Work From Home Wardrobe Essentials
Working from home used to be a slice of luxury afforded to some of us on weekly (ish) basis that gave us the chance to have a lay in, maybe get round to doing your washing and most importantly, avoid real clothes and live in an elasticated waistband all day. Now, it’s the daily reality for a lot of us and whilst loungewear is great, wearing the same tired tracksuit every day can start to get a little dull. In all honesty I’ve never been one for wearing loungewear when I’m working from home, I’ve always found I’m more productive in an actual outfit and it helps me to clearly mark the end of the day when I can slip into my comfy trousers. But I do understand the appeal to so many. But if you're find your concentration waning and personal style disappearing, getting dressed into a real outfit each day can be a great way to break the habit.
Even though I’d rather still get dressed every day there is still one golden rule that must be abided by: whatever I wear must be comfortable. Working from home is not the time to be wearing your constricting jeans and mildly-strangling blouses (we all have one, I bet you’re picturing yours right now). You’ve got to be comfortable, but that doesn’t mean you have to be in old faded tracksuits or panic-buying new loungewear sets. Your regular wardrobe is probably actually pretty damn comfy, if not why would you own the clothes? But it’s more about how you put them together and being mindful about what you actually need to buy.
One thing I’ve been very cautious of is buying anything new, unless it’s something that was actually missing from my wardrobe or I knew would add value as we head into summer. Shopping secondhand is suddenly that bit harder, which means anything that I do buy is brand new and therefore needs even more consideration. Everything has had to be comfortable, something I could easily work in all day long but also something that works within my current wardrobe and that I will wear when more normal life resumes.
Trousers: The trickiest part of a comroftable wardrobe, finding somewhere between real waistbands and elastic. The key is that they have a bit of give to them, not that they’re too big but that they allow you to move around without feeling all tight and restricted. My golden rule is if I wouldn’t wear them to a 3 course Italian meal then they aren’t work-from-home trousers. The same logic applies to skirts, dresses and shorts too. And a note on denim, if you can’t sit in your jeans all day then you need different jeans - I operate a very strict ‘comfy denim only’ rule.
Tops: If you’re work colleagues are only seeing you from the waist up then your tops are your chance to make it look like you still have your shit together (even if you most definitley haven’t). This is a tight-neck, starchy restrictive shirt-free zone. T-shirts can still look pulled together, just be sure to iron them before wearing them, but light blouses are my favourite options. They’re what I usually rely on in the spring and summer so not only are they comfortable but they also help to add a little normality, which is the kind of comfort we also need right now.
Hair & Makeup: Definitley not an essential right now, and I totally understand why people might skip both entirely but similar to getting dressed, putting on a little makeup and at least brushing my hair puts me into a different mindset. It’s something I always usually do and it’s nice to see a slightly brighter-eyed version fo myself looking back at me, especially when I might not feel like that. Just a bit of concealer, tidying of the brows, sweep of bronzer and a bit of mascara instantly perk up my face, make me feel more Zoom-ready. Doing my hair and makeup has always been a part of my routine that I’ve loved, I’ve never seen it as a chore, so whilst I understand why some people might skip it altogether, doing something each morning is an easy way to make you feel a little more like yourself.
Whatever you wear at the moment, if you’re at home then it needs to be comfortable. Some days getting dressed and ready might feel like too much but creating a clear start to my day, getting ready and doing the things that are normal to me have given me a bit of added motivation each morning and helped me to have a slice of normal in an otherwise chaotic time.