Since the start of the pandemic and stay-at-home measures, has your style become more casual, or has it stayed the same? If you were already a very casual dresser who has continued to dress casually, you bat for Team The Same. If you worked from home before the pandemic, you might bat for Team The Same. If you’re an essential worker who continues to work in your regular work environment, you might bat for Team the Same.
My own style over the last six months hasn’t changed much. I continue to wear my dressy and smart casual clothes with polished toppers, structured handbags and pearls, despite a socially restricted lifestyle, with no travel, and no in-person client meetings. I style my hair and wear make-up every day. I work from home, run errands and go on grocery runs, cook, clean, and walk our Yorkie Sam. I’ve found that my handbags and footwear are more important than ever because I’m out and about on foot with doggy in tow and not in a car. I need extra COVID-19 measures with me whenever I walk out the front door, AND exceptionally comfortable shoes all the time.
I bat for Team More Casual because I haven’t worn my wedding rings, bracelets, or any shoes but fashion sneakers since the beginning of March. I wore my sandals once, but not for long. My sneakers keep my feet very happy, effectively dress down my dressy looks, and feel right for the times. I also have two pairs of at-home-only sneakers to keep my feet supported.
Although these changes are subtle, they have made my style more casual. When life normalizes and is less socially restrictive, I’ll happily wear my rings and bracelets again, and re-welcome other footwear. That said, I also predict a shift in my post-pandemic footwear style. I think I’ll wear fashion sneakers to client meetings, thereby embracing the business casual and smart casual look with a polished pair of sneakers. Previously I had a rule: no sneakers when working with clients unless I’m shopping the NAS and on my feet for 14 hours. But since my sneaker style is non-athletic, crisp, simple, and I keep them very clean, I’m going for it. Why not! The world has changed forever, and part of me has changed with it.
Over to you. Has your style this year become more casual, or has it stayed the same? If the former, how exactly has your style become more casual, and do you see the change making a more permanent impact? No batting for both teams, but on the bench there are spicy salmon poke bowls with seaweed, rice, cucumber, and edamame in takeout boxes so that you can eat in the safety of your home.
