Rethinking the Corporate Dress Code
From blazers and pumps to jeans and kitten-heel sandals, let's redefine what it means to dress for success.
Let’s talk about work attire. Business casual. Smart casual. Corporate chic. Whatever any of that means. It’s utterly confusing. How do I style my high-waisted stretched jeans with a stiff button-down shirt and pointed heels and that becomes “business casual”? 🤦♀️
Can we just make it “look appropriate but be comfortable”? Work attire has changed over the years and COVID definitely impacted style. We became used to sweatpants and a comfy t-shirt. It made me now dread wearing heels. But, I’m 5’4” and somehow adding some inches in height gives me confidence.
This past year returning to work after sick leave, I felt that I had to “dress the part”. I struggled with it. Not only did I put pressure to wear an executive-level style, but I gained some weight so I needed a new wardrobe to fit my new body. It became a slight obsession. Looking for a casual but business-y blazer and the perfect jeans to look dressy but not too much. What about the dresses? A collared animal print or flowy feminine floral maxi to fit my mood. Too many styles to manage!
So, I stopped and assessed what I truly want to wear. My priority now more than ever is health. So, everything else is second best. And to me health means comfort and confidence. I’ve got a few jeans in my wardrobe with black tops and sandals. (I can’t seem to stop buying black! And heels are out of the picture.) Then switch it up with black pants or black jeans, lol. See the pattern? As long as I’m comfortable and feel at least a little dressy then it fits my corporate attire. #comfortovercorporate
Here are my example go-to looks. I encourage you to choose what fits best for your #comfortovercorporate and throw in a dash of “dressy”, whether it’s jewelry or black 😉. You can never go wrong with black!
