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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think this is not appropriate for the office?

234 replies

chickentonightx · 01/04/2015 21:47

One of my team wore a dress similar to this today:

www.asos.com/ASOS-Petite/ASOS-PETITE-Long-Sleeve-Bodycon-Rib-Mini-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4948857&cid=8799&Rf989=5011&Rf981=3677&Rf1012=4458&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=204&sort=-1&clr=Black&totalstyles=187&gridsize=3

AIBU to think it's not appropriate for the office? I didn't say anything as we don't have a formal dress code and didn't know if I was just being a jealous old fart (she's 10 years younger than me and looked very good in it)

OP posts:
Blueandwhitelover · 02/04/2015 08:33

I thought of Robert Palmer too! It's a lovely dress, yes it is short and revealing but there are limited years to wear that sort of thing.
Now that I'm old I seem to get more excited by a nice cardigan....

Annahmolly · 02/04/2015 09:12

I'm surprised that most people seem to think this dress is appropriate office attire. It's very sexy, short and clingy. I would wear it on a night out if I wanted to bring attention to my ass. Not at work.

letscookbreakfast · 02/04/2015 09:42

It's a bit on the short side but I don't think it's that bad, I've seen far worse in my office and one of my colleagues got spoken to by her manager as she was revealing far too much.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 02/04/2015 10:01

It wouldn't be considered appropriate where I work.

KidLorneRoll · 02/04/2015 10:05

OH MY GOD you can see her knees!

Society is at an end.

mrssnodge · 02/04/2015 10:11

That dress is fine, my older work colleague wears baby doll dresses, ( no dress code here in the office, so Im normally in jeans/top etc) so short I thought she had forgot her trousers/leggings, shes 58 and when/if she bends over can see her backside as she wears a thong! She also wears see through linen shorts for work, ( longer ones to the knee) but they are so see thru you see everything- That dress at least covers her and I presume shes young enough to carry it off, not 58!!

SoupDreggon · 02/04/2015 10:14

I don't think the dress itself is inappropriate but wearing it with bare legs was IMO.

BooksBirkinsBeauty · 02/04/2015 10:18

I guess it depens on the office atmosphere. Where I work (legal), this wouldn't be remotely ok, way too short! It's not even a matter of what women can/can't wear: if it's not office appropriate, you can just wear it in your down time!

keepsmiling2015 · 02/04/2015 10:52

It made her look inappropriately hotter than all the other girls at the office and they are jealous. Isn't that right!

Yabu it's a high neck and long sleeves. I'm sure her work wasn't affected at all. Yours sure was though!

The80sweregreat · 02/04/2015 15:24

I dont usually disagree with much on here, but that dress looks fine. If there was a dress code i could possibly understand it ( it looks short on the model) but as there isnt a dress code im sure it was ok.

Theoretician · 02/04/2015 15:56

I walked up the stairs at work (large office of global company) behind a woman in something similar, except that she was also wearing tights and narrow heels. Her dress was shorter, just reached the bottom of her bum cheeks. Also it was stretchy material, so wouldn't have inhibited her walking, if it had reached her legs. I remember thinking that maybe she'd lost her skirt, and had stretched a jumper and put a belt around, it in order to make it look like a dress. The material clung to her body, if she'd had a pimple on her back their would have been a visible bump in her dress.

Anyway, I had no objection to her dressing that way. She was more attractive than the model in that picture. I am a man. These facts may be correlated.

slithytove · 02/04/2015 16:04

I dont think that dress, on that model, is appropriate office wear. Too short.

If I wore it though, it would be knee length. Too subjective to say really.

DuchessDisaster · 02/04/2015 16:09

Far too short, otherwise no objections.
However, it would depend on your line of work and how old the wearer was.
Advertising agency, trendy mid-20-year old, might be OK. Anything else definitely no.
The office is not the place to "show off your wares" (excuse the pun).

Buxtonstill · 02/04/2015 16:24

If you don't like it - you don't have to look.
Yes, it would be lovely to have a have a figure that showed off that dress but it ain't gonna happen to me! But not in a million years would I be jealous enough to try and garner support for my criticism of her on a forum. I wouldn't be trying it in real life either, you'll just come across as a bitter old hag.
What is this Mumsnet 1930's?

BernadetteMatthews · 02/04/2015 16:28

I love it, lucky her if she looks anything like the photo in it.

BolshierAyraStark · 02/04/2015 18:02

Black dress with long sleeves & no cleavage, it's a bit clingy but other than that I'm struggling to see how it's inappropriate for an office.
You should see the woman i work with,mid fifties in hot pants & less...

IKnowIAmButWhatAreYou · 02/04/2015 18:45

That looks like the sort of dress that most of HR wear in my company. Perfectly acceptable & certainly not "unacceptable" in any way...

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 02/04/2015 18:48

Assuming she is not size 20 it is fine, for a young person in an office with no formal dress code.

Skidoodoo · 02/04/2015 18:52

i don't think its appropriate. Its too short. It's an office and clothes like that are just odd to wear in that environment.

SoupDreggon · 02/04/2015 18:52

Why is it only fine if she isn't a size 20?

QueenBean · 02/04/2015 18:55

Why isn't it ok if she's a size 20? I didn't realise different sizes had different dress codes amothers?

temporarilyjerry · 02/04/2015 18:56

Someone from my workplace wore something similar, though in red, and was sent home to get changed.

meglet · 02/04/2015 18:59

yabu.

I've got a bodycon style dress for work. slightly older styling and I wear it with leggings.

MadameJulienBaptiste · 02/04/2015 19:02

It's about 2 foot longer than the incredibly tight short body con dresses and skirts worn by a new very senior female manager at a place I worked a couple of years ago. I mean literally 1cm higher and we'd have seen the front crotch of her undies. Worn with bare legs and the highest heels I've seen.

I just stuck to wearing my usual trousers, but the funny thing was, all the women who bit ched about her, well their skirts all started getting shorter and shorter ?

EveBoswell · 02/04/2015 19:05

I worked in a solicitors' office once and one young woman came to work one day in a bra type top and matching shorts. Okay the weather was hot but still ....