Casual Day at the Office...
June 23rd 2009 23:19
Casual day in the office never ceases to amaze me. I still agonise over what to wear that day, usually because casual days tend to fall on a Friday which means after work shenanigans need to be dressed for, but also because it’s still work. That seems to be a point that many a person misses when dressing for the corporate casual day.
I was recently alerted to one of the most heinous casual day crimes, and that’s wearing the Uggies to work. I’m sorry, but I have issues with people who think its acceptable to wear these to the mall, let alone to the office. I know they have taken off massively in the USA, and you cant set foot anywhere in California in winter and not be overwhelmed by the sea of Ugg boots, but back here in their little land of origins, I stand by the widely held opinion that they are just an oversized slipper and as such should only be worn at home, or at most in your car if you have no intention of getting out of it. But I digress, the Ugg boots to the office is seriously not okay, and I’m not even talking the ‘designer’ version – I’m talking scrappy old boots with casual pants and a dress shirt ON A MAN. I don’t really know why gender is so important here, but somehow that makes it worse.
Everyday dressing for the office is an incredibly important thing, and the general rules that apply day to day can’t be overlooked just because its casual day. Most employers actually mean “corporate” casual, which should indicate to most people that skin tight summer dresses that barely hold in boobs, and the previously mentioned ratty uggies are not acceptable.
A study by a company called the Aziz Corporation has actually revealed that 25% of employers admitted to being more likely to hire a female who wore make-up as opposed to one who didn’t. Right or wrong, there’s all the proof you need the appearances at work count. Your boss doesn’t turn blind on casual day, so you shouldn’t turn into a slapper/sloth/general fashion disaster.
A good rule to workplace dressing, regardless of if your boss announces casual day or not, is if you’d wear it when you’re just hanging around the house and guaranteed that no-one is going to see you, don’t wear it to work (and don’t pretend you always look amazing even when you know you’re alone on a Friday night!). Similarly, if you’d wear it out on a Friday night, it’s probably best to leave it in the closet too – for the majority of us, work isn’t about showing off our sexuality, so leave that for your extracurricular activities!
At the end of the day, the rules that apply to looking fabulous at work are the same as those for the rest of your life – clothes that fit properly and flatter your shape are going to do the best job for you. Don’t wear shirts that are too tight so you can see between your button holes (I have friends that do this, seriously, it’s not a good look) and never allow the VPL to come into play!
Work is about more than just your fashion choices of course, and we all have a job to do and the focus is meant to be on doing it well. According to the Journal of Applied Psychology, intelligent people will earn more in their lifetime than people who are attractive or self confident, but we fashionistas know these qualities are not mutually exclusive, so just imagine what you can achieve when you choose to combine the two!
I was recently alerted to one of the most heinous casual day crimes, and that’s wearing the Uggies to work. I’m sorry, but I have issues with people who think its acceptable to wear these to the mall, let alone to the office. I know they have taken off massively in the USA, and you cant set foot anywhere in California in winter and not be overwhelmed by the sea of Ugg boots, but back here in their little land of origins, I stand by the widely held opinion that they are just an oversized slipper and as such should only be worn at home, or at most in your car if you have no intention of getting out of it. But I digress, the Ugg boots to the office is seriously not okay, and I’m not even talking the ‘designer’ version – I’m talking scrappy old boots with casual pants and a dress shirt ON A MAN. I don’t really know why gender is so important here, but somehow that makes it worse.
Everyday dressing for the office is an incredibly important thing, and the general rules that apply day to day can’t be overlooked just because its casual day. Most employers actually mean “corporate” casual, which should indicate to most people that skin tight summer dresses that barely hold in boobs, and the previously mentioned ratty uggies are not acceptable.
A study by a company called the Aziz Corporation has actually revealed that 25% of employers admitted to being more likely to hire a female who wore make-up as opposed to one who didn’t. Right or wrong, there’s all the proof you need the appearances at work count. Your boss doesn’t turn blind on casual day, so you shouldn’t turn into a slapper/sloth/general fashion disaster.
A good rule to workplace dressing, regardless of if your boss announces casual day or not, is if you’d wear it when you’re just hanging around the house and guaranteed that no-one is going to see you, don’t wear it to work (and don’t pretend you always look amazing even when you know you’re alone on a Friday night!). Similarly, if you’d wear it out on a Friday night, it’s probably best to leave it in the closet too – for the majority of us, work isn’t about showing off our sexuality, so leave that for your extracurricular activities!
At the end of the day, the rules that apply to looking fabulous at work are the same as those for the rest of your life – clothes that fit properly and flatter your shape are going to do the best job for you. Don’t wear shirts that are too tight so you can see between your button holes (I have friends that do this, seriously, it’s not a good look) and never allow the VPL to come into play!
Work is about more than just your fashion choices of course, and we all have a job to do and the focus is meant to be on doing it well. According to the Journal of Applied Psychology, intelligent people will earn more in their lifetime than people who are attractive or self confident, but we fashionistas know these qualities are not mutually exclusive, so just imagine what you can achieve when you choose to combine the two!
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