Welcome, viewers, to this week's special installment of Project Runway Mission: Put Together: The New Job OMG Edition, sponsored by our friends at Ann Taylor Loft*!
(*By "sponsored," we mean don't I wish.)

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft; Sweater: Target; Necklace: Gift from Joel
Not pictured: Black Nine West Flats
For this first look, our designers were inspired by the fact that the model's Serious Business Suit no longer fits. I mean, it would fit if it were still its original size but someone had it taken in a few years ago when they attained their goal weight for all of five minutes. A risky move! Our designers scrambled and selected this simple gray dress from the closet as a business-like substitute. It has pockets and is our model's favorite work dress ever.
Our model's limp hair and grim facial expression are courtesy of a nasty stomach bug and for the actual runway show she wore a different necklace and ditched the sweater. The photo above was provided from the outfit's practice run the day before, and if you don't wear important outfits for test runs to ensure that belts dragged out of the back of the closet won't start cutting off circulation after ten minutes, well, then you're a brave lot of souls. Shut up.
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Serious Business Suit: surprisingly NOT Ann Taylor Loft; Long-sleeved tee and necklace: you guessed it
Not pictured because there's not a full-length mirror to be found in this town: Nicole Miller gray flats
Our companion look, inspired by the dry cleaner designer's ability to restore the Serious Business Suit to its original proportions, was ready just in time for the highly anticipated Bryant Park Show Second Interview!
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Corduroy Jacket, long-sleeved tee: Ann Taylor Loft; Bootcut Jeans: Gap
Not pictured: brown boots that I don't have a photo of anywhere
And lastly, our third look represents a combination Casual Day at the office and our firm belief that you should always look put-together when you're giving notice at your job.
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And the winner of this challenge (me, since I GOT THE JOB!) gets to break her spending freeze and buy this necklace as a New Job Prize:
The lovely Mrs. Squirrel is going to claim that I totally stole this idea from her, but WHATEVER. It was in my original sketch.
you look super!
Posted by: Mom | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 05:50 PM
AWESOME! Good for you!!!
Posted by: Janssen | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 06:07 PM
Love the necklace. Congrats on the new job!
Posted by: Ashley, the Accidental Olympian | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 06:19 PM
Congrats on the new job! I like how you have the same facial expression in 2 of the pics but different outfits. Versatile!
Posted by: Mary | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 06:27 PM
Yay! New job! So exciting! You'll have to tell me about it some time. And you look great in all three photos. The necklace is a nice little prize too.
Posted by: Liz | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 06:30 PM
Congratulations on the new job!!!!
All the outfits are good, but I love, love, love that first dress!
Posted by: -R- | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 09:13 PM
That is AWESOME! What's the new job?
Posted by: Zandria | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 10:06 PM
Yay for new jobs!! And double yay for awesome-sauce outfits!!!
xox
Posted by: heidikins | Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 10:52 PM
Oh, exciting! New job AND new necklace! Also, how cute are you in professional wear? I hope I never need to wear a suit again.
Posted by: nancypearlwannabe | Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 09:24 AM
I love this post! This is true PR application in real life. I'm glad you listen to The Gunn, unlike some other auf-ed designers (ahem, HAYZOOS, ahem).
I think the dress-as-quasi-suit is a great move, and much easier to handle when things mysteriously do not fit (by shrinkage of their own merit, obviously). And of course, I love love love the necklace, and not just because it's greeeeeen!
Posted by: RA | Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 09:28 AM
I actually need to see the dress sans sweater. Though from experience I know that most dresses can not be worn in the office without a sweater due to sub zero temps.
So basically I don't like you, your cute clothes and your new job. Butthole.
Posted by: Stephanie | Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 10:35 AM
OMG! Congrats!!!
You look great!
(PS: I do test outfit runs too. It's smart and prevents last minute "I look too fat in this and have nothing to wear!" breakdowns.)
Posted by: Life of a Doctor's Wife | Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 10:35 AM
Congratulations on both the new job and the clothing fabulosity!
Posted by: Angela Noelle | Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 06:50 PM
Congrats on the new job!!! I WANT that necklace!!!!
Posted by: Lindsey | Friday, March 19, 2010 at 09:59 PM
Congrats on the new job!!
:)
And you are totally put together!
Posted by: Julie | Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 10:36 PM
hey...i miss you. Is the new job keeping you too busy?
Posted by: Isabel | Thursday, April 01, 2010 at 07:30 PM
Oooh I want to see a picture of you with the necklace!!
Posted by: HollowSquirrel | Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 01:47 PM