to HATE work/office wear?

[bluecake2]

I'm lucky in that my office permits casual wear for day to day work, such as jeans, trainers, etc. However, when I have to go to meetings with customers I have to dress up and I HATE it.

For one, I don't have the figure for it. Day to day I wear casual dresses, jeans, jumpers, trainers, boots etc. Formal trousers look terrible on me, as do suit skirts. I have a large chest and blazers look terrible too. I also HATE high heels, they give me blisters and are very uncomfortable.

Second, formal wear is usually itchy and uncomfortable. And cold. and did I mention the shoes? Even flat shoes, such as dolly shoes, are just not suitable for the winter months.

I can't wear trousers. They don't seem to fit right and if they do, I don't want to sit down in them all day.
Skirts are ok but they need to be in the right style for me.
Jackets - find a style that suits you. There will be one, just keep looking.
I usually have one one or two smart jackets to wear with a contrasting dress or skirt&blouse.
Shoes are usually horrendous.

I never want to wear anything that can be described as "smart". My office is also casual thankfully. So much is ill fitting compared to mens' suits too. I keep seeing women in my town tripping along on heels that make their too-short trousers flap around their ankles and blazers fastened too tightly with one button.

I wear smart / casual to work but some day I need to be on the smarter end of things for meetings etc. I have a couple of very nice quality jersey blazers from Whistles, one black, one burgundy. They are as comfortable as wearing a cardigan but look far far smarter

I wear them with black slim trousers and a nice top, or velvet jeans from Jigsaw. I only ever wear ankle boots, never ever shoes to work, I have lots of chelsea boot shaped boots, some with block heel for dressier occasions.

I think looking out for dressier knit-wear - chunky cardigans with a shirt and chunky necklace can look good for less formal days

A good coat and bag and a few nice scarves will help.

I have sort of a work uniform built up now and I never wear any of it at weekends.

I work in finance which is a fairly formal industry, and have solved this problem by buying stretchy jersey dresses. I have quite big boobs, and than an hourglass figure so do have to pick my brands carefully . Phase 8 and Hobbs, both in the sale mainly. Have managed to get three acceptable jackets over the course of 3 years, two Hobbs and one from Jigsaw. I have accepted that I will try on at least 20 jackets to get one that fits. I avoid anything "slouchy" as it just hangs from my boobs and makes me look 3 sizes bigger.

Once I'd got jackets that fitted, the whole thing was fine and frankly a jacket and a stretchy dress is very comfy.

I've never worn high heels. You can wear smart shoes with a very small heel.

Why not ask for help in the Style and Beauty forum on here? I am clueless when it comes to style but there are some really knowledgeable ladies on there.

If you don’t have to wear it on a daily basis it may be worth looking into getting a trouser suit made to measure. They will fit your figure and look smart. See it as an investment.

For shirts, look at Bravissimo, I had their shirts several times. They also do blazers but I never tried them.

You can also try wrap dresses or if a blazer is not mandatory, wrap shirts, I got some from Hobbs recently, the quality is worth the price.

Tunic or t shirt style dress in Nice fabric, tights and Chelsea boots, nice lightweight floaty scarf. That's my go to. Mint Velvet is good as is Kin and Warehouse and sometimes Next

For.smart office wear i get the good quality jersey knee length dresses, they sometimes describe them as bodycon but their not super tight.

Then wear tights and smart boots s

Like this

www.gap.co.uk/gap/modern-boatneck-dress/000384721.html?dwvar_000384721_color=000384721003&dwvar_000384721_fit=regular&dwvar_000384721_size=1528&cgid=#q=Boatneck&lang=en_GB&start=4

I wear slim trousers, boots, shirt and a smart jacket. Never high heels, occasionally smart trainers and also brogues.

What I want to wear depends on my mood. You can even get away with a polo shirt if you dress up the accessories.

Can you wear loose floaty style tunic tops or dresses with leggings or thick black opaque tights and Chelsea boots? Teamed with a nice scarf/ jewellery they can look very smart. That’s my dressy office wear as I’m not a suit type of person either.

I think you have an old fashioned view of what is classed as smart/office wear.

Formal trousers look terrible on me, as do suit skirts. I have a large chest and blazers look terrible too. I also HATE high heels, they give me blisters and are very uncomfortable.

^

So don't wear them. You can still look good by dressing for your figure.

Love that dress, lwmommy

I've been to lots of meetings with customers and never worn skimpy shoes. Smart boots in winter are comfortable and look professional.

Formal trousers can be awful - look out for smart black slim jean like trousers. If you can find some elegant knitwear, you will feel comfortable and look the part.

I always hated smart/office wear. It was one of the main reasons I became a scientist, I wear whatever the fuck I like and just stick a lab coat on top

Now I am in a managerial role I do make a bit more of an effort than jeans and a t shirt though. I have found I am able to tolerate Jersey dresses over tights.

I think it's the lack of stretchiness I hate in things like blouses and skirts. Ugh

YABU because there's so much choice in "office wear" .
I have "smart clothes" that are just comfortable as my home clothes. I wear flat shoes more often than I wear high heels. If you can wear casual dresses you can wear smarter dresses, and there are so many different shape trousers you could find some as flattering as your jeans.

I can understand if you can't be bothered to search for clothes when you don't like the idea of them, but you are BU to think none would fit or be comfy.

I never understand people who wear uncomfortable clothes and must change as soon as they arrive home.

I love office wear, I don't have to think about what to wear, grab a suit and usually a tshirt, and done.

Agree with PP that idea of smart wear is a bit outdated. If I want to look smart it's probably a dress from COS, an unstructured jacket, interesting jewellery, brogues, lipstick.

I too detest work trousers. Thankfully I normally get away with black skinny jeans, as long as I wear them with a black suit jacket and a draper chiffon blouse. I’ll normally wear pointed flats but I’ve got a couple of pairs of mid heels for smarter meetings.

*draped

I wonder if you should book a session with a personal stylist at John Lewis or similar. My workwear is incredibly comfortable- two way stretch and jersey fabrics, unrestrictive dresses from cos and brogues and Chelsea boots that I often wear at weekends too.

What is your industry?

Oh my yes. I hate traditional office wear. Blouses and skirts or formal trousers and jackets. So stiff and you can’t move your arms without it all riding up. And freezing cold.

Agree with the jersey dress and thick tights and knee high or ankle boots in winter. And a good quality dark long line cardigan (must be a v thick good quality one).

I hate not being able to live in my extensive gym gear tbh.
I have one waterfall blazer which is lovely but also hate heels so can only wear low block heel ankle boots. Suits and blazers etc are not made for women... our bodies are not sharp lines like men's. It's time for a redesign on female officewear (come on floaty dresses!!!!)

I've just gone back into an office and am enjoying being smart for once!

I was working from home before, but got sick of wearing the same old things every day with no one to even notice!

I did master the art of 'putting a shirt on over my pyjamas for skype calls' trick though

My office is casual but we also meet clients. I don’t have a single item of what’s classed as office wear. I wear a lot of nice dresses from cos or whistles, I like a velvet blazer or jacket over smart chino type skinny trousers, Chelsea boots, brogues or loafers. I shop a lot in the kooples, and other stories, cos, whistles and I buy my smart trousers from boden

I hate office wear - the traditional shirt/suit get up. Apart from a short period of time I’ve always had jobs with a uniform. When I did work in an office I used to wear black jeggings that looked like trousers. Uniqlo have some lovely soft ones.