“Get Jobs in Offices, and Wake Up For The Morning Commute”
I find great pleasure in working. I know that sounds quite odd, but the fact of the matter is, I like to shop and with out money I can’t shop and without work I have no money, hence the reason I like work. Did that make sense? I have two quasi jobs, one is an office job and the other is being a hostess/whatever else needs to be done at a bistro by my house. For the most part, working in an office and a restaurant doesn’t leave much room for outfit creativity, but for both jobs I do try to bring my own personal touches into the standard semi-professional look.
The general rules I, and I assume most people, was taught about dressing professionally are:
1) Black is always a good choice.
2) Don’t wear crazy color nail polish (i.e. Black, Bright Orange, Electric Blue, anything fun).
3) Pantyhose…
4) Cover your shoulders “The office is always freezing anyway…”
There are more rules, but for the most part I don’t follow these four so why would I follow the others? Actually, I do follow the first, because black pretty much works with every situation. Sometimes I feel bad about wearing navy nail polish to my office job, but it happens anyway. I hate pantyhose, especially when they’re flesh tone, and I only make sure I’m wearing sleeves at my office job, though it isn’t always cold in the office.
The outfit at left is a classic example of something I’d wear to both jobs, with minor adjustments (fyi…sometimes I like to sing MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” before work and act like I could be as frivolous as the song says). Sure the skirt is black (actually black and brown), but the pattern is really fun and fits into my tribal-themed summer. Wearing it with a burnout tank top makes it a little more relaxed, and throwing on a sparkly headband and the bright yellow necklace my little brother made, keeps me feeling and looking young and fun.
Now for the adjustments. For my office job, I would wear a grandpa cardigan over it. It doesn’t really matter what color, since the skirt is black and the top is white, so anything would match. And, for my hostessing job, I’d have to change my cute gladiator heels to flats for practicallity’s sake. Standing in 5″ heels for 6-7 hours straight is a bitch!
Which office dress rules do you follow when you head to work and which ones do you like to kick to the curb?
p.s. I’ve been invited to join a few new sites including: Indies United (from Fashion Indie), Lookbook.nu, and Modpass so if you’re on any of them add me. I promise I’m going to figure out someything cool to do with them other than just having them sit and gather webdust!
Keep:
-black is good.
-don’t show too much cleavage.
-no “out there” hairstyles.
-no torn denim or stuff in bad shape.
-no skirts which are wayyy to above the knee. A line skirts are cool though.
Toss out rules like:
-no fun polish.
-wearing hosiery.
-cover shoulders:as long as it’s not a halter or spagetti top, I think it looks cute to wear short sleeve/tank tops.
Glamouriciouss last blog post..The "body con" look
Well, I work in fashion & marketing, so most stodgy dress code rules are out the window. but I try to follow these:
-No cleavage! Duh!
-No shoes that even whisper “athletic” (no chucks, no keds, etc. some of my colleagues DO wear little sneaker flats and stuff, so this is not a random rule).
-Nothing tatty looking. No ripped jeans, pilled cotton, holey sweaters, etc.
-No going sans makeup. It just looks unprofessional, especially in my workplace. A little mascara goes a long way.
I almost NEVER, on the other hand, wear pantyhose…and I ALWAYS sport the latest weird colored nail polish. Whee!
And oh yeah, I almost forgot my reason for coming to reply: to encourage you to bite the bullet and get rid of those bags of clothes clogging up your closet! Seriously, you will feel like a new girl afterwards. And just think of the space you’ll make for more shoes!
Material Girls last blog post..Style Snapshot: Gala, Fashion Blogger Extraordinaire
Yes i agree with black. Its safe… when i wake up feeling a bit blur ill take anything black.
I like strong garments. I always believe in showing a bit of shape… Like… if i wore a dress with a cardigan, i will belt it… I like a good leather belt with a silver buckle too. Goes well with almost anything.
debbies last blog post..Couture Fall 2008
Glamouricious:
I sort of forgot about the whole no cleavage thing, but I’ve always been fond of showing a bit of cleavage. Nothing overbearing or anything, but not extremely demure either.
Material Girl:
Make up is a definite always. I never go to work without at least sheer lipstick and eyeliner, though I usually put on a bit of blush too! For my hostess job I get to wear more make up since its at night, which is always fun. AND, I definitely will give away my bags of clothes. I probably have more to give away by now!
Debbie:
Belts have been my best friend lately. They seem to make every outfit a little bit better, and I love that they accentuate my an hour glass shape.
Oooh, fun I like this game.
I work in the film industry so I can pretty much wear whatever I feel like, however with that said-
1. Pick only one thing to expose, cleavage, legs or tight in the booty. too much is asking for harassment.
2. Wear heels
3. Feel cute before I leave home. Never go out unhappy about my outfit.
Carrie:
I like your last one. “Never go out unhappy about your outfit,” that’s very sage advice not only for work, but for everyday.
One day I’m going to have a job where I can pretty much wear anything, but until then…
I must respectfully disagree with the no “out there” hairstyle rule. I totally rocked a faux hawk to the office just the other day - and I work in a corporate office. But, I got away with it because my outfit consisted of a sheath dress, black blazer and simple black pumps. I have one simple rule to office attire: Balance.
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Lollie Shopping, balance really is necessary and you can sort of get away with anything as long as you balance it out. A faux hawk sounds really cool to rock, but I’m not sure if I could pull it off!