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I work from home and my work wardrobe is pretty casual. But I am still hyper conscious of the way what I am wearing influences people’s impressions of my qualifications, if only because, more than once, I’ve been caught in a ball cap and worn out yoga pants when someone asked “What do you do?” and I’ve had to say, “Uh, I’m a fashion blogger . . . . ” Impressive.
In this age of casual offices and working-from-home, the rules for what constitutes appropriate work attire have gotten confusing. But there absolutely ARE still rules and you absolutely need to follow them, because like it or not, the way you present yourself tells clients quite a lot about how you will do your job. And so I bring you . . .
Five Things You Should Never EVER Wear to Work (and by “work” I mean “any setting in which you will be representing yourself as a professional with specific expertise in your field”).
1. Flip flops. I love flip flops, particularly for summer, but they are not appropriate for the office. Nicer flip flops–made of leather, say, or even those pretty ones with the ribbon straps–are fine for weekends or evenings, but never for work. And those rubbery ones from Target should not EVER be worn outside the house. EVER.
2. Visible underwear. I don’t mean visible panty lines (although that’s something to avoid as well); I mean high waisted underpants with a low-waisted trouser or skirt. If you opt for pants with a lower rise (which I am all in favor of, by the way) please PLEASE put on some panties that fit properly. The same goes for your bra–straps should stay under cover during the day, and NO ONE should see the pretty lace detail on the front.
3. Visible stomach. I don’t care how fantastic your stomach looks, unless you are a belly dancer, exposing it during the work day is not professional. By the same token, your shirt should still touch your waistband in the back when you sit down. This is where I find most women falling down. When you’re putting together an outfit, do everything you will be doing at work. Stand, sit, bend over, reach up. Be sure that your top and bottom meet in the middle all the time.
4. Shorts. Yes I know that longer “city” shorts are big this year and yes I know that you can buy shorts SUITS, but I’m putting my foot down here. Shorts are casual wear, no matter what you make them out of, and they are not appropriate for work (unless you are a park ranger or a camp counselor). For hot days, go with a skirt or dress or cropped pants, but do NOT wear shorts.
5. Jangly jewelry. Charm bracelets are lovely, but if yours is particularly noisy, or if it is going to clank against your laptop when you type, think twice about wearing it to work. The clink clink of your bling will distract potential clients from the brilliance of your mind.
Easy enough! Right?
Now that you’ve brushed up on what not to wear, let’s see what you ARE wearing. Upload your photos to The Working Closet Flickr pool and then tell us a little about your outfit. Where were you going, where did you get your suit, why do you love this particular look or piece or ensemble? I get most of my style inspiration from seeing what other women put on in the morning, how they mix and match pieces, and I’m dying to see what YOU ALL are wearing. I’ll be posting pictures of my work wardrobe, too, just to keep things fair.
And, as always, if you have a question you can e-mail me, at fridaystyle DOT susan AT gmail DOT com.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 at 9:17 am and is filed under casual office.
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June 12th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you! As you say, you shouldn’t have to say this - and you may be preaching to the choir with your readers here, I don’t know - but it’s good to be reminded that “anything DOESN’T go” when dressing for the workplace, despite appearances to the contrary.
Regarding #4: I worked at a zoo for four years, and the official uniform included khaki shorts with polo shirts. Even there, though, employees in primarily office/admin positions (such as mine) were discouraged from wearing shorts - khaki pants and skirts were preferred.
One question about flip-flops, though - does that mean any sort of shoe without a back strap, including mules and slides, or are we just talking about shoes with a toe thong? I’ve never found those comfortable at all and don’t wear them for anything, but I do sometimes wear a backless slide or sandal to work now that it’s warmer. Just curious…
June 12th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I need more elaboration on this jangly jewelry idea. I get it with the noisy bracelets, but jangly chunky necklaces are good to go, right?
June 12th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Florinda: Mules and slides are fine; anything with a strap between the toes is out. Too casual.
Nataly: Necklaces are indeed good to go, as long as you don’t sound like a one-woman band.
June 12th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Okay, hi, I’m totally wearing “flip flops” today. Jack Rogers silver sandals. They are too cute, I had to wear them. Plus, I saw a coworker wearing them yesterday. Really, Jack Rogers are a no-no? Also, I’m still perplexed on the “shorts” thing- we got an e-mail at work about our summer fashion rules and they are letting us wear the longer version. But still you say no? Love this blog, btw.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
[...] of one of my new favorite blogs, “The Working Closet,” gave out some rules today on appropriate work attire. I agree with most of the “rules” on her list. Except for one. The one about [...]
June 12th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
You all need to go over to Selfmademom’s site and see her beautiful silver sandals. And you also need to hear me say that yes, they are indeed appropriate for the office, and yes, she has some excellent points about why sandals of this sort (I really refuse to lump her beautiful silver thongs with flip flops) are perfect for working moms.
But I’m holding strong on the shorts. They’re just not professional enough.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Question: I used to work in at an investment banking firm. One female analyst was wearing clothes that were either grossly mismatched, or just too “loud”. She would wear super high heels or flashy shoes (not flip flops) and skirts would be a touch too short. I was approached a managing director about this analyst. She wanted to know how to broach this subject with this analyst. I had no idea what to say because frankly it was her style - she simply didn’t know how to dress any differently and technically, she was within the firm’s dress code guidelines. She was wearing proper shoes and suits. How do you approach somebody about their dressing style without offending them or sounding harsh and at the same time getting your point across???
June 12th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Victoria, that is a GOOD question. So good that it needs it’s own post . . .
Coming Friday: tips for helping your staff dress better (or at least more appropriately).
June 13th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
My office is business casual, unless you will be in the VP’s Office (I work at a University.) Anytime after the students go home, it is sort of free game. I often wear one of my pairs (yes, I said pairs, as in more than one) of Jack Rogers to work. They are a summer staple in the preppy area that I grew up, so we all have multiple pairs. Especially since they come in every color combination you can imagine.
So, I am relieved to hear that they are “okay!”
June 14th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
How do you prevent #3? I admit that I suffer from that one regularly. I’m constantly pulling my sweater down to
cover my back. But I have thick hips, and if I wear a sweater that is form fitting (ie. so I don’t look like I’m wearing a pillowcase), I don’t have an extra 6 inches that would require, or I would look fat when I wasn’t bending over. I try to stick to high-waisted pants to avoid it, but it happens even then. Please school the clueless!
June 14th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Oh God. I just joined the Flickr group because I had a bad snafu today, and clearly I need it…
June 15th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
[...] the comments on Monday’s post, Victoria asked something that has me perplexed: Question: I used to work in at an investment [...]
June 20th, 2007 at 3:29 am
Hillary, I fix that problem by wearing longer shirts underneath. All the cute sweaters nowadays seem to be cut annoyingly short, especially the ones that are at all form fitting. (note to designers: make your sweaters longer!!)
I have to say that I really do like the longer shorts/suit look. Not for a really dressy work environment because they’re not exactly the kind of thing I could see an attorney wearing to court or anything, but for a more business casual environment, I think they’re great. I love you Susan, but I would totally wear them to work. I hate wearing skirts (they make me feel too self-conscious and I’d rather not feel like that while I’m supposed to be working), and sometimes it’s just too hot for pants. Plus, they’re cute.
That said, my work lets you wear jeans so we’re not really even business casual.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:54 pm
[...] have written before about the most basic office fashion faux pas, but just keeping your underwear under there isn’t always enough. A good rule of thumb is [...]
August 8th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
[...] to be a little too chummy with the recipient of the card. (It’s the equivalent of wearing flip-flops in the office.) Do you agree, or has my “hipness date” [...]