Office Wear, Almost As Comfortable As Yoga Wear
I like to work, but I don’t like work clothes. If I can’t wear my standard uniform, the sweatpants that The Salvation Army threw in their trash can; frayed Eagles T-shirt; half a cup – I can’t concentrate. This is largely why I work from home.
But sometimes I play with finding a regular job with constraints in the office, and seriously, one of the reasons I don’t have to do it has to do with a strong intolerance for discomfort: when I was in the corporate world, a combination of tight belts, nylon, etc. D. and heels made me itch, every day I was nervously distracted. Thankfully, the office dress code has become less formal and new high-tech fabrics have emerged that promise to hug you like one of Temple Grandin’s cows.
To get a sense of what’s new in the world of business and comfort, I spoke with James Krohn, Personal Shopping Manager at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. “This is an interesting question,” he said, “and designers are asking more than one would expect.” As the dress code softened in the 1990s, designers had to figure out how to adapt, otherwise they risk losing their entire category of “office” wear.
Stretch
The solution, Crohn says, is elastane, which stretches three times its original length and recovers quickly when released. He advises consumers looking for comfort to look for at least a percentage of spandex or elastane in a fabric blend. He recommends one of his bestselling pants, Akris Punto’s “Mara” pants : “They give the comfort of leggings with the sheen of structured pants.” He suggests pairing it with an extra long jacket that covers the back for maximum comfort.
If you like skirts, he likes Rebecca Taylor’s stretch tweed . For a cheaper yet stretchy option, I love this bright green suit from Zara or this one from H&M .
Another bonus: the elastic waist is no longer just for pregnancy or Thanksgiving dinner – Krohn tells me that designers have started attaching elastic belts to the back of the suit pants, which are not only more comfortable, but also allow the wearer to put on a few pounds without feeling yourself like cutting the magician’s assistant in half.
In terms of more casual office wear, I was intrigued by Betabrand, which is all about making work clothes as comfortable as yoga clothes, especially classic palazzo pants and a navy striped skirt . Betabrand office wear has hidden pockets and includes skirts with built-in shorts, so you don’t show anyone if you cycle to work or, you know, bend over to grab a paperclip.
Men have also benefited from stretch fabrics in suits: this Theory blazer is knitted rather than woven, and stretches slightly, which means less feeling of being squeezed like a boa constrictor when you shrug. This wool suit from H&M includes a little elastane if your salary is more than a teacher than a banker.
Pajamas
Slouchy suits are in vogue right now – casual suits, and there is even a full trend in pajama clothes that designers show on the catwalks. Obviously this won’t work if you’re Gordon Gekko, but if you’re in a creative field and can get away from what might be called an aggressive whim, pajama-style outerwear might just help you through the day without feeling like you have to learn to lose. shrink film. (And if you’re tall. Since I’m short, I can’t wear draped clothes – I look like I’m sitting in a trash bag.) If I had the courage, and if I looked okay, eccentric, and if I worked in an area that matches Prada’s Devil Wears more than a haunted, crumb-covered writer , I’d pick this from Zara . (I would zip the top.)
To order
If you work in a formal corporate environment and have scratches, place an order to order. If I ever go back to corporate work, I will wear men’s clothes because I don’t like women’s suits, stockings and heels. Bindle and Keep makes tailor-made suits for men and women, both trans and cis, and if you want a suit that fits you well in all the right places and maybe even stretches a little, you need to customize it.
The cheaper version of the bespoke came off the assembly line with revisions. Brian Sakawa , who runs a menswear blog on HeSpokeStyle , wrote in an email: “If someone complains about an uncomfortable piece of clothing, it’s usually because it doesn’t fit. A jacket from a suit that is too small in the chest or armhole, a button-down shirt with a neck half an inch smaller, pants that you thought were about the size of your waist but looks small. These small fit issues can be very uncomfortable.
“Form and comfort go hand in hand, and the best weapon a guy has against that is finding a quality tailor. Almost all ready-to-wear clothing will require some modification to fit properly. ” I can guarantee that this also applies to women – even my T-shirts are designed for maximum comfort.
Dresses
Sometimes I prefer dresses to trousers because the right dress completely eliminates pinching at the waist, which is probably the number one sensation that makes me want to throw myself out of the office window. I was intrigued by the dresses that Ernst Reiko offers. They were recommended by a fashionable friend who works in the media, noting that they are not only beautiful and professional, but also 1) have pockets and 2) are cut loosely enough to eat a big lunch and not suck your stomach to the end. in the afternoon. They are all modeled with heels that don’t fit me, but I bet I could find a way to make them work with ballet flats or boots.
A dress more suited to the writer’s salary is Lands End’s ” straight cut ” dress recommended by a couple of lawyer friends in the offices for their daily business life. It is linen and spandex, the belt is loose. They pair the dress with a cardigan to avoid hypothermia in the office air conditioner.
Shoes, tights, maybe two pairs of panties
My searches on the Internet have brought up a huge variety of what people define as comfortable , so your experience may vary depending on these suggestions: One woman says she wears two pairs of underpants, one on top and one under her pantyhose to prevent crotch sagging, which for I have at least two layers of clothing too much; I picture a woman with a fabric inner tube around her thighs. Other women prefer regular tights, suspenders, knee-highs, or even flesh-colored socks ; I would kill a man so that he never wore any tights, each his own.
Shoes are another wildly individual thing: some people like thin ballet flats; others offer any kind of Cole Haan , Dansko , Merrell , United Nude , Seychelles or Clarks , depending on the formality of your office and your taste. Custom-made insoles can make a big difference in how far you can walk comfortably and take away the temptation to rock the entire Working Girl sneaker and suit look.
Men in formal office settings may have to suffer for beauty, at least for a while: Brian Sakawa tells me that “A well-tailored pair of leather shoes will almost always be uncomfortable at first. It takes time to break quality leather, but when these shoes are broken they will feel fantastic. This is a compromise. You can spend less on a pair of lower quality shoes that feel good right out of the box, but they definitely won’t last as long as a pair that could cost twice as much, and you end up spending more over time to constantly replace. those shoes of inferior quality. “
So this is a calculation that only you can do, sort of like a girl with two panties. Bottom line: No matter how sensitive you are to itchy fabrics and tight armholes, there is a professional wardrobe to help you comfortably through the day.