(Update: Hello from Seattle! A new option at the end of the comments - a star-print Equipment shirt I got at a consignment store recently. What do you think?)
I am super excited to say that I have a month of really great faculty job interviews coming up. I might let myself feel a little bit optimistic about my career. It's been a slog and I really hope one of these works out.
More on my overall outfit planning later - six multi-day interviews is a lot of clothes - but for now: I leave first thing in the morning for Baltimore and I can't decide what to wear.
For my first interview, in Baltimore this week with sub-zero daytime temps, I've narrowed it down to a few options. This is just a one-day interview, so I only need one outfit. There will be some snow on the ground, so I have to wear boots.
The bottoms options are new Everlane mid-rise slacks (more formal, and a nice heavy wool) or old J Crew Collection wool pants that are really warm, flattering, and high-quality. They're essentially very fancy leggings, so I would only wear them with a longer shirt. The dark horse is my old suit, but the pants are less warm and, um, they don't quite zip closed anymore.
To give a sense of the pants in better light, here are the new Everlane slacks (1,2) and the J Crew pants worn with an Everlane striped silk shirt (3,4). These combinations are not interview outfits on their own but I wanted to include a few clearer, well-lit photos.
Interview options
5,6: Everlane slacks, striped shirt, Helmut Lang cropped blazer
7,8: same, but with J Crew skinny pants (and with the boots I'll wear)
9,10: Everlane slacks, black silk shirt, cropped blazer
11,12: same, but with J Crew skinny pants
13,14,15: old Club Monaco suit with grey silk sweater, and the sweater on its own (it looks much more blah than I expected)
My boyfriend and I both actually prefer the outfit in 11 & 12. It surprised me. It looks sleek and stylish and flattering. Unfortunately it doesn't come through well in photos. But it is very me.
Questions:
1. Should I keep the new Everlane slacks? I own a few others, and I don't wear slacks often. But the higher waist of these is much more current. They pull a tiny bit across the hips but overall I think they look good. They probably need to be hemmed a bit.
2. What about the striped silk shirt, either for interviews or just in general, perhaps with jeans? I loved it in the store but maybe less so in photos.
3. And the grey Banana Republic sweater? Too blah? Tags are still on all three of these.
4. And of course, which combination should I choose for the first interview?
