Coworker snapped at the dress I'm wearing

[user1471867483]

I’m wearing a three-quarter length thin white crepe fabric sleeved dress with black ric rac at the bottom. It’s quite sheer, but it’s lined and I’m fine wearing it. It’s boho and vintage. I have thick black tights on with it and black ankle boots. My coworker, who works next door, came in and said, “Aren’t you cold in that”? I said, “No, I’m fine”. She said, “No you’re not”.
Well, I am! I wouldn’t have worn it if I wasn’t OK in it.
The dress is a bit like this:
https://froufroufrocksboutique.com/products/ent-ecru-plus-ric-rac-midi-dress
What I’m really asking is why has what I’m wearing got anything to do with anyone?

yep

Did anybody else's mother sew ric-rac around the bottom of a skirt/dress to hide the mark where the hem had been let down?
Haven't seen it for years. Is ric-tac having a fashion moment?

my thoughts too !

This would be completely fine in the type of offices I have worked in as they usually had a relaxed/casual dress code so it completely depends on the type of sector you are in.

If you have always dressed in this type of stuff anyway I don't see why a colleague should suddenly think it is OK to comment on your fashion sense.

None of her business.

You sound quite tiresome, OP. You clearly think yourself rather special. I agree, with PPs who’ve said your colleague was not so subtly telling you you look a knob. Whatever this dress is for (probably the beach), it’s not office wear.

I certainly wouldn’t call that look ‘folksy’ anyway. Not unless it was perhaps for for wearing while dancing around a maypole, with a troop of Morris Dancers next on the agenda.

@SunflowersAndSquash it's still not appropriate.

I would wear this to work, I work in mental health but in a very chill clinic with lots of young staff, it’s a very fashionable, relaxed area
of london. Nobody would bat an eyelid to this dress, some of the staff wear crop tops.

People say this to me too, mostly friends outside of work as I tend to never really take a coat with me this time of year, I just hate layers. I have some friends from warmer climates who cover themselves head to toe in the summer despite it being 25 degrees or so. I would say she genuinely feels the cold more than you and felt the need to mention it for some reason.

Not appropriate at work.

As a 60s fashion fan I’m surprised she didn’t use the word ‘midi’ actually.

''You don't have to be mad to work here- but it helps''

Old posters usually seen in the most dreary of offices.

The dress is nice. Not sure if I'd wear it at the office, but it seems acceptable with thick black tights, as you've described.

You, however, sound like a pretentious idiot.

Could be appropriate in some offices. Might not be in others.

I would swerve any colleague who described their dress sense as ‘artisan’, ‘folksie’ or ‘yoooonique’.

I’d be really hurt by a lot of the comments if I was the OP

She just thinks you look cold. She thinks you have sacrificed comfort for 'style' and that it's a stupid decision. Not really any of her business, no, but hardly a big deal. She said you look cold, you said you're not, she doesn't believe you. I think you probably just wanted to post about your 'artisan folksy style' (which does sound a bit silly) because otherwise, there's really nothing to say about this non-event.

Was it the pom-pom that threw her?

Depends doesn’t it? A creative, marketing, advertising, social media type place it would be perfectly ok. A law office, an undertakers etc not so much.

I wouldn't have said anything, as I'd have wanted to leave that to a manager, but I can't see that as in any way appropriate office attire. More like beach wear.

I used to work with someone unique and folksy in an office. Her way- out artisan and unusual dress sense used to give us all a bit of a laugh in an otherwise boring day. We used to choke on her over-use of strong perfume though.

Because she set herself up for it by using multiple adjectives to describe herself.
Because this is Mumsnet.
Beause she asked!

You're reading too much into it, OP. It's October. She likely meant it when she asked if you weren't cold.
The fact you're adding 2 and 2 together and reaching 15 implies to me that your dress sense has been discussed in the office before though. Is it appropriate for the industry and your role? It wouldn't be inappropriate at my work in a design studio, but I'd look askance at a lawyer dressed like that. Only you know.

I miss the times when people kept their thought to themselves and spoke about people behind their back to their non-work friends.

Op, if this was a one off then ignore. If she has a form of making passive aggressive comments then "please don't comment on ny appearance". The first question was like..fine but when they continued it became rude. If she actually has a professional concern she can bring it up professionally. If the employer has a problem they can bring it up with op.

I think it's lovely. Of you're in the office I think thick black tights is a good addition. Maybe she's just one of those opinionated tactless types . Ignore .

So other people in the office find that they have 2 colleagues who dress inappropriately for the office environment, and have commented? But you both keep insisting on wearing clubwear/beach/festival outfits despite the comments?

She has Probably jealous and bought the same dress for a big night out. Don't worry about what other people think