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Adapting Your Wardrobe & Way of Thinking
Words Elin Mai
Over the last few months, life has changed dramatically for many of us all across the globe and the lives we once had will most certainly never be the same. The way we exercise, socialise, travel and work will all likely change and we will need to evolve with those changes. Time will tell if the working world of old will return but with more and more of us working from home, our wardrobes will also need to adapt to these changes. When video calls have become the norm, some of us are connecting even more than ever with others on a daily basis and some have adapted and some have struggled. One thing’s for sure, whenever your life changes, so should your wardrobe, Personal Stylist & Style Coach Elin Mai, tells us how.
The Work From Home Wardrobe
Whatever you’re doing, you want to feel comfortable and feel good. As we always say at Style Doctors - “if you look good, you feel good.” It’s too easy to fall into a pattern of wearing loungewear at home. However, wearing clothes that aren’t suited to your job (even when you work from home) does not put you in the right frame of mind. For example; you may be the head of HR for a large global company or a senior member of government staff. Wearing loungewear does not make you feel the part you play at work.
Dress for Your Day
You should still get ready in the morning in an outfit that you would deem suitable for your day.
Are you interviewing candidates all day on Zoom calls? You need to look and feel the part. Are you chairing a meeting of partners at your law firm? You need to look the part. Working from home may be different, but that doesn’t mean that your role or the seniority of your role has changed. One thing’s for sure, you need to dress for the day you have in front of you.
Adapting
Myself and our stylists at Style Doctors have been keeping a close eye on how people have adapted to this change and some have embraced this and treated each day as if it’s a usual working day and others staying in their pyjamas or loungewear all day. One of the main differences between working from home and in an office is often the commute. This often affects what we wear, such as the shoes we choose; however, that’s not such a drastic change that it will affect your whole outfit. What we are seeing however is people reluctant to wear their old work clothes as they don’t feel right in them at home. Truth be told, you may be in a ‘comfortable’ environment, however you are most likely seeing more people than ever on video calls. That doesn’t mean that you should wear your work clothes in exactly the same way, but to mix them into your new ‘work from home wardrobe’ or they may never see the light of day again. We are all becoming casual, sloppy versions of ourselves and even though we may feel like we are getting more ‘me’ time by not commuting, people aren’t really investing this new time in themselves. We are seeing a growing number of people ‘hiding’ behind screens, and time will tell what effect this will have on us all long term. In terms of thinking about yourself as a brand, you need to work even harder as an entrepreneur on screen as you won’t be able to get to know the real you. This means your outfit, your hair, your make-up and even your background as well as the message you are trying to convey. The gift of time is a great thing but self-worth and respect for yourself are also key factors to a healthy well-being.
In-person Meetings
The other factor is seeing people in person. Of course, you might feel like getting as dressed up to walk downstairs to your home office or the kitchen table seems a tad OTT however there should be a clear definition of work in terms of your wardrobe. We should in fact dress for ourselves and what makes us feel good whilst respecting the job and position we have.
If the Prime Minister were to turn up on screen in a white t-shirt and shorts, he would be conveying the wrong message (Not that I think that a stuffy suit is any better!) If you’re on a Zoom call and a colleague is still in a dressing gown, that shows lack of respect for the situation. Respecting the situation has a big connection to your wardrobe choices.
Basics
These are more important than ever. Right now wardrobe staples that fit you well and make you feel good.
Bottoms: the lower part of the body should never have been the focus even pre-dating zoom calls however when working from home and possibly sitting down more than you used to, the bottoms you have should be comfortable and work with a lot of the items you have.
Colour: colour can lift you mood and outlook and looks much better on screen when making video call after call. Colour close to the face gives your face an instant lift.
Small things: accessories can change an outfit, and you can even play around with necklaces, scarves, earrings in imaginative ways to help elevate your simple daily looks. As a personal stylist and style coach, I have seen first hand for the last 17 years as a stylist what clothes can do to one’s confidence and well-being. I am concerned that if the work from home culture continues that people won’t have any definitions in their life and when it comes back to social situations that people will be unsure of what to wear. Your personal style should reflect who you are and if we are all to become creatures that eat, sleep and work at home, I’m afraid that we will be going back centuries in terms of evolution.
Just like many businesses, we have moved a majority of our services online and are still offering our services virtually during these times. Whether the work from home wardrobe will remain a constant for you or that your life will return to what it once was, one thing’s for sure; feeling good about yourself should always remain high on your list.
