As promised, I wanted to branch out for these interviews to also include bloggers who may not work in a “typical” office space. Anne is the perfect blogger to kick this off with! With the birth of her first child, Anne transitioned to more of a work from home (/coffee shops) role. However, that hasn’t stopped her from dressing up and getting her style down to a T.
Name
Anne
Blog
Age
30
Job Title
Managing Editor
Job Description
I manage the peer review and publication process for two academic journals. The “managing” part involves processing paper submissions, making sure paper reviews get done on time, approving article and issue proofs to go to press, and in general being the communication hub for authors, reviewers, editor-in-chief, and publisher. I also manage all social media efforts for the journals. And then the editing part is copy editing accepted manuscripts before typesetting, along with proofreading various editorials, marketing materials, etc. Everything’s online/email based – if the internet goes down, I pretty much can’t work!
Organization Description
An academic association (whose members are primarily professors of business) headquartered on a university campus. When we moved away from that area when my husband graduated from medical school, I transitioned to working the same job from home, which I’ve been doing for almost 5 years now.
What dress code was given to you when you began the job?
When I started the job I worked on campus at a university, where it was business casual dress in the office, though it’s not like it mattered that much because nobody ever saw me! While I communicate with people all day, it’s all by email, as the authors and reviewers and editors I work with are scattered all over the world. A few times a year I travel to conferences and board meetings, where it’s still business casual. I do try to pack really put-together looks partly because I interact face-to-face so rarely with these people and so want to make a professional impression (especially as they all expect me to be older than I am!), but I don’t get very formal as these professors aren’t the most fashionable or fancy people, so it would be out of place…
What do you generally wear to work?
Jeans. In the winter months, usually with a button down and sweater layered over, with ankle boots. Sometimes a blazer or vest as well if it’s a really cold coffee shop I’m working from that day!
Since you have moved into more of a working from home role in your position, how has that effected what you wear when you’re working? Do you try to differentiate your “work” outfits from what you wear when you spend time with your child?
It’s funny that since having a baby, my work-from-home style has actually gotten a bit more stylish. I used to walk the dog/go to the gym before I started my work day, and then with some frequency I’d just get busy at my desk and never manage to change out of those workout clothes. Now that my routine is a bit different – especially in that I work from coffee shops a lot rather than my home office (to avoid the toddler banging on my door yelling “mommy” issue) – I put on real clothes every day. This fall and winter I’ve consolidated my closet down to a small-ish capsule wardrobe, so everything is really versatile and mixes & matches well and it’s easy to quickly pick out an outfit that’s casual but still put-together. I find these work equally well for feeling polished and for being appropriate for the full range of my life, from coffee shop working in the morning to toddler chasing in the afternoon. Everything’s comfortable and washable, making it kid-friendly, but it’s still all stuff that fits my classic style, so I don’t need to differentiate between a work outfit and a mom outfit.
When you do have to go into the office (if you do), what is one thing you would tell a woman to definitely NOT wear into your office?
There really isn’t anything I can think of besides the obviously office-inappropriate things – though in the winter I would advise against 3/4 sleeves… those wrists just get too cold when you’re sitting at a desk typing all day!
Where do you like to shop for work attire?
Loft is a favorite because it has the petite sizing I need and a lot of options that can be dressed up/down. Since I only occasionally need the dressed up part, I like items with versatility. I’ve found the same with skirts/dresses/blouses from J.Crew as well (and frequently shop at the Factory store for good deals).
How have you developed your professional style?
My professional style definitely has evolved since starting this job as a 22-year-old. I used to wear mostly the “default” kind of business casual attire: dress pants + button downs. As I grew up a bit and became more confident as an adult – not to mention started reading a lot of personal style blogs – I learned to define my personal style (which I call “basics with a twist”) and thus could inject a bit of personality into workwear. For me, this would be things like pencil skirts (basic) in patterns or colors (twist), paired with chambray (basic, but a twist by doing a fancy/casual mix of skirt + chambray). Another example would be slim ankle pants (basic) in a fun color (twist), paired with black flats and a blazer.
What is the best “dress code” advice you have ever received?
I really can’t think of anything, so instead, my advice for someone who’s going to start working from home: find reasons to get dressed. At first it was fun to be able to work in my PJs if I wanted, but after a bit I started feeling like there was no point in getting dressed because nobody was going to see me – and that got me a little depressed, because I like feeling cute and put together. So I learned to build in ways to be “seen” that would give me the motivation and fun of putting together a nice outfit, like working from coffee shops sometimes. That’s also when I started posting outfit photos on my blog, which felt weird at first but has turned into a really fun creative outlet and way to show off an outfit even if nobody is going to see it in real life.
What advice would you give to women starting in her career about dressing for her job?
I think that there’s a lot of great advice already out there about dressing for to put forth a professional image, to boost your self-confidence, etc. than I feel qualified to give, so instead I’ll go the practical route: lay out your clothes before you go to bed at night. No matter how professional your outfit, you’re not going to go places if you’re late to work because you’ve been staring at your closet for too long trying to figure out what to wear! Even better, spend some time on the weekend playing with your clothes to see what pieces you like together. This way you can exercise a little creativity and keep things fresh and interesting in your work outfits without taking too much time to get ready in the morning.
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