Business Casual

b3t4

Hi all,

In a couple of weeks I'm off to NZ for a year and half. I will be working down there and need to wear business casual clothes. In my current job I can pretty much wear anything as long as it's presentable. It'll be very tough for me not to be able to wear jeans!

I intend hitting the shops this Saturday and shopping up a storm. Can ye give me some advise on what I should buy, where I should shop e.t.c, please?

Some notes:
1. I'm female.
2. It'll be winter in NZ so if ye could advise me of the shops that have their autumn season in that'd be great.
3. I've been told that shopping down there isn't that good so that's why I'll be doing my shopping here

Thanks all,
A

michaelanthony

They're are about 20 years behind so I wouldn't buy anything too fashionable.

rediguana

Twenty years behind? That's a bit rough.

Taking a long and tedious journey like Ireland-New Zealand, I would be disinclined to buy anything here that I can get over there. It's probably less expensive over there and, if you stick to Auckland, Wellington (etc), I'm pretty sure you can find 2-3 shops that will stock reasonably stylish work clothes. At the end of the day, you're in the market for sensible skirts, blouses etc to work in. These won't be difficult to find.

I was in New Zealand in 2003. I found it difficult to find any edible and healthy food outside of the big cities. It was Pie Hell for a time.

Great country though, I have ideas of moving there on their Skilled Migrant Programme, just as soon as I find out what my skill is.

dame

I've a friend who's sister lives there. She went over for a month to visit and came home with some lovely clothes. Shop over there!


If you really want to buy work clothes before you go then Next is good. You should check Dunnes Stores for pants, skirts etc. Remember, they don't have Dunnes over there and a black pants is a black pants!

Shzm

Why you'd buy a whole heap of clothes here just to lug it all the way over there is beyond me. It's already a painful enough trip without adding extra luggage!

Seriously, shop in NZ. Plenty of stores there will have what you want, and well, fashion here is alot differant to fashion there.
No there is no Dunnes, but there's Farmers or K-Mart which are just the same.

Garret

NEXT's autumn collection will be in shops after the sales which start on the 21st

i think

RainyDay

Prices should be relatively much cheaper over there, given the euro/NZD conversion rates.

b3t4

Thanks all for yeer advise. I went shopping at the weekend and got some lovely stuff. I haven't gone too crazy and bought half the shops but I do feel I'll need something to wear to work when I arrive so that's why I'm off buying stuff now. However, I'm finding it nearly impossible to find nice trousers.

Any thoughts on where to get these? My body shape appears to elude clothes makers in that my waist is tiny but my hips are bigger. I either get trousers that fit at the hips but gap dramatically at the waist or one's that fit the waist but are too tight on my hips. I got some skirts to compensate but would love to get some trousers as well.

A.

dodgey69

defo get your clothes over there, much nicer and a fraction of the cost here. auckland has a discount factory about 20 mins away on a bus that does some great deals but even if u just go into just jeans/jeans west you will get nice clothes. Im a bloke and sent home loads of clothes from here when i was travelling.

b3t4

Hi dodgey69,

I hear what you're saying but for my circumstances it isn't quite as simple. I fly out of Ireland on the Monday and I'll be at my desk over there on the Friday. My big problem with the clothes is that I can't wear jeans. I hadn't realised how much of a staple these had become in my wardrobe.

Also, I'll be in Wellington and not in Auckland.

A.

flynnser19

i was in new zealand for a while and their fashion isnt great!!id advise ya to take advantage of places like penneys topshop places liek that because they have no sense of style!!!my brother worked there and he wud wear shorts to the office in summer and casual trousers like combats and stuff in winter!!its a really relaxed country!!just to let ya kno wellington isnt that exciting either!!!make sure ya visit queenstown tis amazing!!!!