First job; how to dress professionally and tastefully?

[Hank]

Another good option for the young and broke (or older and thrifty by choice) is thrift stores. Some very high end clothes in timeless styles end up there; it's not all low-quality fast fashion.

Oh, I merely meant those were the stores where those clothes originally were sold. The thrift store in the nice part of town usually has some great finds.

[Lordosis]

How are the prices

My wife was doing stixfix for a while but stopped earlier this year. She said they stopped sending food clothes. Went to a computer algorithm rather than a person or something like that. I'm not sure I wasn't really listening

[mpdoc]

How are the prices

Roughly on par with Ann Taylor or Banana Republic in general but I think the quality is better. (Fabric feels heavier, pants have lining, etc) IIRC you can set some parameters around price and type of items you want.

[snowcanyon]

I'm going to be totally radical here and say if you feel comfortable in it and it feels good, that's professional.
At least, that's the world we should be aiming for!

[Nebraska Walker]

Lots of good feedback. Expectations of dress for a female doctor in primary care I believe have evolved over the 20+ years I have practiced.
Since COVID-19, we all started wearing scrubs because we get exposed frequently and we never know when that will be. Scrubs have improved considerably and I found LandsEnd brand to fit well with lots of pockets. so that's what I wear with my white coat. Other colleagues have begun wearing street/dress clothes again and will wear slacks or dresses. Interesting to hear that white coats are considered fomites in Britain. Our laundry service is not prompt so I have brought my coat home to wash at times.

When we are down to 1:100,000 cases of COVID in our area, and I don't feel like I have to wash everything I wear every day, I plan to revert back to my previous dress of classics:
sweaters or blouses or tunics with slacks. LandsEnd and L.L. Bean have nice classic styles. plus their tall sizes fit me better.
I frequently wore dresses and skirts.
Always comfortable shoes.
Many of my clothes came from thrift stores or garage sales. I avoid wearing anything that I would be heartbroken to throw away if I couldn't get blood or body fluid out of it from the occasional skin procedure.

Clothing can be a nice way to express oneself I agree. My husband is from another country and from time to time I would wear an ethnic outfit. Many patients complimented me as they admired the flowing lines. They also would admire my thrift store finds and it was fun to tell them where I got it. My patient population is not in a high income zip code but I think they appreciate the effort the doctor makes to look presentable.

Consider wearing a vest for the many pockets. Zippered pockets are great for phones. There are great wool or fleece vests that look business casual, well, at least doctor office casual in my opinion. I even have silk ones that I wore with my ethnic outfits.

laying your clothing out the night before saves time in the morning.

either way, street clothes or scrubs, all the best for you and your career!

[nastle]

I'm going to be totally radical here and say if you feel comfortable in it and it feels good, that's professional.
At least, that's the world we should be aiming for!

I disagree ! my Sex Pistols T-shirt is very comfortable so isa tshirt I got at a ww2 re enactment I went to but I will NEVER wear them to work

[MtnRunner]

A few tips:
1. Find a few key pieces to mix and match. If you can find some versatile pants that fit well (think dark gray, black, brown), go with tops that can be worn with several options. Buying clothes with this in mind make it easier to have multiplies outfit options quickly and easily.
2. Dr. Scholl's makes some pretty tasteful, comfortable shoes suitable for clinical wear. Be choosey about which styles you go for, but try to find some comfortable, versatile shoes that can be a "no-brainer" with several outfits. Being comfortable on your feet in professional wear for clinic is key.
3. Alternate dress clothes with well-fitting scrubs
4. Look for interchangeable layers like vests, cardigans, etc. to add more "mix and match" options to your closet and turn warmer-weather clothes into appropriate colder weather outfits
5. Consider a Stitchfix subscription, but be very honest with yourself when communicating to your stylist about what you want. If you know you wouldn't wear certain styles, tell them!

[Craigslist]