call in the Caribbean it's certain that at least part of that time will be spent splayed out on a white, sandy beach. The fashion tips I have here for a shore day assume that at least part of the day will be spent at the beach, but should you decide to take a tour, got to a museum or park, or even stay on the ship (horrors!), this outfit choice should work for you. 

My main tips for your shore day outfit is that it should be able to take a beating. Sand, sun, salt, dirt, etc... this needs to be hardy clothing that you can wear all day and break a sweat in. It needs to also cover your swimsuit well and stand up to being rolled up and stuffed into a beach bag. 

For a beachy shore day, make sure to take your beach bag, and pack it well, but don't bring anything expensive or valuable with you. (We've got you covered on how to do this!) Note, for example, that the sea day e-reader has been replaced by a Marie Claire magazine. My personal policy is that there shouldn't be anything in your bag that would make you run after a thief instead of waving goodbye to your stuff. You may laugh, but it's an excellent policy! 

Formal Night 

Most cruises have an official formal night, a night when dinner is a little fancier (lobster! souffle!), and the dress code is after five. It's also often called the Captain's Dinner. I love these nights! I mean, after all these days of no heels and "beach formal" dinner attire, it's a nice change. This is your big chance to step it up! Not to mention that if you're going to pay $$$ for one of the official crusie photos, you might as well buy the one on this night while you are dressed to kill. Serve!

Note the two dress options provided. This is because you should choose whether you want to go formal or semi-formal. It's up to you. What really makes the night is the bling and pearls, the hair and makeup, and of course your luscious scent (Haven't picked a scent for summer? Let us help!)... do this right, and that guy you've had your eye on will move from flirt to fling! And married ladies, your evening is guaranteed to end early and your door will have the Do Not Disturb tag hanging off the handle. Cabin Stewards... poof! Be gone! 

Well that's what I got for you guys today... anybody going on a cruise? Have more fashion inspiration or outfits? Share on email or facebook, and if we like it, we'll share!