The Denim Question

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Archer

Veteran

How do you feel about denim pieces in professional work capsule?

6 years ago

Dressing

11 replies

Latest reply was from binkle

lyn67

Veteran

To answer your question: I DO feel great!:-). I don't like jeans (as pants) for me (but we all know "the premium jeans concept" is very popular for professionals) rather having an assortment of denim jackets (and skirts) ind diff. colors (whites, dark ink, blacks or greys) and finishes(for ex. black coated for fall/winter and bright white or a slight wash for spring/summer) for easying up a business look based outfit (like a wool or jersey dress, black ankle pants, or even a strict pencil&shell etc.) I think nowadays these are all acceptable for a casual business look, if other than banking or special formal levels&fields.
In fact I would be very unhappy if not being able to mix things up a bit-love to have some fun, too.:-)

6 years ago

Lucy

Veteran

Personally, I love it.
It probably wouldn't work in some fields, e.g. many law firms.
That said, I like it a lot as a look. I'm an academic, which often skews casual, but I sit in a lot of meetings with men in suits and ties, so I tend to dress up rather than down. But I love the look of a classic pencil dress with a denim jacket. I have denim jackets in blue, black and white, and they get a lot of wear with my more dressy dresses and skirts.
My last uni was a bit more casual and I used to do a dressy jacket, nice top and good jeans quite a bit. I don't do that so much anymore, as I now work in pretty a warm climate, but I think it's a good, comfy, practical and stylish look too.

6 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

In general, denim does not look professional.
That being said, there are countless different "professions", and of course, a gardener does not have to dress like a lawyer or a managing director, and vice versa.
At many workplaces, you will be ALLOWED to wear denim. The question is: What impression do you want to give? Are you meeting customers/clients, and what will they expect?
If you want to look "professional" in denim, a safe choice could be wearing dark denim that is not distressed.

6 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

It completely depends. I have worked mainly in creative fields (design, broadcasting), so it would almost be weird to NOT wear denim. But when I worked in a private school many years ago, denim was a no-go. I agree that darker, more classic cuts of denim are best when wearing it in professional settings.

6 years ago

AndiB

Veteran

I work in a professional office, and as a non-profit executive director I meet a lot of people (who often give me money!) and like to look professional and current. Those days I wouldn't wear jeans. But in my small office, we have a biz casual policy, and in fact today I am wearing dark denim straight leg jeans, cuffed up 4 inches, a v-neck tee (not cotton, but more fluid), black blazer, neckerchief, pearl earrings, pearl and gold bracelets, and leopard flats. Chic (if I do say so myself... and two staff complimented me this morning too!) I feel very good in this ensemble. I said to my office manager that I need to remember this combo (take pictures maybe? doh) so yes to jeans in the office, when I don't have meetings, but always with professional and trendy aspects (today's trendy is the neck scarf, cuffed dark denim)

6 years ago

Anonymous

I wear denim to work, but it's always dark blue, gray or soft white (and never distressed). I wear nice tops, accessories and shoes. This attire is perfectly acceptable in the casual ag office where I work, especially for me, as I'm an administrative assistant and sit at a desk. Most of the time, people only see me from the waist up.

6 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

The right denim in the right setting works well. Casual Fridays are denim friendly in the US. White and black jeans look dressy for sure. I wear jeans with clients all the time. No rips or tears though.

6 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

In my last job, we weren't allowed to wear blue jeans on Fridays, but other colors of jeans were okay, but only on Fridays. I had some denim that I wore, though. I had a dark blue denim shirt dress, and a denim vest that I wore with skirts. None of it made any sense to me, because everyone outside the office was wearing blue jeans.

6 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

Denim passes the acceptability test when juxtaposed with dressy. The denim jacket over more formal dress/skirt or pant combo is seen all the time. Casual Friday's dark denim bottoms works. During the week white denim is also acceptable.

6 years ago

Christina F.

Veteran

My workplace is casual for roles that don't interact with people outside he organization. I wear dark wash or colored jeans all the time. I try to use other details to dress them up abbot, though. But jeans are very common here (large nonprofit).

6 years ago

binkle

Veteran

Depends on dress code of the office. If denim is allowed, I'd go with darker washes and more structured looks. Then again, I am more used to office environments that lean more toward decorum than "you do you."

6 years ago

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