Monday, September 9, 2013

Loft & The Search For The Perfect Interview Pants

At the start of August I was laid off. (Want to hire me? If so, check out my online portfolio over here). While this sucks for a number of reasons, it does at least give me an excuse to buy some new interview clothes.

My old job had many perks, including a very, very laid-back dress code. As a result, my closet didn’t really have any “professional” clothes in it, that would be suitable to wear to a job interview. That started changing a few weeks ago, when I was in San Francisco, and was able to pick up some new tops that will work nicely for interviews. However, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find any suitable pants. So last week I headed over to the Eaton Centre on the hunt for the perfect pair of black slacks.

I started at Jacob and while I found a few different options that looked nice on the hangers, and that all came in under $100, they all looked like crap on my Eastern European soccer player legs (yes, I have man legs). So Jacob was out.

I was headed towards Zara when I saw a sign that said something about loving your pants. It turned out to be for Loft and, after a quick peek inside, I decided to give that store a shot.

This was my first time inside a Loft store. While I’ve heard of the brand, its inventory of simple-and-smart outfits doesn’t really appeal to my very casual fashion sense and would have looked completely out-of-place in my old work place. However, its offering are perfect for anyone looking for interview clothes.

Within 10 minutes I had half-a-dozen pairs of black pants in my arms. While the staff could have been friendlier (no one said hello, let alone offered to start a fitting room), the store was well-organized and all of the pants had distinctive names and labels that described what kind of cut they were. I really appreciate little details like that, because it makes finding the perfect pair that much quicker.

And so did I find my perfect pair? Yes! I ended up picking up a pair of Marisa Trouser Leg pants, for $75. They’re the ideal length (to wear with flats, which is fine), flatter my man-legs and are so comfortable. Seriously, they feel like I’m wearing yoga pants. They are also pretty good at repelling dog fur, which for me is a very important feature because despite my best efforts, dog fur is everywhere in my life.

It's too early to make any judgement calls on that quality of my new pants but they certainly seem to be reasonably well-made.

Will I shop there again: If I land a new job that requires more professional clothes, I will definitely be heading back to Loft. While its clothes might not have the most interesting designs, they certainly fit and look great.

Should you shop there: If your workplace has a dress code, and you're not one for spending thousands on work clothes, check out Loft. The prices are quite good, as is the selection. It also offers petite and tall sizes.

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