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Have you gone to department stores like Macys? They have a large selection of different designers to choose from. I like Express as well but I think they are pretty pricey. I don't wear suits often at all, but my most recent staple suit which I love is from a BCBG outlet store, it didn't cost too much since it was from an outlet and had all kinds of markdowns taken on it.
@elysion: I've checked out Macy's and Dillard's which both had some selection but very few petite peices and almost all of them were well over $100.00. I almost bought one from Macy's but adding in the cost of alterations it just didn't make sense.
Oh, nevermind, I didn't see your $100 limit. I don't think AT sells blazer for less than a C note.
ETA: Maybe Banana Republic will have something.
Express, The Limited has great ones, Ann Taylor..I'm also petite and I find that Ann Taylor Loft's petite selection is very good. I think I spent a little over $100 though..like $120 :-/
I love Ann Taylor Petites for work dresses but I've never been able to find affordable blazers there. They always seem well over $150.00.
The Limited is where I get all my suits. I waited until they had a buy one get one 40% off sale. Also, Macy's sometimes has really good sales on their suits. A friend of mine recently got a $300 dollar suit, vest, and jacket by Nine West for $185!
I'm petite and I found a nice suit at JCPenney on sale for less than $100.
I have to wear a suit everyday and I have found that Banana Republic and Jcrew suits hold up well. They are fairly basic but that's usually what I need. Macy's sales (I've found $500.00 suits for under $100.00) and outlets are a good place to look as well.
I second Express. I just bought a suit from there. The blazer by itself was under $100. They don't have petite, but I just bought the pants in short, and the smallest size blazer they carry (0). It's definitely not the nicest suit I've owned, but it works and I was in a time crunch. And you won't find a suit for much cheaper.
blazer:http://www.express.com/studio-stretch-one-button-jacket-19972-701/control/show/3/index.pro
jcrew online (not in store) has great suits! I also like Club Monaco, surprisingly
I look at Express and Ann Taylor Outlet for my suits. I usually get mine at the Ann Taylor Outlet since it tends to be a bit more cheaper than Express (for me at least). Though, even at the Outlet I haven't been able to get one for less than $100. It's usually a bit over $100.
As other posters have mentioned, Ann Taylor petite sizing is great. If you sign up to receive emails from them, you will occasionally get one for 40% off your purchase. That brings the price of a blazer under the $100 mark.
I have to wear suits a lot so I'm always on the look out for a good deal. I've found great deals at:
H&M
Limited
Express, (although the quality and craftsmanship is not that great)
United Colors of Benetton
BR
J.Crew
Loehmanns!!! (great finds here)
Saks Outlet
@Meowkers: I forgot about H&M. IMO they size there clothes weirdly but they usually fit me nicely and I know I've seen some cheap finds there. Thanks!
@Janna19: Is there a certain place to look on Jcrew's website? Everything I see is pretty pricey. Never heard of Loehmanns, will have to check that out.
I wish there were outlets closer to me :( It seems like thats the place to go for bargins.
@MrsPinkPeony: Yeah H&M sizes run one size too small. It does not make me feel good about myself having to go up a size in that store.
Nordstroms has the best selection of petitie suits, at least where I am. I've purchased suits at Banana Republic and the Limited and am not a fan of how the pants fit, at least on me. For dresses/skirts they're fine, but not pants. For pants I'm an Express girl but I have to say I am very annoyed that they no longer carry short cut in the store!!
Definitely try Banana, Ann Taylor, etc. outlets. And Ann Taylor Loft has suits online for less than AT. JC Penney also carries suits I believe.
I get a lot of my suits off the clearance rack at Macy's.
Ann Taylor is great and they frequently have sales / coupons. If you have an outlet near you, you can get a really great deal on a very nice suit.
If you have straight legs - Banana Republic.
If you are curvier/have hips - Ann Taylor or LOFT.
Sign up for coupons from both stores - both often have 30-40% off coupons.
BR has a better suit selection online than in stores, but they have free shipping and in-store returns.
I would also look into dresses - the right dress can look very classy and business-professional, and you can pair a dress with a scarf, blazer, or cardigan to change its look or take it from season to season.
Nordstrom Rack, Marshall's or Filene's Basement. You can get $200-300 suits for closer to $70-90. Ruelala also sometimes has good deals.
Go to Ann Taylor's website and sign up for coupons vis mail and email. They will send you 40% coupons every few weeks.
I highly, highly recommend investing in good quality suits. They will last longer (with good care) and be worth the $ to alter if need be.
I wear business/professional suits everyday (ugh) and the best thing I've ever bought is a steamer. It helps to touch up suits and blouses/shirts without having to take them to the dry cleaners too often (which damages the material over time).
Another vote for the Limited- almost all my suits have come from there. The nice thing about their suits (and other boutiques, as opposed to department stores) is they're all sold as separates, so you can accomodate different sizes on top and bottom (cuts down alteration costs) and you can buy skirt and pants (cheaper pieces) to go with the same blazer (expensive). Plus a lot of their fabrics are the same weight, so you can mix and match say, black pants and camel blazer, or tan skirt and chocolate brown blazer. And if you're stuck in suits every day, they have some nice trendier suiting pieces too. There's also always sales and when they do their big end-of-season %-off-clearance sales, you can really score.
That said, if you can figure out that Nine West or Calvin Klein suits fit you, Ross, Marshalls, places like that are godsends- they sell those brands for under $60 for a suit, even less on clearance.
I found one of mine at Kohl's and one of mine at JC Penny's. The one from Kohl's was $50 and the one from JC Penny's was $7 (that is correct, $7.00). Check clearance, sales, if you're open to skirt suits, those are sometime less expensive and help with petit women.
I buy most of my suits from the Limited when they have 40% off sales, which happens quite often. I also like Banana Republic, but those suits are pricier.
Subscribe to Ann Taylor and Loft on fb. They're like the Jos A Bank of women's fashion. They have a 40% off sale at least once a month if not more plus buttloads of 50% off clearance sales (like every other week at least). They're the only suits I own but I'll never pay full price.
I vote for Banana Republic! I got my last one from their outlet store, it was pretty reasonable. I've also bought from Ann Taylor but didn't like it as much.
Yet another vote for the Limited for an affordable but good quality suit. The Limited also has really great sales, and they often have coupons available ($50 dollars off a $150 purchase).
I also think Nordstrom has an excellent selection of higher quality suits. Granted, they are a lot pricier but Nordstrom has semi annual sales and you could maybe find something at a great deal!
I agree with a lot of what has been said but wanted to add Victoria's Secret. Similar in quality, materials, and fit to The Limited, and sometimes they have really good sales.
If you are plus sized, the Limited sells suits via Eloquii. They are very nice. I also purchased suits with Lane Bryant and Macy's. Lane Bryant's suits I always have to tailor to fit. Macy's sells Anne Klein and Calvin Klein suits, which are very nice.
The hardest part for me is not finding the suit, but finding the blouse for underneath. Button up blouses fit wrong, since my hips are 2 sizes larger than my bust. I have been getting those short sleeve knit blouses from JCPenney... you know, the kind your mom wears? Sucks but it's the only thing that will fit my bust AND hips, and won't show cleavage.
Don't shop at Torrid. Anything they have will fall apart within months.
Macys, Nordstrom (sales rack), Express, etc. It's a bit tricky but I would focus on finding pieces that you can mix-and-match into suits as opposed to purchasing whole suits...I think you get more bang for your buck that way.
I agree with The Limited. They have plenty of sales so finding one for cheaper shouldn't be too bad. Also I heard from a saleslady there that if you get their store card you can get alterations done for free. I don't have their card so I haven't tried this but it could be a good option for you.
I just had to buy a suit for an interview and I went to a ton of stores without finding much I liked within my budget.I actually ended up at a high-end designer consignment shop--they had a lot of gorgeous suits and the prices were very reasonable. If you live in a big city, there is probably something similar. I got an Elie Tahari suit that retailed for more than $500 for just $65!
These kinds of stores seem to be really picky about quality, so it doesn't look worn. They had a lot of high-end brands that I could definitely not afford full-price at Sak's or Neiman's. I just googled "designer consignment" and my city and found a few stores.
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Our office is shifting from buisness casual to business which means practically everything I wear now I can no longer wear. I only own one full suit that I got from Goodwill. I'm petite and have a hard time finding blazers that fit well cause my arms are so short. I've bought blazers from NYC&Co and tried to get them altered but the material is pretty cheap and the cost doesn't seem effective. (love their pants though!) Any suggestions on where to get some business suits? I'm trying to keep the blazers under 100 bucks.
Any other ideas for business are appreciated as well :)