I love my track pants. I really do. After long day at TS HQ or even a shopping trip, I couldn’t wait to get home, rip off what ever I was wearing and slip into a well worn pair of Free City tracks and an old hoodie. At first, working from home during lockdown seemed great for the sole reason that I would get to work in comfy clothes all day long. Don’t get me wrong, I love my J.Crew Cameron pants, but they just cannot beat a pair of tracks with possibly a hole or two in the bum.
However, after almost a year of working from home, my well-worn and well-loved tracks are just not doing it for me anymore. As a fashion editor, I miss actually picking out clothing to wear and getting dressed. I miss little styling touches of a folded hem or a rolled cuff. After mentally saving styling tips from Allison Bornstein for the days I will be returning to work, I finally decided enough is enough, and made a plan to actually wear real clothes for a week.
Monday
Wearing: A Uniqlo cashmere crewneck sweater, my most comfortable vintage jeans and an added touch of a Birks necklace (remember jewelry?!).
It felt a lot nicer than expected to get up on a Monday morning and dress with purpose. I had a Zoom meeting in the morning, which helped incentivize me to get dressed. What I also forgot about in the last year, was how blissful it is to change out of work clothes at the end of the day. It was a small way of ending my work day and starting my evening.
Tuesday
Wearing: A black t-shirt, a cardigan, yesterday’s jeans (why ruin a good thing?) and Birkenstock shearling Arizona sandals.
I started my morning taking my dogs for a walk, wearing Roots track pants circa my university days, and a sweatshirt I bought at a Newport Beach surf shop. Transitioning from that into jeans and a cardigan was hard. A big part of me wanted to ditch the notion of wearing real clothes and stay in the tracks. But, as another Zoom call was scheduled for the morning, I changed, brushed my hair into a low ponytail, and even added a spritz of perfume. Sitting at my desk, I actually felt refreshed.
Wednesday
Wearing: Black leggings, a blue & white striped button-down, gold rings from The Last Line and a Mejuri necklace.
Leggings are pants! So far, this is my favourite look of the week, and definitely warrants a re-wear once we return to the office. With the base being so simple, the addition of a necklace and rings felt like a bit of an upgrade.
Thursday
Wearing: A black oversized Free People sweater and light blue straight-fit jeans with the cuff folded up.
As I near the end of the week, a decision has been made: I am going to dress in real clothes for the foreseeable lockdown future…or until I give into laziness. Putting on jeans, doing my hair, and wearing jewelry and perfume makes me feel like I am starting my mornings with purpose, and brings about a feeling I didn’t even realize I missed.
Friday
Wearing: Black cashmere lounge pants, a Uniqlo men’s crewneck sweatshirt and a gold anklet.
It is casual Friday, so I opted for a more relaxed look. While this look is comprised of lounge pants and a sweatshirt, the items are definitely pieces I haven’t been wearing while I WFH. I still feel put together, and not as schlep-y as I have been feeling. Plus, my added detail of an anklet made me feel a touch more dressed up.
The Outcome
As I declared on Thursday, dressing up for work is something I’m going to keep up. It starts my mornings with purpose, and creates more of a routine in my day – a routine that I used to have and currently miss. As a person in the fashion industry, I got so caught up in comfort dressing and athleisure, that I forgot how much I actually like planning an outfit to head into the office. It even motivated me when it came to the creative side of the job. My suggestion to you, dear readers, is that you give this a go. Even if it’s just for a week or even a month, you may actually enjoy breaking up the monotony of ‘Stay Home’ orders.
More #StayHome
Prev
While the idea of “clothes and dressing” is often deemed frivolous and inconsequential, what we put on our bodies actually...
Next
Considering we are rolling into “completing” our first year of our new Covid-era lives, with no end in sight (depressing,...
