I'm not sure about you, but if I let myself, I could agonize for hours about whether my sheer-blouse and leather-skirt combo is appropriate for my office's 'smart-casual' dress code. However, taking into account the fact that I work for one of the top magazine publishing houses in the world, I feel like they expect our outfits to be a tad risque every now and then, so I try not to let myself think about it too much. Nonetheless, 'smart-casual' is something I have struggled with since school discos, so my general motto tends to be 'It Is Better To Be Over-Dressed Than Under-Dressed.'
A bit like what they tell virgins, 'If In Doubt, Don't' I feel like if I begin to question my outfit, it probably isn't right. At risk of appearing ever-so-slightly Bridget-Jones-in-a-too-tight-see-through-blouse-with-a-too-tight-too-short-mini-skirt I do my best to veer away from what I loosely define as being 'sexy' in the office. I also attempt not to stand out in any major way if I can help it, so jingly jangly loud bracelets are often out of the question. As I work with a headset, I try to keep my hair out of my face. I don't wear heels every day but as our office is carpet and I'm rarely on my feet I can get away with them on special occasions (like if the CEO casually pops in for a breakfast buffet of croissants and strawberries...) When it comes to work, I try to mix and match different items of clothing into different outfits rather than just wearing all of my clothes because I like to keep some things for the weekend you see! Last but not least, I keep an all important big thick knit cardigan hanging off the back of my chair because the office is always bloody freezing but I don't want to look like a sweatier version of Michelin man during my morning commute.
So those are my top tips on the mind-mess that is 'smart-casual'. As I love you, I have included some photographs of my daily outfits for a bit of fash-piration. Because sometimes all y'all need is a picture of me in the toilets at work...
A bit like what they tell virgins, 'If In Doubt, Don't' I feel like if I begin to question my outfit, it probably isn't right. At risk of appearing ever-so-slightly Bridget-Jones-in-a-too-tight-see-through-blouse-with-a-too-tight-too-short-mini-skirt I do my best to veer away from what I loosely define as being 'sexy' in the office. I also attempt not to stand out in any major way if I can help it, so jingly jangly loud bracelets are often out of the question. As I work with a headset, I try to keep my hair out of my face. I don't wear heels every day but as our office is carpet and I'm rarely on my feet I can get away with them on special occasions (like if the CEO casually pops in for a breakfast buffet of croissants and strawberries...) When it comes to work, I try to mix and match different items of clothing into different outfits rather than just wearing all of my clothes because I like to keep some things for the weekend you see! Last but not least, I keep an all important big thick knit cardigan hanging off the back of my chair because the office is always bloody freezing but I don't want to look like a sweatier version of Michelin man during my morning commute.
So those are my top tips on the mind-mess that is 'smart-casual'. As I love you, I have included some photographs of my daily outfits for a bit of fash-piration. Because sometimes all y'all need is a picture of me in the toilets at work...
*Lacy Topshop mini-dress, black ballet flats, hair pinned back into a messy chignon*
