What do you wear to work?

...if you don't wear a uniform, that is. Just thought this could be an interesting thread as a lot of us work in "grown up jobs" now and in some different environments. Plus I'm hoping to be employed ANY SECOND and I suppose I'm looking for ideas as well!

Damn, I was about to go into an in-depth discussion about Coles uniform. But not really. I have nothing useful to add, except to say that "when I grow up" I want to work in the city in a big office building if only so I can wear business clothes. I LOVE looking at all the office-y clothes that they sell in Portmans and the Miss Shop at Myer and places like that.

[/end spam]

Well I wear a uniform BUT when I did work full time over the summer holidays I had to wear office clothes, not fun when you're not actually in an office all day but wandering the streets trying to sell Citibank but that's another story.

Office clothes are expensive, I used to wear high waisted pencil skirts or black pants to work and just a button up blouse and heels (though small heels on them). I would occasionally wear a knee length A-line black skirt instead of the high waisted one. I got cheap and used some of my high waisted pinafore into skirts and one is checkered and just wore a black 3/4 sleeve shirt. I only wear one shirts out of all the ones from work now and it's a shirt I bought in China just to wear with jeans and it's an actual guy shirts. Skirts above the knee where a no no at the office.

!!! NATHAN USED TO SELL CITIBANK! But I think he sucked and he only lasted like 2 weeks. ANYWAY

Blouses, ranging from just basic white shirts to nice witchery blouses.

High waisted pants. High waisted skirt. Black pants. Other not so high skirt

Shoes... sometimes heels, normally ballet flats

My general rule is no shoulders, no knees, no boobs.

*Pants: I generally wear black pants for most of the week. I have a thinner, wide-leg pair for summer and a thicker, tighter pair for winter.
*Skirts: Always, always below the knee and generally A-line.
*Blouses: At least quarter-arm length. There are some girls at work who wear cap-sleeves and it just looks unprofessional and gross, especially if they have bigger arms. Also, they are always completely covering my chest; cleavage at work is just wrong.
*Jackets/Jumpers: I wear a lot of cardigans and I have a green blazer that works well for work. I also have a black hoodie that I keep at work that I wear when I get cold at my desk. I feel really guilty about it but you have to let go at some point.
*Shoes: I try to wear heels 4 days a week and I wear flats on Friday (Casual Friday; I also wear jeans). I only have two pairs that are comfortable enough - black open-toed 4-inch high things from Zu and heeled shoe-boots.

It's taken me a while to build this up, though. When I first started I wore shorts all the time!

MissSussinator wrote:Blouses, ranging from just basic white shirts to nice witchery blouses.

damn Witchery and it's expensive but bloody comfortable clothes!

I wear uniform Monday to Thursday, consisting of THE sexiest high-waisted navy slacks, white blouses (quarter or three-quarter sleeve), blue and white striped blouse (three-quarter sleeve, makes me look like a Banana in Pajamas) and a tight-ish warm blue crossover top. I also have a navy merino vest that I can wear over the tops. And a navy jacket, very corporate, costs over $300. But that's okay, cos work pays for all our uniforms!

Fridays we are allowed to dress casually, but by "casual" what my boss really means is your own corporate wear, rather than company-provided. I don't often wear skirts, usually it's a combo of either black, grey or pinstriped pants with a blouse or clean attractive top. Hair is always straightened (or at least tidy), make-up always neatly applied, nails have to be clean and even and jewellery must be understated.

I would prefer office wear if I had total freedom; for example I don't see anything wrong with teaming a really clean-cut pair of good, dark jeans with a nice pair of boots, blouse and loose vest, but jeans are completely out of the question. My boss is just really old-school and a stickler for everyone looking "respectable"... she nearly had a heart attack the day I forgot to take a change of shoes to work and ended up spending the day in my Chucks. (I walk to work.) Oh, and the day she found me wearing black pants with my uniform instead of navy slacks - THE HORROR!

Um... Do you have to wear make up? That would offend me, being asked to wear make up...

I think what you have to wear really depends on whether or not you have contact with the public. I don't have any face-to-face public contact whatsoever, so I can get away with a lot more than people who spend all day interacting with clients/customers can. There are people that I work with that wear jeans, sport polos and crocs on a daily basis. I know the big boss though, so every now and then I get lazy and wear chucks, and she'll give me this look. I wear heels the day after that.

i wear trakkies or jeans, t-shirts with disney charachters on them, jumpers or cardis and sneakers (i also put a change of shirt in my bag, just in case i get pooed/spewed/mess on the one i'm wearing)
YAY CHILDCARE

for the gym i have a uniform (t-shirt) and wear trackies and sneakers
and for the pub i have a uniform also (shirt) and i wear black jeans and ballet flats

wednesday wrote:Um... Do you have to wear make up? That would offend me, being asked to wear make up...

No, we don't have to, I just sort of chucked that in there to note that when we do wear make-up, it has to be neatly applied.

I don't think being asked to wear make-up is offensive, depending obviously on the context. There are lots of jobs that do require you to wear make-up and it just goes with the territory - flight attendants, beauty therapists, some hairdressing firms ask you to as well. But obviously if your boss says, "Excuse me, I think you look hideous, PLEASE start wearing make-up to cover that face," then you'd be like, "Yeah? FUCK YOU"

i wore socks that had cafe and latte and coffee and aroma written all over them to work today with my flats. I was cool.

What makeup does everyone wear to work? Because I was thinking I should learn how to apply basic makeup, but I'm talking pretty much bare minimum here.

If you're talking bare minimum, I'd suggest lip gloss, mascara, maybe a bit of Thin Lizzys. Foundation would be nice too, but you might find it a hassle.

what is/are Thin Lizzys?

Oh noes, maybe they don't sell it in Aussie!

It's a fantastic face powder, a bit like a bronzer, you just put some on and it... I dunno, just makes your skin look nicer. Smoother, nicer colour, etc. Packaging looks like this:

Spoiler:

If it's not available in Aus, I will 100% post you some.

EDIT: Oh and I should also mention, as per the infomercials, that it can also be used as an eyeshadow, lip gloss, foundation, all-body bronzer, ab-toner and blender.

Oh, I have seen an informercial like that. It probably is available, I just don't know much about these things.

WOW! So you can wear that stuff on it's own, sort of thing, and it just evens everything out?
THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR
Thankyou Tash
Unless I'm wrong

I wear foundation, lipgloss & mascara. I don't use blush as I have rather "rosie" cheeks anyway, and I would do eyeshadow but I'm too lazy.

AHhahahah thin lizzys.
Sorry. thats a tafe joke i think.

WHAT DO I WEAR?
Well. If i am in the pool i rock up to work in whatever takes my fancy, something usually warm, ugs, whatever. I wear swimmers, wetsuits, and A BRIGHT YELLOW RASHIE. Plus my flouro pink zebra baordies or the yellow ones, depending on my mood.
me: "Oh. Im meant to be going to a flouro themed party - reckon i could wear my rashie?"

Normal, dry canteen work? Royal blue pants, YELLOW shirt with blue waves on it and the logo. Jackets royal blue with bright orange.

I had a photo but its gone now.

Camp work? =] =] =]
we get shirts with the initials on there - TLC!!

I hardly wear makeup. Again no face-to-face contact and hardly any of the other women in my area wear makeup.

But then some go to the extreme and wear it caked on

errmm, i wear foundation most days, powder, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and lipgloss...
it DOESNT look like a caked on mask, thank god. but i love doing my little morning ritual and i love making myself pretty, i even wear makeup to childcare....
vain?

I go to school so it counts! Maybe.

To school I wear blush, and Lipsmacker.
If I'm seeing teh Scott after school sometimes foundation, depends how crap my skin is.

Eye makeup + Scouts = Horrid, so I tend to steer away from it.
Euuurrrgh so many girls with panda eyes...

Haha Jen, no, I don't think that's vain... just careful! Tons of women wear make-up every day, even if they're just sitting at home watching Oprah and eating chips. Putting a bit of make-up on can make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself, and for some people it's a big part of their personal presentation. I think it's nice

wednesday wrote:WOW! So you can wear that stuff on it's own, sort of thing, and it just evens everything out?

Yesss! You can put a little bit on for a nice glow, or heaps and it sort of covers everything like a foundation. But a little bit is usually enough. Over here it's $49 for two compacts, and they last for ages. Also a good finishing powder if you're wearing actual foundation.