Is this going to be weird in the office?

[BeardySchnauzer]

So I’m trying to be smarter for work and just less of a slob and get myself out of the funk I find myself in. My uniform has been black trousers with some sort of jumper or top.

I’ve bought myself some long dresses - a couple shirt style that are almost ankle length and a couple of jumper dresses that are more midi. I have terrible knees so don’t really wear shorter.

I was planning on wearing them with thick black tights and heeled ankle boots. Would that be weird? It’s an office and the men wear shirt and suit trousers on the whole to give an idea of what people wear.

lacking confidence in myself tbh!

Doesn’t sound weird, sounds great!

I guess I’m worried my colleagues are going to think I’m having a mid life crisis 🤣. Which I probably am

You’ve simply got to put out of your mind what other people think of your outfit and wear them with your own joy in mind and stride around accordingly.

This from the woman who accidentally dressed like a pirate for work recently. I got a few ‘where’s yer parrot?’ comments. But I felt great in my voluminous trousers tucked into ankle boots and accompanied by a frilly voluminous shirt.

I might invest in a stuffed bird just for the fun of it.

🤣 love it! Yes I know you’re right but I just feel a bit down about myself I suppose. But I do like those dresses so I need to bite the bullet! Most of my colleagues are men and I doubt they’d even notice anyway!!

i also bought a couple of wrap dresses as I'm always told they are the best style for me and they look bloody awful imo!

Trust your judgement. If the wrap dresses look bloody awful then don’t wear them!

Ive found that if something fits well, suits my proportions, and is in a flattering colour for me then I can stride around with confidence. Of course if it’s dramatic in some way then that’s even better 😆.

Wear the new dresses and the ankle boots @BeardySchnauzer and enjoy them

Ok I will! Thank you for the pep talk!!

now need to sell the wrap dresses…

i understand what you mean about feeling self conscious wearing a new style, but once you’ve worn them a few times it’ll just feel normal, and the outfits you’ve described sound great.

Yes you’re right - be brave and get out of my rut!!

Wear them round the house for a bit, they'll soon feel like normal attire!

Only issue is little dog will be trying to catch the long skirt🤣

Love this! Reminds me of a time I wore denim dungarees and a yellow t shirt on a teams call and got called a minion 😂😂

wear what you want! My work place is very casual- most people are in jeans and t shirts. I wear what I would term as fun office attire, trousers and shirts etc but with a fun print- hearts, flowers, birds, bright colours etc. Occasionally people comment eg you look like you’re here to do an inspection on us, but I honestly don’t care I like it and wear similar clothes in my personal life so it feels right to me.

I nearly always wear dresses, so I applaud your choices, lol. Defo go for it. A midi or longer dress is so easy to wear and very versatile. I bet you look fab - wear them, and own the look!
ps sell the wrap dresses is that style doesn’t work for you. Wear what you feel good in. I see Minions and Pirates have featured up thread, lol. I love a longer midi skirt and was wearing a black one with long black bloomers and boots recently and got asked is I was channelling my inner Victorian prostitute as murdered by Jack the Ripper. On reflection, they were probably quite right..

dunno if it helps, OP....I've lost 6 stone over the last 14 months. I lived in elasticated waist trousers and tops that covered everything. I am now in every kind of dress possible - never wearing a pair of trousers again! It felt weird at first as I made the transition back to being me....whoever 'me' is....working on that from a style point of view and having an absolute ball in the process. Weekends spent at car boots and charity shops, buy cheap, trying stuff out....a colleague commented to me yesterday that my wardrobe was amazing and she was glad she'd caught me to tell me - and she's 20 years younger than me. Just go for it!

Yes I’ve lost 15kg so definitely feeling better in clothes

i remember about 10 years ago someone in the department next to mine lost a lot of weight and had a new hairstyle and lovely new clothes. It was quite a dramatic change and it was commented on - positively.

I do need a new hairstyle but not really sure where to go for that as hairdressers struggle with my hair. One step at a time perhaps!!!

I’ve seen quite a few young women in bloomers recently - didn’t realise they were making a comeback!!

I think that all sounds lovely. FWIW I love shirt dresses, but can't wear them myself as I am very short and fat. I would be admiring your look.

Thank you. I am tall so feel ok in a long dress. But it’s quite new as I always used to wear mini or knee length when younger but I just don’t have the legs anymore!

I'm trying to embrace my age!

I wore a grey ribbed knitted dress and biker boots to my corporate office the other day and felt fab! Enjoy your new clothes, OP. Bet you look great.

The only thing that happened when I did this was people asked if I had an interview! But it sounds like a great work outfit - go for it!

Also would you mind sharing the shirt style dresses if they are ones you would recommend!

When I say shirt style they have long sleeves with cuffs and have buttons down the front… got them on Vinted. One was Ax Paris and one was M&S. Both a somewhat floaty material

i wore a jacket to work a couple
of weeks back and a few people asked if I had an interview!!

People get used to a change in clothes gradually. The first times they see you in them, they'll say something, but after a while, it becomes what they expect and your next batch of comments will be for wearing different colours or a slightly different cut.

Wear them and enjoy them - the best thing for me is that I've found it to reduce any requirement for coherent thought in the morning, as it's now 'Oh God, it's that time again', alarm off, bathroom, underwear, tights, frock and coffee instead of 'Oh God', alarm, bathroom, underwear, change underwear because it doesn't work with the first top or trousers or skirt, top, bottoms, change bottoms because they don't look right, search for a belt that's become detached or is needed to pull things together, look for socks, pick a different pair because they look or feel wrong with those, remember I'm wearing a skirt so take socks off because I need tights, realise I'll be cold so look for a jumper or jacket, realise they don't look right with that top and bottoms, search for something else, finally come downstairs, look for shoes that go with top, bottoms, socks, tights, belt and jacket/jumper, go to put coat on and realise it's really uncomfortable with that outfit, get pissed off, realise I should have left ten minutes ago and my coffee is either still in the moka or it's roughly the temperature of the sun, leave coffeeless and then a sock slips in those shoes, there's a cold draught around my ankles or because I've spent so long faffing about, I'm going to have to hit the ground running as soon as I walk in rather than stroll through reception and I've left my lunch and the thermos mug that holds my second coffee back in the kitchen.

Life is too short to have to think that much before 6am. Wear the frocks.