Rethink your work wardrobe

Make your closet match your life

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the
new world of work, where location and ours are more
flexible than in the past. To day's tip is to
reconsider your work wardrobe. As we settle into the long

(00:27):
hall of working from home. It's wise to figure out
if your clothes still work for your life, or if
it's time to rethink the mix. Workplaces have become more
casual over the past few decades. Very few people wear
full suits to the office five days a week. Still,
traditional offices tend to carry certain expectations of what it

(00:50):
means to look nice. There are lots of dress black pants,
heels for women, are polished dress shoes for men, button
down shirts or blouses, jackets, and that sort of thing.
Working from home is generally more casual, but few people
have a stylish wardrobe of functional casual clothes. We wind

(01:12):
up wearing whatever jeans we happen to own, a fleece,
any casual tops we own that are nicer than t shirts,
and that sort of thing. Given that few people expected
in March that they would be working from home for
nine months or more, it's been tempting to just make do,
but remote work isn't going anywhere, and since it will
be a bigger part of people's work portfolio in the future,

(01:35):
now is a great time to rework that casual wardrobe
to feel good and still look nice. For instance, my
guess is that those black pants that have to be
dry cleaned have fallen out of your rotation. Maybe it's
time to buy a pair or two of really nice
black jeans that are comfortable but still have that dress

(01:56):
black pants vibe. Really dark denim can also look quite dressing,
for there's times when you stand up on zoom calls.
I am sure you want to be cozy. We all do,
but a fleece or a puffy vest is not the
only way to go. Maybe it's time to invest in
a few comfortable but polished looking sweaters. I like to

(02:18):
wear ones with cowl next because they offer a little
visual interest around the face without the need for the
kind of accessories that feel like too much bother for
the home office. After months of seeing yourself in a
zoom square, you probably know which colors look better on
you than others. My friend that Lonnie and London, owner
of the styling firm Real Lifestyle says that a power

(02:40):
color should be a staple of any wardrobe. If you
like the way navy blue looks on you on the
computer screen, well time to get a few more navy
blue shirts. You will feel more confident, and that will
come across and how you interact with other people. In general,
solid colors tend to look better, or at least less
busy on a green then more exciting patterns, So if

(03:03):
your supply of solid color tops is low, time to
get a few more. Working from home should definitely be comfortable,
but comfortable is not the same thing as sloppy. If
you've been using your weekend wardrobe because you can't bear
to wear what you used to wear on Monday, well
it makes sense, but there is in fact a middle ground.

(03:26):
Maybe think about what you'd wear out with friends for
a weekend brunch back when people did that sort of thing,
and aim for something around there. And shoes, well, I
don't wear them, but if you want to, some nice
slip ons can be about as comfortable as slippers without
the chance that someone will unexpectedly see your bedroom foot
attire on zoom. It is possible to look relaxed and

(03:49):
polished if you take a little time to find the
right clothes. So today look through your wardrobe. If you
have a lot of dress clothes and not enough nicer
casual clothes, it's time to rework the mix. Just as
we are rethinking our work styles, we can rethink our

(04:09):
closets to make them work for our lives. In the meantime,
this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding
in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit

(04:30):
the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your favorite shows.