Some of us have flair, and some of us dont. But we all prefer to be appropriately dressed for office work, if we can afford it. In fact, many corporations still mandate what employees can and cannot wear to the office. This can make life painfully difficult for someone who is coming off unemployment. She has probably been stress eating for a long time, and none of her previous wardrobe fits, even if it once was suitable. The sneers from co-workers can be hard to take.

There are organizations that specialize in providing a business suit to a woman who cannot afford to buy one, if she meets their income criteria. One example, by referral from an approved agency only, is Dress for Success. Wardrobe for Opportunity (in the San Francisco Bay area) is an example of an organization that assists males with suitable clothing for the workforce.

Incidentally, I have a friend who always found beautiful outfits at regular thrift stores; she invariably looked as though she had shopped at an upscale department store. And that wasnt just her Sunday, go to meeting clothes. Her office outfits looked just as nice. True, she wasnt a manager, and didnt need to buy power suits, yet she was always at least as well dressed as everyone else in the building. And in most cases, she was better dressed.

Time was that even I could also find a few clothes at a regular thrift shop, such as Salvation Army, and they were not only appropriate for wearing to work for 12 months or so, they lasted for years more as running errands clothing. Times, however, seem to be changing, so recently, I decided to try a couple of new forays into the thrift shop experience.

What I found was that the quality of donations to thrift stores is not as high as it was just three years ago. I think the ongoing unemployment situation, coupled with new and massive layoffs in several industries, is making middle-class people afraid to get rid of very much. In addition, large donations of needed clothing have been sent to victims of disasters in the United States and around the world. Regardless, almost no womens pantsuits appeared on the racks, and few jackets or blazers, at least in our neighborhood.

I did find a lot of heavy sweaters, not often needed in Southern California away from the mountains and coastal zones. On the other hand, homeless women, and those not able to afford heat in their homes in our colder months, will definitely welcome warm sweaters and pants for such modest prices, around $6 or $7 at the most. (Less, when the store is having a 50% off sale).

Overall, while weekly trips to the nearest thrift stores will probably produce good results for those women needing blouses and knit tops, it will take a lot of patience to work through the racks to find appropriate slacks and jackets. The Mens Department had filled racks, of varying quality, but, as one example, I saw brand name, gently used, soft leather jackets for only $40, and not just in black. Such jackets retail for as much as $175 to $300.

A thrift store is a good place to begin your search, followed by outlet stores, if they are within reasonable distance. Driving 30 to 150 miles to reach an outlet store is probably not the wisest use of limited funds. Inexpensive clothes can also be bought at chain stores, especially during sales, but again, patience is needed to get past inappropriate styles.

2006 Shirley Ann Parker