yesterday afternoon, we got an email from human resources informing us that our office is now permitted to go “casual” monday through friday. prior to this, we were business casual most of the week, but allowed to dress down only on fridays. the main reason for this is that most of the head honchos were relocated to the “chicago” office, so they aren’t around as much and neither are clients. it’s pretty rare to have a full week casual dress code in the business world, but i have mixed feelings about it for various reasons. From a career perspective, I want to try to set myself apart by looking more professional, etc. i’ve decided i can still do that by being sure to look put together even when wearing jeans, not wearing jeans every day, and looking particularly put together when visiting the corporate office. another reason, and a fairly practical one at that, is that now that i work in an office full time, my wardrobe has shifted from the jeans dominant college and grad school wardrobe to one with a higher ratio of dressy to casual clothes. i only have two pairs of jeans that really fit me well, so what on earth am i to wear to work every day? i was planning on going and buying more slacks and dressier pieces, but now i’m not sure that’s a good idea. i should still get some more quality dressy pieces, but now i won’t need to wear them everyday. the more relaxed dress code is actually going to help me out because now i can focus on quality rather than quantity with the dressy pieces. i had been getting overwhelmed thinking about all the dressy stuff i needed, but now that i don’t have to wear it every day, i’m off the hook.
however, back to the “only two pairs of jeans” issue… ann taylor loft is having an amazing sale through this weekend. like, seriously amazing. seriously. last night before meeting up with heath at bravo for a very nice birthday dinner, i shopped at the loft in the glen town center. i got some cute corduroys, a denim blazer thing, a velvety tank for underneath, and new sunglasses. today, at lunch, i went over to the loft near my work (yes, these stores are all over the place out here), and picked up a few more things (few = giant bag full). the list includes, a new winter jacket (camel colored, which i’ve always wanted, and kind of a trendy cut – it will definitely get worn – don’t worry heath), two pairs of dressy jeans (a nice compromise that can be worn to work, and still look sophisticated), a pair of khakis, a pair of black flats with some little jewels on them, a headband, and three shirts. so between last night and today, i got 4 pairs of pants, 2 jackets, 4 tops, shoes, and accessories – all for around $150 – which was the original price of the coat alone! just so happens, a check in that amount came my way as birthday money. i had asked for it so i could buy some new clothes for work and ta-da! i got a week’s worth! thanks, mom!
