My manager has banned all vests, skirts and shorts

An NHS admin office is hardly a formal situation, and surely a yacht is the place for casual day-wear, which is all that’s required for an NHS admin office?

who?

She's on a yacht.

She doesn't dress like that for formal or even casual day wear.

I'm with you OP. How on gods earth are fucking KNEES inappropriate.

I find trainers with cotton socks to absorb sweat more comfy than open toed shoes. I also have a horror of having my toes stepped on by other people, stones & grit getting into open shoes.

I would suggest this is due to some people ruining it for everyone. She did this for a reason.

I always think about the equivalent. Would I want to see a man in a vest or shorts at work?

Tell your manager that if Duchess Sophie can wear Bermuda shorts, so can you:
https://www.womanandhome.com/life/royal-news/duchess-sophie-knee-length-denim-shorts-heatwave/

Scrubs are for clinical work to avoid bacterial contamination from outside.
(My dentist wears scrubs.)

But you know that.

Not all doctors are performing surgery or procedures.

Not wearing vest tops is fairly standard. The rules you posted even state about shoulders not showing.

It is possible to dress for the weather without exposing flesh. As others have said, flowy skirts / wide leg trousers.

You can get plain, jersey t-shirts cheaply enough, or plain linen / cotton blouses. Failing that, have a look on line for sewing patterns - there are a few good (even free) ones, - a sleeveless top as you have made can have flutter sleeves / tulips sleeves added easily enough to move away from the shell top look without making the outfit any warmer. Plain cotton sheets are quite a cheap way of getting the fabric for them.

On this, and other threads, lots of people claim that long sleeves and trousers are actually cooler (‘it’s what they wear in hot countries’). I think that’s a myth except if you’re standing in direct sun and light fabric can reflect infrared (and obviously avoid sunburn).
Indoors or in the shade your body is hotter than the air around and you want to maximise air circulation for coolness. A loose sleeveless dress allows heat to move away from your body in a way that a long sleeved top doesn’t.
And personally I find closed shoes hideously uncomfortable in hot weather but I realise some people actually choose to wear trainers in the heat so presumably their feet are more tolerant of being hot and constricted than mine!

My school only allowed skirts in the 80s (unless religious grounds). I've never worn a skirt since. Do you think those kind of workplace rules are better? I can't get my head round it denoting professionalism. Most doctors I see are in shapeless, baggy unironed scrubs, does that make them unprofessional?

The NHS is letting us wear shorts so Im wearing knee length ones with my tunic. They can be just above the knee if we want. Mine are just below because Im in my 60s. Its much nicer than trousers.

I never wear skirts or dresses, but some people I worked with would wear slightly above knee length sleeveless shift dresses all year round, in winter they be paired with a jacket, really smart but would fall foul of the OP's workplace rules. It's beyond me why an armpit is a shocker.

The OP stated that the manager dictated trousers and appropriate length for all clothing was ankle. She also stated very clearly that the shorts (not pyjamas) were not for office wear, just something she had on in that photograph of the top. There was no need for you to make and repeat snide comments about the shorts or to be quite so rude about the top.

Shell/sleeveless tops are entirely normal in office as are skirts above the knee.

If you think she is trolling report it rather than simply making snide comments.

Have you got any salt to hand @CaesarAugusta

Then before taking on board a lot of guff from the OP about dresses and skirts having to be ankle length, I would take a big pinch of it.

And that even SOUNDS so grown up too.

@itsjustthepricewepay And I have just seen the bit about men haven't been told they can't wear shorts but women have? Have I misunderstood as that sounds like discrimination to me?

As former NHS Estates, I wouldn't be expecting to see you in a vest top with shoelace straps or anything revealing but standard vest tops with bra strap width tops sounds reasonable to me.

As a previous poster has said, there is no upper limit for temperatures at work but at 35 degrees in an office, the Trust has a duty of care for your well being and to me reasonably adjusted clothing sounds like a fair compromise. I don't think you should be wearing a vest top with shoelace straps but straps like bra strap width should be fine and most work places I know allow knee length skirts.

I also hope that you have asked estates for portable air con units, I would be getting that request on your helpdesk urgently.

Thanks, I have swapped over my vote to YABU having seen the unironed top and the combative follow-up posts.

I agree with you but I don't think the OP is being 100% accurate in what she has described because there are some discrepancies in her posts.

@NoCommentingFromNowOn My take on the thread is that most posters are supporting the OP apart from a few who either (like me) prefer a more formal dress code for work or b) have criticised her sewing skills.

Her AIBU was 70%= in her favour

I kinda agree with this poster though. I mean, I think I wouldn't be too bothered if it was say, a supermarket or something where everyone needs to wear the same branded t-shirt/trousers as standard.

But if there's a dress code, which is being over-ridden by a bullying manager who doesn't like seeing people's arms or whatever, well absolutely screw that.

I think this is pretty usual. I’m a lecturer and I wouldn’t turn up to work in shorts or a vest, even if it is 30 degrees outside and my students are largely wearing this! It just isn’t very professional. Get some linen trousers or dresses.

The manners people are showing on this thread are making me actually quite sad.

People seem unable to critique or give an opinion on anything these days without resorting to real nastiness.

Where is the art of discussion? Why can no one appear to give a different point of view and yet do it without making OP feel uncomfortable? Lashing out with rudeness is not ‘replying to OP’ or ‘joining in with a thread’, it’s showing your lack of control over what comes out of your mouth. Some people can do this, and do it beautifully, others cannot unfortunately. I think we need to realise our limitations in what we can and cannot do, and refrain from joining in if we are merely going to disrupt things. One is allowed to simply observe, it’s fine to not join in.

@itsjustthepricewepay well done on your sewing, I spent a few hours yesterday adding people to Instagram, people who sew for themselves, and a few independent patterns makers. Then of course you can see other people who have made something to the same pattern. Then I found a few old patterns I have, and found a dress pattern I didn’t get around to using. So that’s my plan, just got to see if I’ve got enough fabric stored away for it!

And I have to say, those temperatures might lead to heatstroke, please be careful (ahem) that you are not one of them, for if you are you’ll have to excuse yourself and go home sick. You are no use to anyone if you try to power on through and faint.

Linen!

I don't get this obsession with shorts.

They don't keep you cool. They have a fixed tight waistband and a thick, seamed crotch. Quite the opposite of what is cool.

Having your calves out doesn't make anyone any cooler.

If you're a woman the best cool summer wear is a dress, ideally linen and not too fitted.