The Stern Opportunity

As many of us women know, dressing for corporate events can be a daunting task. Throughout every woman’s search for a suit, she will likely encounter an endless array of issues; from the pants being too long to the jacket being too short, from it being too tight in the bust to too loose in the waist.  Business formal attire for women is not as clearly defined as it is for men.  There are significantly more options for women in terms of style, fit and fabric, and picking out an appropriate, yet flattering outfit can be intimidating for someone headed into the corporate presentation season.  SWIB kicked off the fall with two events aimed at helping MBA1s make it through the fall recruiting season in style.

The first was a J. Crew cocktail hour held on September 22 at the J. Crew store located on 5^th avenue between 16^th and 17^th streets.  Over one hundred Stern women embraced the reprieve from studying and welcomed the opportunity to get off campus and enjoy an evening of hors d’oeuvres, wine and, some shopping.  For the two hours during which the event was held, the store was closed to the public, offering Stern women rare private access to the 5^th avenue store.

“I was extremely impressed by the fact that such a prominent clothing and accessory retailer closed its doors during regular business hours to host a private event in its Fifth Avenue location!  It was a testament to the breadth and reputation of the Stern Women in Business organization and the Stern community,” said first year Megan Mansolf. 

Throughout the evening, MBA1s mingled with MBA2s as the generous discounts, (15% off all clothing and 20% off J. Crew’s suiting line) romanced the attendees.  The J. Crew CEO, Millard Drexler, was also present at the event, mingling with students as they perused the store. “The turnout was great, the wine was flowing, and (thanks to the discount) the shopping was fantastic.  It's safe to say that lots of Stern ladies left with huge smiles and heavy J. Crew bags” said MBA1 Catie Rosen. 

Representatives from J. Crew introduced the SWIB members to their new fall suit line.  They highlighted the quality of the fabrics used to make the clothing as well as the subtle details that separated J. Crew’s pieces from some of their competitors’.  The J. Crew representatives also offered ways make one’s suiting line more versatile with one’s suiting line, which included demonstrating how a suit jacket can also be used as way to dress up jeans on the weekend. 

Later that week, on Friday September 26, SWIB hosted another suiting event with Moi-même a suiting company specializing in custom suits for women.  Dawn Verbrigghe, the founder and CEO of Moi-même, took the SWIB members through some very basic do’s and don’ts for corporate presentations and interviews.

“The Moi Meme event was extremely helpful in learning how to tailor (no pun intended) my appearance to the job interview season. It was great to be in an informal setting where we could ask the questions that we always wanted to ask, but may not have had the outlet for it. For example, do I really need to wear pantyhose? If so, what color?” said Rebekah Ahn. 

These two events presented a unique way for SWIB to kick off the year.  The events further reinforced SWIB’s dedication to promoting Stern Women’s personal and professional development throughout their two years at Stern and beyond. 

Article Tools