Dressing For Working From Home
Working from home has become the 'new normal' and meeting via a virtual platform like Zoom or Teams is par for the course. But don't forget you still need to make yourself feel like you are 'at work' and all that brings to your life.
When more of us are working from home – by choice or necessity with social distancing – it’s important to keep to a routine and to keep yourself accountable. You might say to me ‘but I’m at home who is going to see me’, but it’s about self-care and remember, you are dressing for YOU.
It’s especially important to think about the colours you choose to wear on the upper half of your body - it's all that is seen during a virtual meeting. You want a colour that brightens up your skin and makes you feel alive.
While it’s so easy to be tempted to stay in your pyjamas all day, I feel it’s hard to be productive in pyjamas, as I associate them with the end of a day’s work, time to relax and chill out.
What Should You Think About When Putting An Outfit Together?
Are you going to be working in front of the camera while you attend virtual meetings or doing your own Facebook Live meetings? If so, you don’t want look like you have just rolled out of bed.
Take time to rummage in your wardrobe, have fun putting at least three different outfits together to use whilst working from home.
You want to feel comfortable but still look professional and maintain your personal brand. You don’t have to wear a suit, but you may need a jacket handy for that unexpected online meeting.
If you wear mostly black, think about adding your favourite necklace or a pretty pair of earrings to lift the effect. A plain coloured shirt layered with a necklace looks effective on the screen.
Remember to consider where the light is coming from –if you have a window on one side with light shining on your face the other side will be darker. Perhaps set the room lighting to be more flattering if you can.
Have a couple of statement tops that you can team up with a comfy pair of jeans or pants for an easy outfit to style. I prefer to wear a jersey wrap dress or a stretchy t-shirt dress with a statement necklace. Look for garments that aren’t going to crease easily and look tired when you’ve been sitting in front of a screen all day – so try to avoid linen.
Whilst working from home we still need to maintain that ‘work / life’ balance. When I’m finished my tasks for the day I like to change into my comfy clothes, to switch from professional mode to personal – and to tell the truth, I love my pyjamas!
Serena Ryan from Serena Dot Ryan works from home and attends many early morning video conferences. Serena has kindly allowed me to share some of the outfits we have styled together. The outfits look as effective on camera as in person, they represent her brand and show off her personality to a tee.
