I have a new job at a law firm and a lot of my clothing is a bit too informal and brightly colored and I’m not sure if it will be appropriate. I’d love to see a post about holding on to your your fun and colorful/statement necklace style when you find yourself having to conform and fit into a much more conservative environment (no more sandals at work, no more casual Fridays, no more it’s OK to wear jeans if I just have to in order to make it through the day on a Thursday, more jackets/blazers, less tees, no more cotton sundresses, how to dress up some of your more informal clothing for a pseudo corporate world, etc.)read more
A few months ago, I met with a client who was working on several self-consciousness issues. She was a tall woman, and had to endure an endless stream of height-related commentary from friends and strangers alike. Her mother had instilled in her the belief that her ankles and feet were huge and unsightly, and was struggling to make peace with that. She loved fun clothes and dressing up, but lived in a community where folks attended just about every event from “night at the gym” to “night on the town” in the same casual, comfy duds. We talked at length about this last one, and she said, “I have one friend who I’ve never seen in anything but a fleece and jeans. I wouldn’t want to head to a girls night out in a frilly dress and make her feel uncomfortable.”read more
Whenever I talk about office- and work-appropriate attire – especially in the wiggly “business casual” category – I am reminded that the formal-casual gradient is relative. And, in fact, here in the U.S. it seems to change regionally. What would be perfectly acceptable in many Midwestern office environments shocks some East Coasters with its informality. What is totally normal work attire in Denver might seem outlandishly casual here in Minneapolis. And there seem to be marked differences between the California definition of “casual” and the New York definition of “casual.”read more
Originally posted 2013-02-13 06:03:24.
About Sally
Sally McGraw is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer, blogger, and editor.
