The Suit Makes the Nurse?

Wouldn't life be easier if we all had 

to wear this?

  

  Having decided that wearing a suit was necessary for my second interview I went into a bit of a panic. I don't own one and being a new (and unemployed) grad, I hardly have the money to shell out the hundreds that a decent one can cost. Lucky for the Mr. I have always been a cheapskate and have no problems rolling up the sleeves and digging out a good deal. Earlier in the week I had been to Ross and noted a number of high end suits for good prices, so off we went.

  Having never had to wear a suit I needed back up so I dragged along the only person in the family who has had to wear one, the Mr.  We arrive at Ross and begin digging through the racks of unorganized women's wear, pulling out suits one by one and then off to the dressing room. The lady running the area took pity on the Mr. and got him a chair, she knew we were in it for the long haul.  So let me share what I have learned about a business suit.

Quality

  There is no substitute for a quality suit, you really can see the difference. Think of the suit as an investment, do you really plan to never interview again? Of course not, so buy a suit that will last. Cheap suits use cheap material, you will see and feel the difference yourself as soon as you put one on, I did right away and the cheap suit went back.

Color

  Or maybe this is where we talk about the lack there of. Your best bet is to buy something neutral, dark grey or black are often the safest choices, and being so versatile you can wear them again for other functions. Also look at what works best with you complexion, I found that grey's made me look a little washed out so I opted for a classic black.

Fit

  This is where I really needed the back up, and if you are a novice at suit buying take someone who is going to be painfully honest. I'm lucky my grandmother was a seamstress and gave me a these basic tips to go by, and here is a model to illustrate what a good fitting suit looks like.

1. The shoulder seam on the jacket should line up with your shoulder, no going past and no sitting farther up, either means the jacket does not fit so put it back. Also it should not feel tight under the arms or across the back.
2. The jacket should fit close to the body but you still need to be able to button the jacket up easily. There should be no puckering in the waist when you do up the jacket.
3. Pants should be tailored but not tight. Translation: If you look in the mirror and think "hmmm I will need to wear a thong with these pants" put them back! No one needs to see your pants crack during an interview, please we have enough nurse-sleeping-with-whoever stereotypes!

  Based on these lovely tips (and some candid input from the Mr.) I selected a nice black suit (Calvin Klein) that was well priced at $80.00 down from $180, score! I liked it because of a couple of less than traditional touches that made it a little more modern and more me, I paired the suit with a pair of pumps with a modest 2 inch heel and a blue camisole underneath.  Strangely I notice this suit made me feel confident, attractive and ready to take on the world. 

   Hmmm a girl could get used to this!