So I’m meeting this woman
(I’ll call her Sofia) I hope to partner with.
She’s another Bellmarc agent and my boss (whom I love) has recommended
this fix up. Sofia is very busy right
now; she has many buyers and needs some help in managing them all.
It takes me far too long to
decide what to wear. This is a casual,
just-the-two-of-us get together. I can’t
believe I am giving the fashion element of the meeting this much thought. I
mean, it’s not like we’re meeting to discuss the latest color trends, or Stella
McCartney’s fall line.
It’s a cool afternoon. I choose a pair of black leggings with a
crisp, white ruffled blouse, Fiorentini & Baker boots and a short black leather
jacket. Casual, but chic, if I had to
describe the look.
I am speaking to M before
leaving and she asks what I’m wearing. I
tell her, and she says, “You can’t wear that.
I can tell from Sofia’s picture that she will be dressed.” I decide I’d rather be safe than sorry and
change into a black skirt, Prada boots, a LV leopard scarf, and a black Transit
coat.
We meet at Le Pain
Quotidien, just a few blocks from my apartment.
Sofia arrives stylishly and professionally dressed — nice pantsuit,
Louboutin heels, and an Hermes belt. I’m
glad I listened to M.
Sofia and I talk for two and
a half hours. She is smart and
ambitious, and I think we would complement each other well. She knows real estate; I know marketing. We’d make a great team. She asks if I can help out on an Open House
this Sunday, and I tell her yes.
Later in the conversation
she asks me how I dress. I am taken off
guard, but answer honestly. When I’m not
working, I am a casual dresser.
Jeans. Boots. Leather tote.
And a nice coat; I love nice coats.
She accurately describes me as more downtown than uptown. I think I am, at least in theory, if not in
practice.
Sofia tells me she only
wears suits for work. I am sure she has
many as her previous career was on Wall Street.
I do a quick inventory of my
closet and come up short on suits. My
career was in entertainment marketing, and there, the required dress did not
include suits.
I have skirts of all styles
and lengths. Casual and dressy
pants. White blouses in different
fabrics and styles. Wolford tops.
Cashmere sweaters. Stylish wraps. A few dresses. But only two suits and one of those can only
be worn in winter.
I think I’ve landed on a
good reason to go shopping. But first, a pay check— something that’s been missing
from my life for over 18 months. Once I
get one of those, I'll be better able to justify a new suit.