How do you define “work comfortable?” - YouLookFab Forum

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How do you define “work comfortable?”

Column

Veteran

Consulting your collective wisdom, dear fabbers:

I am on my feet a good bit at work. By Wednesday or Thursday, I can start to fatigue, which means that when I look in my closet to get dressed, my guiding principle is: What will allow me to feel comfortable today?

Defining “comfort” in a work outfit has been more challenging for me than one might immediately think. On the one hand, I can define it in the negative: no shapewear, no heels—which also means no dresses or skirts (for me, anyway). That leaves me with pants, that wardrobe item that is the hardest for me to style and of which I have fewest in my closet.

Luckily, my workplace dress code is pretty flexible. While sweats and loungewear are out, people do wear jeans—although then, too, I have often hemmed for heels for a longer leg line.

Any suggestions? How do you achieve comfort at work? I am ready to learn!

Dressing

19 replies

Latest reply was from

lisaflex

Veteran

what about leggings, tunic and comfy boots?

stretchy pencil skirt, tunic, vest and comfy boots.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Difficult for me to answer as I ve always had what I wear at work dictated to me by uniform policies but from what I understand by what you have written ,comfort for you seems to start at your feet.Therefore I would probably choose an outfit from the shoes up.Can you wear block heels or chunky soled shoes to give you the height without the heel?or have you got flat shoes that would work with skirts?Doc Martin styles,Mary Janes,Brogues are allstyles that spring to mind.

Sal

Veteran

Hi Column

I have a very flexible work dress code - I mix between an office and a workshop environment. It can be dusty and is at a smallish airport.

In summer I like flat but open sandals or shoes. Loose but tidy tops. And black pants are my absolute go to because they are more comfortable than jeans but a bit smarter. Mine have a small amount of stretch.

In winter I like low boots or sneakers, jeans or pants. I sometimes wear a sweater with a scarf or a leather jacket with a top underneath. I like a tailored fit.

I used to always wear at least a mid heel with a midi dress or skirt but I have started wearing flats and sneakers now. I do find a dress really comfortable for work - I don't wear one as much in the depths of winter when I need tights etc but in the transitional periods and summer they are my go to. I wonder if you might find a flats and dress combo that you like.

My areas that make me physically or psychologically uncomfortable at work are
- tired feet
- restricted waists
- clothes that are too precious - I can't predict and might have to go into stores or manufacturing or outside if it is raining - so I do avoid white jeans, shoes that scuff easily, and too delicate a fabric.

Do you have at least two pairs of super comfy shoes to rotate all week? Maybe wearing super comfy shoes all week might pay off later in the week? Just a thought.

It is not always an easy balance!

slim cat

Veteran

Shoes are the biggest challenge for me ( no heels limits my options too ). I do some dressier ECCO for my casual and got new ones for dressier outfits:
https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/l.....ategory-pe
Stretchy but not tight, slim but not hugging my body - that's my choice in dark denim, pants. Boyfriend blazer - for topper. Still looking and learning from others.

kellygirl

Veteran

I’m totally comfort driven at work. That means jeans that don’t bind and comfortable shoes—usually boots. Sometimes when I’m feeling fluffy, I’ll wear body skimming dresses without hose and tall boots so no need for shape wear.

Jane

Veteran

Hello Column, last year, when thinking through my wardrobe, over a two week period, I tried to find and then wore 10 outfits, that would score for me a 10. This worked in terms of giving me clarity on what works.

I am curvy, so if I am wearing trousers I prefer a longer jacket. It is quite a conservative and formal environment, so that also is a factor to consider. I prefer pieces that don't need ironing. I prefer darker colours and reasonably hard wearing fabrics. Flat shoes are a must for the commute. Black opaque tights generally with skirts (as OTK boots cover up my tights but I like the look on the commute). I like gold hardware, buttons on blazers, zips if exposed. I like a midi length or knee length skirt, because that length doesn't flap about too much when walking. I do have 3 jackets in the office, so that I don't need to wear one in every day. I wear a cardigan on the commute.

Definitely quite a formulaic approach and I have definitely given this a tonne of thought over the years.

I am nodding with CardiffGirl on the shoes up comment.

Sometimes I look wistfully at those wearing jeans for work. It might be a criteria for my next job

kkards

Veteran

Yes to feet first. If my feet aren’t happy I’m not happy. 2nd to my comfort is physiological comfort. It must fit in a way that makes me feel good, no tugging, no pulling up or down, layers so that I’m not cold. (To that end, I almost always have a shawl with me.) 3rd is physical comfort, I find jeans super comfortable, but I get that many people don’t. If I wasn’t wearing jeans I’d go for ponte knit pants.
Also Nordstrom has some light compression trouser socks that are expensive but IMO worth every penny. I’m on my phone so I can’t add find, but really give them a try.

nemosmom

Veteran

What about a sweater dress and leggings with tallish boots?

Disclaimer: It's been years since I worked away from home (aside from occasional meetings), so I may be completely clueless.

rachylou

Veteran

Flat supportive shoes - if tall, they must be wedges. No binding waists. Warm! I wear a thermal layer always when in an office, they’re always cold! No pantyhose. I wear knee or thigh highs and jockey shirt slips.

Tbh, I don’t find office clothes comfortable, just minimally uncomfortable.

April

Veteran

To me, dresses and skirts look better with boots that are flat, not heeled. I find the proportions look off when the boot has a heel.

YMMV, but give it a try and see what you think. For me, flat footwear is essential to comfort.

Brooklyn

Veteran

My eye has totally adjusted to flat or almost flat shoes so, like April, I now feel that heels, especially high heels, look wrong. I wear flat or low heeled tall boots with midi skirts as my go to for comfortable wear in cold weather. Although I do like ankle boots, tall boots are more insulating with a skirt. I especially like tall boots that have a stretchy panel on the back that moulds to your leg. Comfortable and sleek looking. For comfort, I also much prefer the feel of a knit top to a woven. Something about a blouse can feel fussy and precious to me, although I do love the look of soft, pretty blouses.

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The Cat

Veteran

Knit/knitted skirts, pullovers, cardigans, scarves, and low-heeled footwear are the most comfortable items I can work in most of the year. I use opaque hosiery when it's cold, and nylon tights when not so cold.

In summer, I often sport A-line skirts in light-weave fabrics, nice tank tops or camisoles, and long open shirts worn as toppers.

Column

Veteran

Well the shoes certainly have it as an answer! I have been purchasing lower-block-heeled tall boots and booties since studying YLF, but most dresses still require shapewear and I just don`t have enough pants to really get my wear out of all the low heeled footwear.

One item that really stuck out to me is leggings. I can, indeed, wear these under dresses with the boots. I even have a few swing and shift styles that allow me to be relaxed in the torso. These, all by themselves, should extend my wardrobe choices.

And yes, I need to get comfortable committing even such things as wide leg pants and jeans—not to mention the loose dresses—to sneakers, flats, etc. Thanks YLFabbers. I knew you would help solve my dilemma! Hope it helped others, too!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Glad you are sorted!

It might help to go through the blog archives to look at some of Angie's outfit formulas. If you can identify the shapes that make you feel most comfortable and those you feel flatter you well enough with flats/ low heels, then that will give you a starting point.

Also, as someone whose legs are on the shorter side, I find it really helpful to tone hosiery to footwear / pants to extend the legline in cold weather OR to show a bit of skin in warmer weather (around the ankle). As a lighter haired person I do like the balance that lighter footwear and/or skin tone tights/ ankles showing can provide -- which makes it much easier for me to wear flats with dresses and skirts in summer. Having said that, it works quite okay to keep the footwear and tights low contrast to one another and to the skirt/ pant.

As it happens, I actually prefer a 2 inch block heel to a complete flat for comfort, but 1 inch is also good for me and I can bear flats like sneakers if I add insoles. I never wear anything over 2.5 inches, no matter what. So everything is geared to that.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Glad you're finding solutions, Column.

I am always comfortable at work - which means:

shoes that go the distance because I walk everywhere on top of the shopping walking
clothes that keep me warm enough. Hate arctic a/c.
clothes that are covered and structured
hair that looks good all day.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I have found that although I live in jeans otherwise, they are not always the best choice for jobs where I’m on my feet. The waist and crotch can be too binding and they can easily get too hot when I’m moving around. So I’m transitioning most of the year to chino type pants with a lighter fabric and a looser fit through the hips. They also come across dressier so I can get away with more casual shoes and tops.

I agree that foot comfort is mandatory and all I wear these days are supportive flat/neatly flat shoes. I also think about layers and pockets when I’m constructing work outfits.

Gaylene

Veteran

One tip I read years ago really helped me put together “work comfortable” outfits when I was teaching at the university. The tip was (1) pick the item where you prioritize comfort and (2) make the rest of your outfit “workplace worthy”.

Examples:
I need comfortable shoes because I’ll be on my feet for 8-10 hours today: Formula= sneakers/supportive shoes+trousers+jacket

I need a forgiving waistline: Formula=nice shoes+elastic waist, knit skirt+tailored top

I need jeans because I’ll be crawling around fixing computer cabling: Formula=dressy flats+jeans+cashmere sweater

Christina F.

Veteran

I think there is physical comfort and psychological comfort:

For me, physical comfort includes comfortable shoes (need to be able to walk part of my commute in them, or else change shoes at work); warmth; non-restrictive waist; nothing fussy that needs to be pulled at or tugged all day.

Psychological comfort includes dressing for environmental norms (my office skews polished casual unless you have a role that faces outside the org) and sufficient modesty (necklines high enough etc). I do favor brighter colors than some of my office mates, and shinier shoes, but I don't mind standing out in that way.

This all means that I were a lot of pullovers with jeans and sneakers or boots in the winter, and blouses, light pants, midi dresses or skirts with comfort sandals in the summer--layers are must for summer since the office is colder than it is in the winter. I occasionally sub in trousers or a blazer for jeans and pullovers/blouses. I do sometimes wear winter skirts and dresses, but not so much this year (not feeling the look as much for now).

Anonymous

I like what Gaylene said- no more than one plain or more casual piece per outfit for work. No restrictive waists or shoulders, but at least a 2 inch heel (aside from when I need to wear my snowboots). I prefer blouses to dress up my pants, though not a hard rule. The very cold days are the hardest by far