A Change Will Do You Good ~ My Adorable Small Town Life

Holy Crap March!! You were a menace full of too much news. I feel like I am finally finding my feet after a whirlwind of good news, bad news, and having to wear dress pants far more than I normally care to.

I'm leaving the bad news in the past, but the good news is that I am starting a new job on Wednesday. For the job I will have to continue to wear dress pants far more than I generally care too, but I'm going to take it as a learning experience and possibly something that is a necessity now that I am over thirty.

I have never had a job with a dress code before, so I know this 'business casual' thing will take some getting used to. Especially since my default outfit is jeans and a t-shirt/hoodie, and my preferred clothes are "comfy." I think I have more PJs than regular clothes, but I will soon have to start balancing out my wardrobe.

Yesterday I began my search for some business casual clothes, but I didn't really know what I was looking for and I am never in the mood to buy clothes. Grocery shopping? I could do that all day. Clothes shopping? It's like pulling teeth. So I didn't add any business casual clothes to my collection yesterday, but I did find a pair of track pants for only $10 that I have been wearing pretty steadily since I bought them. I am sure I will buy a few more pairs (there are assorted colours, and they are only $10!), but they are doing nothing to solve my business casual problem. I'm not worried yet, as I'm sure I can piece together three or four passable outfits, I just have to pick up a few more over the next little while. And a steamer - I absolutely refuse to incorporate ironing into my day. Wish me luck!

What is your dress code at work? Have you ever had to train yourself to wear clothes out of your comfort zone?

7 comments:

MarilynApril 7, 2011 at 11:58 AM
Congrats on the new job! Are you going to tell us what it is? :)

I too hate dressy clothes and clothes shopping, and love the comfy.

When I decided I needed a part-time job to go along with working from home as a PJ-clad writer, dress codes were actually a factor in my job hunt. That's one part of why I now work with dogs, where wearing anything other than jeans, t-shirts and running shoes would be counter-productive!
JessicaApril 7, 2011 at 1:42 PM
One time when I had a job interview at a fairly nice place, I wore dress pants and a button down shirt hoping to make a good impression. (I am also a total pajamas girl.)

The woman doing the interview looked me up and down and then said "You would have to wear a skirt. You would also be required to wear low heels and stockings. And I see that you don't wear any makeup... if you wanted to make the proper impression, you'd probably have to wear at least lipstick and mascara. Also, ponytails are not allowed."

The job? NOT EVEN DEALING WITH ACTUAL CUSTOMERS. My job would have been to stand beside the actual salesperson, ready to run off and fetch anything they needed. I need to wear heals for this?

If it gets more complicated that a nice shirt and pants, it's not the job for me :P

Good luck on your new job! :)
JessicaApril 7, 2011 at 1:43 PM
uhm... heels, rather. :\
Lori-GraceApril 7, 2011 at 2:07 PM
When I was at OG, I had a post it note I had written to myself that said:

"Sometimes I feel awkward in clothing."

It was a real hit with Corey - and we know how THAT story ended... I digress...

It's not so much that I don't LIKE doing dress clothes. I just like doing them on my own TERMS. I think the two biggest challenges were having enough dress clothing to get me through till the next laundry day, AND having dress clothing that would fit my ever fluctuating waist line.( After 2 months of dating Corey, I didn't fit into ANY of the pants I bought for the job, and had to wear dresses everyday. Eww. Hosery.)

ANYWAY. Good luck with the new job - I shall live vicariously through you and your blog, while at home in 'yoga' pants and my sons hand me down hoodie.
Jen BApril 7, 2011 at 4:16 PM
Holy cow I feel the love on this post! Comfy-clothes loving women of the world UNITE!! :)

@Marilyn - I never really thought about dress codes, but you were wise to make sure your PT job would accommodate what you wear. Every other job I've had was 'wear what you like' so I never really thought about it. I'll figure it out!

@Skwishee - OMG, did you walk out of the place? That interviewer sounds awful! Who says that to a person?? Don't even get me started on make-up! Luckily this is going to be no more complicated than nice shirt and pants. I think I can handle that. I am far too tall for heels!!

@Lori - I am definitely going to remember that post it note - that says it all! I think from now on I will be wearing a track suit to all social engagements! :)
tashabApril 7, 2011 at 9:36 PM
I also love the comfy, and I work in a business casual office. Khakis are your friend! Reitmans also has a line of dressy-ish, but comfy tops as well :)
Jen BApril 8, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Great info Tasha! I just checked Reitmans online and they have some deals on nice clothes! I'll be checking them out for sure! Thanks for your help! :)