Casual Dress Codes by imogenl featuring leather boots
My question is how much can I differ from the dress culture at my office?
February is the coldest month where I live. I’ve been thinking of wearing my jacket at work as a extra.
The thing is, is that very few women who work in my building wear a blazer / jacket. There are a few men here who wear suit jackets, but their wage is double mine.
Yes, I know I can wear it, but how important is it to resemble the rest of the group with today’s emphasis on “teams”?
Kind regards,
Sarah
The dress code culture of where you work is important and it often makes people feel included and part of the group, but there is always room for individual personality to shine through (unless you have to wear a uniform). If your work culture is one of being casual, so many of your team who have very relaxed personalities will want to dress down as much as possible. But if your personality isn’t quite so relaxed you may prefer naturally to dress up a little more, and wearing a jacket is one of those ways.
Not only should you consider the dress code of the team, you need to consider where you want to go in the company, if you do want to get promoted to the management level, then looking more like the management will help them see you in their team rather than the one you’re currently in. But also, what are the values of the company you work for? Does your team dressing style work for the company values and mission? Does it represent it? Sometimes you’ll find when one person starts dressing better in the team, the rest of the team follow as it becomes the new ‘normal’ dress code.
So if you work in a more casual environment but particularly in the cooler months when you need to add layers, there are ways of staying more related to your more casual looking team you can add a jacket style garment, that doesn’t make you look like you’ve just joined the management team.
1. Look for jackets made in jersey and other softer, less structured fabrics
2. Go for cardigans that have more of a jacket feel.
3. Make sure your jackets aren’t classic in styling – a waterfall collar makes the jacket feel more casual.
