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I personally notice a big difference in East to West coast for this. Here in WA, I'll wear a cute, casual sundress and everyone will be shocked that someone's wearing a dress. Pants are so constricting IMO, so I usually wear casual dresses or rompers.
I was raised in the South (GA, NC) and moved out to Cali after college. The West Coast is definitely different.
People always say I over-dress. By over dress, I mean I wore a modest sundress, matching cardigan, and dress flats or low heels. Or a twinset and dark jeans. I tend to wear my white or grey pearls to work. Trust I have days I roll up in a nerdy engineering shirt and jeans because I'll be trapped in my office. I also work in a male-dominated field so a dress just always looks "out of place" but I have to got out on site visits into boiler rooms, attics, etc. for work. So I joke that I'm saving my jeans and sneakers/boots for field days. Call it laundry efficiency.
Every boss says "Well you're Southern so I don't have to give you the "business dress" speech when we travel East for work. One boss bought a colleague shoes because this 30-something came to a client meeting during a conference in a suit and beat up Converse.
As far as East Coast-West Coast. I'm going back a few years but I knew a girl from California who was visiting New Jersey and she was quite surprised when she found out that in NJ "People get dressed up and go out", I'm referring to weekend clubbing. I'm pretty sure she was into because there she was the next weekend dressed to the 9's. She even started developing the Jersey accent. Looking back it was comical in a good way.
I was raised in the South (GA, NC) and moved out to Cali after college. The West Coast is definitely different.
People always say I over-dress. By over dress, I mean I wore a modest sundress, matching cardigan, and dress flats or low heels. Or a twinset and dark jeans. I tend to wear my white or grey pearls to work. Trust I have days I roll up in a nerdy engineering shirt and jeans because I'll be trapped in my office. I also work in a male-dominated field so a dress just always looks "out of place" but I have to got out on site visits into boiler rooms, attics, etc. for work. So I joke that I'm saving my jeans and sneakers/boots for field days. Call it laundry efficiency.
Every boss says "Well you're Southern so I don't have to give you the "business dress" speech when we travel East for work. One boss bought a colleague shoes because this 30-something came to a client meeting during a conference in a suit and beat up Converse.
Man, if I wear a short, casual sundress and beat-up sandals everyone will ask me why I've dressed up lol. Washington state is very casual.
I think that might be regional. I live in San Diego which is super casual. The only other major city in the US that I have been too where overall most people were casual was Austin.
I'll be honest, I'm a slob most of the day if no one I know sees me lol. Outside from that, I do like to dress more formal with heels and all. I just feel I look better when I'm all glammed up.
So it is me, or is there a general pressure from society to look "casual" (which in most cases means sloppy and scruffy)?
I work in a male dominated field, and 95% of my coworkers openly make fun of women who wear high heels, are fashionable and look after themselves. They call them "high maintenance princesses". Apparently, they prefer women wearing yoga pants 24/7 or REI gear.
Why have we lowered the standards like this? Is it the West Coast influence (I live and work in Intermountain West and West Coast), or do you see it on the East Coast as well? Is it a generational thing? Media?
It's so sad that sloppiness is being touted as something to strive for, as it translates not just to fashion sense but to attitude to work, life and relationships.
Thoughts?
The faster the foolishness of "dressing to impress" is confined to the dumpster, the better off we all will be.
I was working in the corporate world during the 1990s and early 2000s and I wore some version of this to work every single day, including in the heat of summer and the cold of winter:
Business suit (skirt and blazer - and the blazer had shoulder pads)
Big earrings
Scarf or necklace
PANTY HOSE
Heels
Oh, my gosh - by the time I got in my car in the evening I was about to go crazy. I remember telling my husband, "I can't wait to get out of this monkey suit" every single time I walked through the door at home.
Somewhere along the way in the early 2000s things began to loosen up - and I was glad for it. By the time I quit working in the corporate world (2013) I was wearing pants, flats, and often going sans blazer/jacket and hadn't worn panty hose in years. And I was so much more comfortable! Jewelry became smaller too, other than the occasional "statement necklace" if I wanted to wear one.
Also, I realized I was ironing a lot less. Yes, some things still do require ironing but overall, care and maintenance of clothing has become easier.
I don't mind casual attire as long as the clothes are clean and the person wearing them is well groomed and clean. And personally, in professional environments with customer interaction, I don't care for T-shirts and blue jeans. But I'm all for comfortable, casual clothing in general. I know that I remember being actually miserable by the end of every day when I "dressed for success." Ugh.
Somewhere along the way in the early 2000s things began to loosen up - and I was glad for it. By the time I quit working in the corporate world (2013) I was wearing pants, flats, and often going sans blazer/jacket and hadn't worn panty hose in years. And I was so much more comfortable! Jewelry became smaller too, other than the occasional "statement necklace" if I wanted to wear one.
And probably a more productive employee as well, since you weren't feeling trussed up!
I'm trying to understand if they are saying you must dress down or you'll be fired? Thanks!
It is a little different. If you are too dressed up you won't get hired because of "culture fit." You can't be too different for the same reasons. I already stand out for other reasons so it is a delicate line. It gets less so as you get more experience and have a reputation. Before that you need to "look the part" and that look is a very studies version of ultra casual.
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