What do you wear under a skirt?

May 4, 09 9:28

Post #1 of 46 (20421 views)

Strange question but you all are good at answering strange questions :-)

Now that I'm striking out on my own as a consultant I need to start attending networking events and work on getting clients. So I need to stop dressing like a slob. I used to get away with jeans every day so my dress work wardrobe needs help. I've got some great skirts that are super comfy but I came across a dilemma when going for an interview a month ago. My legs are pasty white and have bruises from who knows what I ran into. Do you all wear regular panty hose? Or, do you use a self tanner to get some color? I know pantyhose are out of fashion and I don't want to set myself up to look like I'm stuck in the 50s. I'm going to be working with small businesses and some of them will be more impressed with a consultant that dresses more in line with current styles. A few pairs of dress pants are also on the list of things I need.

Thanks ladies. I'm so used to working at home or in an informal office I'm a bit stuck :-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 9:55

Post #2 of 46 (20405 views)

Panty hose are out of style??? hmmmm, that explains a lot!

I work at home too but it seems to me that when I go out to business meetings, that women seem to be wearing pant suits quite a bit more than skirts now.

I'm an accountant, so I probably dress up/more conservatively than a consultant could get away with but even my colleagues are more into pants than skirts now.

A really formal look would probably turn off a small business owner.

I guess I am old-fashioned as I really don't think the bare leg look is appropriate for the office....unless you're going to a client that is a factory or some place that doesn't have a/c.

Pants solve the bare leg issue!

Just some thoughts.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:05

Post #3 of 46 (20398 views)

Even if some say it is out of style, for a job interview I would say that pantyhose are in order. I have some DKNY pantyhose that are almost invisible and never get runs.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [Cassie] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:18

Post #4 of 46 (20391 views)

The skirts I have border on sporty like this, one in black and one in grey: http://www.rei.com/product/786517 so they aren't business suit skirts. I have others along these same lines.

I'll pick up dress pants as well. I won't be dealing with larger companies where a full business suit would be appropriate. Even at the big ones locally suits are unusual (I live in Seattle). In fact, wearing much beyond dress jeans and a sweater is unusual.

I'll look into the DKNY. The usual Leggs are pretty heavy and obvious. I'm looking for a "smooth" and polished appearance.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:32

Post #5 of 46 (20381 views)

Pantyhose screams 60 year-old. Just don't do them.

______________________________________
I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

SallyShortyPnts

May 4, 09 10:33

Post #6 of 46 (20378 views)

I always wear something to protect my dress shoes, if nothing else.

Panty hose, suitably shear, or knee-highs with pants, help keep your shoes fresher than going barefoot all day.

DFL > DNF > DNS

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [D!] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:34

Post #7 of 46 (20378 views)

But which is worse, white legs or pantyhose? That's my dilemma.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:35

Post #8 of 46 (20372 views)

Pantyhose = worse. They scream ewwww to me.
That said, I always go with pants for interviews. I have a few skirts, but for some reason I don't break them out for interviews.

______________________________________
I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:39

Post #9 of 46 (20365 views)

If I ever wear hose, I wear stockings with a seam up the back - it's a bit funky and unusual. Never, never wear hose with open toed shoes. To work I would go with the bare legs. If my legs were what I determined to be as "that bad" I would use some self tanner or leg make up type stuff. Apparently leggings are back in but you need to be VERY careful with these to be age-appropriate as they are a young look and I'm not sure of your age.

The last time I had to wear the stockings was for an internal interview when I switched jobs and it was with the full business suit.

With the Patagonia skirt you linked to I would do bare legs. Make up to hide the bruises.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:44

Post #10 of 46 (20355 views)

ditto on pantyhose. yuck. although i live in austin (hot) and work in advertising (very casual). a lot of the women i work with use self-tanner or do the spray tan thing. i assume some are using tanning beds too, but that's probably not smart.

i'd wear nice pants to the first meeting and then maybe after that you can wear a skirt.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [determination] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 10:48

Post #11 of 46 (20351 views)

I wear stockings with a seam up the back

a....I aaaaa....er....I mean.....seam....*gulp*....mmmmmm.....a...pics........er..... :p

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 11:11

Post #12 of 46 (20335 views)

I'm a lawyer and here are my pantyhose rules: always wear them in court or at a client meeting if I'm in a skirt; wear them with skirts in the winter; no hose in spring/summer if I'm going to be working in the office. I've seen a lot of young women lawyers go without hose in settings where they should be worn. It doesn't make them look stylish, it makes them look young and inexperienced.

Your business may not be as conservative as mine, so if it were me, I'd wear professional looking pants until you get a better idea of your client's preferences.

Oh, and it's just me, but I would never wear seam-up-the-back hose in any professional setting. I want people to be thinking about my competency, not what I might be wearing under that skirt I have on. As a woman, I have to work to earn respect more than most men even when I'm not dressing provacatively.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 12:09

Post #13 of 46 (20285 views)

What AmyCO said...and to add to that....always err on the conservative side. No matter what. The other day I overheard this conversation in the caf:
'wow look at that, back in the day I would not dare come to work with bare arms like that'
'well, the dress code says not to do that, but the young ones, they have bare arms and flip flops...but...they aren't going anywhere too quickly'
and at first I thought, wow what a bunch of catty cows. But I think yeah it was true, that women should not go to work in flip flops and bare arms, now I work for a large accounting firm, and so I don' t think that you'd normally see anyone dressed so casually, and they were right to comment. I think.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 12:28

Post #14 of 46 (20265 views)

As you are in the PNW and it's a bit more casual there, I would skip the hose. Since it's still a little chilly you could always go with tights or a very subtley patterned tight. Check out what Hue has at Nordies. Or wear a pair of tall boots with your skirts to cover the bruises/whitey-white girl legs.

I rarely wear traditional panty hose, but will do tights, patterned tights and nude colored fishnets (sounds kind of trampy but you can can barely tell I have them on.) In the summer I go with bare, self-tannered legs.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 13:00

Post #15 of 46 (20243 views)

Tights.

HUE or Donna Karan or Wolfold.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [kbee] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 13:11

Post #16 of 46 (20233 views)

In Reply To:

'wow look at that, back in the day I would not dare come to work with bare arms like that'
'well, the dress code says not to do that, but the young ones, they have bare arms and flip flops...but...they aren't going anywhere too quickly'
and at first I thought, wow what a bunch of catty cows. But I think yeah it was true, that women should not go to work in flip flops and bare arms,

I work in an R&D lab where the only 'dress code' is to not be naked, so the idea of real dress codes and that they actually matter to people is fascinating. I can sort of understand rules about tight micro-skirts, low cut tops that expose a lot of cleavage, etc. but bare arms? Why does such a rule exist? Are there similar rules for knees or ankles?

Chris

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 13:13

Post #17 of 46 (20230 views)

According to the fashion mags, 'IT' girls never wear hose :)

While I don't claim to be an it-girl by any stretch, I think that esp w/ more casual type skirts that no hose is fine. I too have pasty legs & love bronzer and sunless tanner. Prescriptives used to make a really great liquid bronzer for the body that really stayed put & didn't sweat off. It was reformulated & I never tried the new one, but I really loved the old one. That reminds me...I really should check out the new one.

Last edited by: Elsa: May 4, 09 13:14

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [Elsa] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 13:19

Post #18 of 46 (20223 views)

I think I'll pick up some nice hose to have them on hand in case the situation requires them.

For now, I think the self tanner is the way to go. I'll start a new thread on which ones are good. I'm sure others will be interested.

Thanks all. Lots going on for me right now and this is a big help.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 16:24

Post #19 of 46 (20147 views)

If it's a sporty skirt you should wear compression tights.

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 16:52

Post #20 of 46 (20132 views)

compression socks

whoops wrong forum. and I didn't see pirategirl's reply before I wrote that, promise.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Last edited by: tigerchik: May 4, 09 16:53

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 17:05

Post #21 of 46 (20125 views)

My only recommendation is that you may want to do a little research before meeting with clients regarding their dress code. I am a contractor for a company that has, what I think is, a way outdated dress code: no open toe shoes, sandles or mules, no bare legs (so women must wear panty hose), socks or hose even with pants, skirts can be no more then 2 inches above the knee, no sleeveless tops, etc... I can't even remember all the rules. The guidelines are actually posted all throughout their corporate headquarters. I consider my work wardrobe to be very professional (almost exclusively Banana Republic, Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft) but living in the south almost all my work shoes are open toe or some form of sandles and I also never wear hose... and a few skirts may break that rule too. Fortunately, I only have to follow these rules when I am attending a corporate meeting BUT let's just say if I want to keep my contract I follow the rules when I have to! I would also recommend investing in some professional (not comfy or sporty) suits or seperates - you can look stylish without looking boring but typically a skirt described as "comfy" is not likely to look professional or impress clients. :)

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [D!] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 17:46

Post #22 of 46 (20105 views)

In Reply To:

Pantyhose screams 60 year-old. Just don't do them.

oh no, I missed the memo on the demise of pantyhose..... i feel soooooo old :(

i will blame working at home for the past 7 years.....

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [JenHS] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 17:47

Post #23 of 46 (20101 views)

The most fashionable gal I ever dated wore hose all the time. Mind you, she also grew up in Montreal, so she had that scarf thing down, too...

Pantyhose never stopped a woman from looking good, but depending on the situation, bare legs might not seem quite professional enough. I live in Vancouver, where people go the the freakin' opera in fleece and tevas. It's a very sad state of affairs...

Unless you're working with Google or one of those type of companies that consider themselves to be young/hip/cool/trendy, I'd always err on the formal side.

<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [little red] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 18:32

Post #24 of 46 (20088 views)

>> I am a contractor for a company that has, what I think is, a way outdated dress code:<<

Good lord, where is that company? And what do they do?

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Re: What do you wear under a skirt? [trackie clm] [ In reply to ]

May 4, 09 18:41

Post #25 of 46 (20082 views)

It's a french company and I work in the pharmaceutical/clinical research industry. Crazy dress code isn't it!? Fortunately when i'm not on the road I work from home.

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