Dress, worn as shirt: Old Navy, remixed * Dress, worn as skirt: Audrey, from boutique in Lakeview, remixed as shirt * Oxfords: Trotters, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed * Bag: vintage Kenneth Cole, thrifted and remixed
So this re-purposing thing may be getting out of control. Neither of the major pieces of this outfit are actually being worn in the way that they were intended. This striped top is actually a jersey mini-dress (the very same one I wore to the great Chicago blogger meet-up of 2010!), and this skirt is actually a striped polyester mini-dress (so mini, in fact, that I've rarely, if ever, worn it on its own). I guess I'm wearing the shoes the right way. It would be hard to re-purpose a pair of shoes into a skirt.
I've been thinking a bit about whether I dress for my surroundings. A few recent posts by Interrobangs Anonymous and Fashionable Academics have gotten me thinking about my professional style, and whether I make conscious decisions about what I wear based on how I may or may not be perceived in my workplace. First of all, of course I do. We all do. Anytime we get dressed, we make some kind of decision about how we want to be perceived, and we have in mind, in even the smallest sense, an idea of the people who will be doing the perceiving. But I've been noticing, as I've seen pictures of some of this fall's upcoming trends, that I'm consciously thinking that I won't wear some of them to work. And it isn't sequined miniskirts that I'm thinking about. It's heeled clogs, higher hemlines, towering platforms. All of these can be made delightfully work appropriate. But I probably won't wear them to my office. Why not?
It has nothing to do with what kind of role I'm supposed to fit into, actually. And it has nothing to do with an office dress code, or any real pressure from my peers, my boss, or my staff. What it comes down to is that I work in a very small office, with typically only 4 staff members. We're all very close, very casual, and very comfortable with each other. If I were to bust out some crazy new shoes or form-fitting secretary dress (though madly sexy), it would be distracting to our dynamic. Also, weirdly, the height of my colleagues comes into play. We're all relatively short people, ranging from 5'0" (my coworker) to maybe 5'5" (my boss - this is generous). With 4" heels, I'm taller than everyone, which, again, makes me feel like I'm throwing off a dynamic that works pretty well. So I have chosen to steer clear of certain trends and styles that, although completely appropriate for any professional wardrobe, might fiddle too much with the style of our office.
But what do you think? Do any of you take this kind of thing into account when dressing for something in particular? I know that thinking about how the "dynamic" and "style" of a group's interaction seems kind of abstract, but it makes sense to me, and I like feeling like I'm maintaining the sense of community that we've started to foster here. Do you think I'm being too influenced by my environment, or that I'm worrying too much about something that may just be a non-issue? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one!
Update: I just want to clarify that when I'm talking about this stuff, it's really about how the dynamic would change if I introduce something new and different to my outfits. I feel totally comfortable and free to dress however I want at work, and I haven't had to sacrifice an ounce of my personal style to fit in. It's the addition of a new, noticeable trend (like heels that are higher than what I typically wear) that can call attention to my style in an environment where what I'm wearing really shouldn't be a topic of conversation. So I don't ever avoid shoes or clothes or jewelry that I love, or that expresses my style, just because it might get attention. It's more that I'd rather try out new looks on the weekends before I introduce them into my workplace. Hope that helps clarify!
Title song: Dilated Peoples, "Global Dynamics"
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