When you think of corporate or workplace attire, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? A nice pair of slacks and a button down? A nice blouse and pants? Heels? Flats?
Depending on the industry you’re in, this answer will be different. Also, depending on what type of person you are, this also will be different. Let’s take teachers for example. Some teachers (like my aunt, Kay, for example) prefer to dress as if they’re going to a corporate board meeting every day. She values styles of clothing more apparent in formal business settings. Other teachers however (like my best friend, AK) prefer a more comfortable approach to workplace attire. As a high school choir director she’s constantly moving around and directing, so comfort is a higher priority than something more formal.
For me, I always dreamed of working downtown in a corporate, business setting and wearing suits to work. Because of my career path, that childhood dream became a reality upon graduation.
While I was still an undergrad in preparation for my summer internship, I underwent a fellowship program that instructed and equipped interns across the country with the skills necessary to succeed and land a full-time offer. One of the topics heavily discussed was attire, and for good reason. We were a group of inexperienced college students who knew hardly anything about the working world – which included how we should present ourselves in regards to clothing and attire. In this fellowship I learned the basics and necessities of corporate attire. For us ladies that meant:
- Low to medium height heels
- Full suit with blazer (could be skirt or pants) on the first day (and subsequent days if that was the culture of the firm/company)
- A dry cleaned button-down shirt in a brightly colored shirt (in other words no black, dark blue or dark reds for fear of looking like waitresses)
- Black, blue, gray or khaki colored pants or skirts
Armed with this instruction, I purchased my summer wardrobe for my internship and never looked back. Unfortunately, this ultra-conservative approach to dressing for work purposed specifically to confine interns to limited options for fear of them attempting something outlandish (hello club dress disguised as a “work” dress in Forever 21), became my approach to dressing for work the first 3 years of my working experience. Because of these mental barriers (I’d been indoctrinated!), and lack of inspiration and understanding, I showed up to work everyday in some variation of the same, boring outfit. See below:
*Lindsey Camille Hall, 22 years old, “one of the boys”
Good ol, Corporate America blue. There are several things wrong with this mentality, as portrayed in this picture. Allow me to highlight a few:
- This limited pool of office-approved outfits prevented the opportunity to showcase elements of my personality that could’ve been revealed though the limitless combinations of work-appropriate fashion.
- I genuinely look uncomfortable and out of place.
- I’m dressed like a man!!!
Let’s just stop and think about this for a minute. When men get dressed for work (in an office setting), what options do they have?
- Shirts: button-downs (long-sleeve, short-sleeve – with or without tie), polo’s, with or without blazer/jacket
- Pants: slacks
Whew, short list.
Anddd lets do the same exercise for women:
- Tops: button-downs, blouses, sleeveless tanks, tanks with cardigans, sweaters, turtlenecks
- Bottoms: skirts (pencil skirts, flare skirts, maxi skirts, draped skirts, tube skirts), slacks
- Dresses: standalone, with cardigan, with blazer
The options presented to men and women don’t stand a chance of comparison.
Why is this important?
Women in corporate settings often face challenges of: constantly needing to prove themselves beyond the point required for an equal male counterpart, exclusion from the “boys club” that leads to fewer opportunities for advancement, and unfair wage gaps. Because of this, most women (including myself) take on the mentality of blending in as “one of the boys” instead of standing out as a fully capable and deserving member of the opposite sex, with a valuable and different perspective. This was especially troubling for me since I was not only in the gender minority (1 of 4 women in entire consulting firm, with around 50 male consultants), but also in the racial minority as the only black woman employed at my company. I had a unique and valuable perspective that was subconsciously being silenced by my perceived need and desire to blend in as “one of the boys”. Dressing in my limited rotation of skirts, slacks, and button-downs robbed me the opportunity for my wardrobe to showcase elements of my strength, assertiveness, unique perspective, and most importantly, femininity.
In 2017 two things happened:
- I lost weight and needed to size down my wardrobe a couple of sizes. And
- I became obsessed with Suits.
In watching Suits, specifically Rachel Zane’s character, – a powerful, strong-willed, paralegal – my eyes were opened to the countless opportunities to showcase these strengths through her wardrobe choices. Her selections portrayed all the attributes of women that we exclusively carry in abundance, including: softness, compassion, grace, thoughtfulness, sweetness, and nurturance.
So in May 2017 I made a decision. Enough was enough. It was time for me to branch out and explore the endless world of opportunities made available to women in workplace fashion. That decision resulted in increased self confidence and a greater sense of belonging. I was comfortable in my own skin. I’d been given permission to stand out not only as a leader, but as a woman. It’s one of the best workplace decisions I ever made and I am never, ever, going back 😊.
