This is the third in a three-part series on fashion for women lawyers.

In Parts I (click here) and II (here), I told you the story of growing into a well-dressed lawyer with the help of my mother the fashion buyer and the inspiration of TV personalities like Sex and the City’s Miranda Hobbes.

Below are some take-away tips I’ve learned from my Mom and others along the way:

-Sales are a girl’s best friend.  Buy clothes on sale. Period. I rarely pay full price for anything, unless I know that it will not get marked down or that my size will not be there by the time they take the markdowns. This is true at my price point or my mother’s. She has designer items and rarely pays full price.  After-Christmas sales are great and now is a great time for deals on winter coats and boots.

-Use the Internet. Sign up for Internet newsletters and e-mails from your favorite stores so you can get notice of the latest sales and markdowns first. Also, there are sample sale services like Rue La La [ruelala.com] and HauteLook [http://www.hautelook.com/] that sometimes have work clothes on sale for up to 70% percent off. Shotittome.com[http://www.shopittome.com/?refID=salemail] gathers various sale items for a bunch of websites and sends it to you in a manageable twice weekly e-mail. You just click and save.

-Splurge ONLY on shoes, handbags, accessories, and scarves. In my opinion there is no need for a young woman to spend $600 on a suit she may only wear a couple of times, but I have no problem spending that on a good pair of shoes or handbag I will wear almost every day. Invest in professional yet stylish and comfortable shoes, and they can change your entire outfit. The same is true for a good handbag or interesting accessory pieces. H&M and even Forever 21 (yes I said it) have really up-to-date and inexpensive jewelry pieces that can give your outfit a pop and not look cheap.

-Wear “foundation pieces” and your correct size. This is one from my Mom, but I have adopted this tip. Spanx is a revolutionary product that younger women do not take advantage of and I do not know why.  Whether it is Spanx, or a slip or whatever you want to call it, women look more polished and professional if their clothes have a clean line an no bulges or pulls. A great suit will look like a bad suit if your buttons seem like they are holding on for dear life.

-Choose materials wisely. Try getting suits in super-fine wool with some stretch that you can wear year-round.  There is no need for a winter-only wardrobe. Invest in items that can carry you through more than one season. I love a frilly blouse, but cotton shirts are great to cut down on dry cleaning (learn to iron, ladies).

-Stay away from separates. Women get stuck with a load of separates (non-matching skirts and jackets) and it can slow you down in the mornings. Complete suits or even dresses with matching jackets that can go from day to evening save time and do double duty.

-Keep a change of jewelry and shoes at work, and maybe a small handbag. This helps if you get that surprise call for dinner or drinks.

-Know your environment.  If you work at a firm with a more conservative dress code, then you probably should not buy the bright lime green suit. Women do have more color choices available in suiting, but some colors are not suitable for our environment.  Even if your office is more casual, that doesn’t mean you should see how casual you can go – you are an attorney after all.  Uggs will never be appropriate office footwear!

I don’t have a definitive answer on how women can navigate this journey to finding their professional style, but I think part of getting there is willingness to change, experiment, and use discipline.

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