In high school, I envisioned my grownup self as a high-powered executive in my power suit at work. I’m not quite sure where this image came from. My mom worked and she was well-respected in the IT field. But she never strutted about in a business suit or high heels with a briefcase. 

As a working professional, I have not been required to be super dressed up at work. My first job after graduating college was at a TV station, where I worked behind the scenes. I spent most of my time running back and forth between the graphics room, the control room, the news desk, and engineering with some periodic trips into editing and audio. I sometimes wore dress slacks, but it was mostly jeans and comfy shoes. And jackets, I feel like I was always cold in that environment.

For my next job, I wore business casual all the time. I had nice dress slacks, but I would wear a sweater or buttoned shirt. I didn’t want to look sloppy, and even though I wasn’t doing desktop support, I crawled under enough desks on various occasions to know that wearing a dress was most likely not the best apparel. I always wore business-y shoes though. Loafers or oxfords with a raised heel, faux-heels if you will.  

Once I started working remotely for work, my work style got even more “comfortable”. Nobody knew how to do video conferences for a long time, so I went weeks without anyone other than my spouse seeing me. And if I did have a rare video conference, on many days I smoothed my hair back, pulled nice-looking tops on over my sports bras and still had on running shorts after a morning run. You can get away with a lot more when nobody can see you. Or smell you. 

When I visit my job onsite, I don’t dress like a total slob. But I’m also wearing sneakers more often than I used to. Womens running shoes come in so many colors and styles now, you can find something to go with any outfit. The teens these days are smart, they’ll wear totally casual shoes to their proms. That seems so much better than the heels my generation foolishly wore to dances or formal events. 

The pandemic has taught more people how to use video conference software. That, combined with much better quality webcams and WAY MORE meetings leaves me in a position where I don’t end up holding meetings in workout clothing anymore. But I still wear comfortable clothes; after all, I sit at a desk all day. My colleagues at least get to walk from meeting to meeting. Still, I never wear shoes as I work, because I don’t wear shoes inside my house. 

I hope to buy myself a standing desk and maybe a walking pad in 2025. I feel incredibly creaky and generally worse spending 6 hours a day on Zoom/Google Meet. I’m hoping some extra movement from standing/walking as I work helps. I get paranoid though because I don’t want to seem too bouncy in my little video frame. I fully intend to keep wearing comfy clothes though.

Maybe tracksuits will be the next evolution for work apparel!