EngineerHer

I’ve written before on this blog around the “dress code” issue for women in work. But I think it’s worth revisiting in more detail. And yes, it’s drawn from conversations I’ve had in the last few days.

The week of the October bank holiday in work, I wore Halloween appropriate clothing all week. Tuesday was a grey dress with skull and roses pattern; Wednesday was a cartoon pumpkin dress; Thursday was the most dramatic with a black top with extremely wide flouncy sleeves and a dress with dancing skeletons over it; Friday was more sombre with an ombre top fading from white to black from top to bottom with the shadows of three witches on it and black trousers.

Was this workplace appropriate? On any other week of the year, I’d say no. And if there were important visitors on site, I would have toned it down a bit. But honestly? It brought some laughs and cheer to the workplace. And at the stage we’re at right now, pressure is high and people needed it.

The basics

I have some hard and fast rules about clothing for work

• Clothes have to fit me
• Clothes must be comfortable
• Clothes much not require much management – ironing is a no no unless it’s extremely rare I wear the item
• Clothes must mix and match
• I have to feel reasonably happy with how I look in them
• They have to be comfortable in the work environment. (This last one means that whatever I’m wearing has to be cool enough for me not to suffocate in the office but can also throw on a hi-vis or coat over it to go outside when needed)
• Must be possible to wear with my black sketchers. I’ve suffered for too many years in uncomfortable shoes!

Now, as hard and fast rules go, those ones are fairly unalterable for me. There are a few others that get broken sometimes, but rarely. I mainly wear black, brown, green and purple. I don’t like navy and when I wear that colour I just feel drab in a way that black or brown don’t make me feel. A deep emerald green just gives me the warm fuzzies. pastels make me shudder.

The environment

Now, the next thing is, you need to consider the environment you’re working in. Skirts and dresses are wonderful in the office, but not so great on a building site. For all sorts of reasons. If you’re regularly client facing, there may be expectations around suits. If you work in consultancy, ditto.

For many of us though, if you can snag a company t-shirt or polo shirt with a decent pair of jeans or trousers, you’re set. I say “most of us” but that is really aimed at those of us in industry, where we only see people we work with day in day out. When things really get tough, our colleagues tend to forgive the odd day in t-shirt and trackies when things are really tough.

And let’s face it – if you’re working in industry in Ireland, there’s a fair good chance you’re in an environmentally controlled environment where the weather outside has no effect on what you wear throughout the day… So, deciding on winter vs summer wear doesn’t really bother us too much. If you’re constantly out and about in all weathers, though, the weather has a massive impact on what you might wear. A good, warm, waterproof, fleecy jacket that can take some battering is essential.

Setting

Office wear is always different than site wear. There is a tendency to fit in with those around us as well, so if the men around you are in checked shirts and jeans, you may feel something similar is best.

High heels are grand in an office, less suitable for a construction site. Safety boots excellent on a construction site, probably less appropriate for corporate offices. I mean, look, I know you already know this, but sometimes it helps to state the obvious.

Now here’s the thing. Remember I said one hard and fast rule of mine is the clothes have to be comfy? Well, that usually refers to physical comfort. Mental comfort is an entirely different kettle of fish from physical comfort. I have a white shirt at home for emergency official occasions. I hate wearing white, but there are times when I white shirt and black trousers can get you out of a hole. It’s the professional equivalent of the little black dress, in my opinion.

Your equivalent may not be a white shirt and black trousers, but have something in the wardrobe for when you have the chance to really shine. I’m not even thinking an interview here, I’m thinking VIP coming to site, presentation to the board, that sort of malarkey. And if high heels and a smart dress help you feel more confident – go for it. This is also the time to break out the confidence-inducing underwear! Seriously, on a day like that, go with what works.

Branded clothing

You may be lucky enough to work somewhere that branded clothing is offered as workwear. This isn’t usually mandatory, but even if it isn’t – use it. It saves your own clothes. Saves thinking about what to wear. Saves all the hassle around whether something is appropriate or not. And if, as is usually the case, you’re looking at polo shirts or t-shirts – comfy and easy to wear comes with the territory.

If things aren’t fitting well with branded clothing – and this happens -alter it. If you have the skill with the needle, do it yourself. If this is something that isn’t in your skillset, have a look at some of the businesses around you – there will be a dressmaker somewhere who will help you out. It might seem like a hassle when it’s a t-shirt, but getting the fit right and comfortable for something you’ll be wearing every day is well worth it. If in doubt about fit – go a size or too larger. It’s a lot easier to take something in than to let it out, given the lack of allowance given in modern mass produced clothing.

What’s important to you?

I’d strongly suggest coming up with your own set of rules and have a few outfits in mind for special occasions as well. Lately, I’ve been laying out five outfits on a Sunday night, so I don’t even have to think about it during the week – everything from the skin out!

But really and truly -while there are some indicators in most work places around what’s suitable and what isn’t, being comfortable enough in yourself to do your job is what’s most important!!