What to wear to work, grunge style?

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What to wear to work, grunge style?

grungebusiness

(website)

Member

Hi out there! So I have a fashion problem

I'm one of those girls who loves to dress in black - band shirts, ripped black jeans, combat boots and leather or jeans jackets. But now I'm starting an office job where this isn't the optimal way to dress.

Do you have any tips and tricks on how I can make my look more sophisticated and business without completely losing my edgy style? My influences are 90's grunge and rock/metal clothing

8 years ago

Dressing

5 replies

Latest reply was from Christina F.

Greyscale

Veteran

Welcome! A lot of us have made that same transition to sophisticated styles from rock / goth / punk / whatever our particular subculture of origin. You'll find some inspiration from people's outfits in this forum. Janet is always a great example of grownup style with a rock edge:
https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....g-my-jeans

And Angie's blog posts, especially the Ensemble posts, have some great tips too. Like, you could wear one of your band shirts with a blazer and trendy jeans:
https://youlookfab.com/2017/04.....y-bottoms/

I pretty much only wear black, and I enjoy taking Angie's ideas and playing around with how I would interpret them in black, or with more edge. One of my favorite interpretations was this frayed tweed jacket that I can wear with a graphic tee (though ugh, not the best photos of me):
https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....-thrifting

What do other people wear in your office job? What's the dress code or prevailing style? That'll help give us somewhere to start. For instance, do people wear jeans?

8 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I like non-traditional suits - with a graphic tee...

8 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Well, as a former recruiter, I can confirm that grunge style is not exactly corporate wear. So you may need to save most of your grungy items for your leisure time and instead do your best to fit in with the style and values of the organization you are going to work for and represent.

Try to get information about how your future colleagues dress. What did you notice at the job interview? Is it possible to wait near the building when people are leaving, so that you can get an idea of their dress code? Or you can simply call and ask. (That will often be appreciated.)

In many offices, jeans are allowed, but this does not mean any kind of jeans. Unless you know for sure that people at your future workplace dress very casually, I recommend you to avoid ripped jeans (ripped anything, actually).

Black jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, jackets and other black items will likely be OK, provided they are without holes etc. As for band T-shirts / graphic T-shirts, make sure that the texts and motives are not in conflict with your employer's values or getting too much attention. (You, or at least your employer, will likely want the main focus to be on the organization's products or services. This is especially important if you are going to have contact with costumers/clients. If you have a more "invisible" job, however, you will often be allowed to dress more casually.)

Are checked flannel shirts (i.e. red & black, or green & black) part of your grunge style? I guess they will be possible to wear at work, maybe styled a little differently.

A final warning: Being unkempt is often a key element of grunge style. However, at most workplaces, unkempt hair, nails, etc. are not appreciated. So, dependent on your present preferences, you may need to adjust to a more groomed look. However, you are not expected to look girly, cute, ladylike or glamorous. Aiming to look, and be, clean and well-groomed goes a long way. But you did know this already, didn't you?

Best wishes for your new job and new style!

8 years ago

Mel

Active Member

I've worked as an administrator of of school and I can also agree with The Cat that personal style is something you may have to put aside so that you can adequately represent your company or institution's mission.

However, even as I've seen women adapt their wear to their workplaces, some retain an accessory or detail from their "off-duty style", like a purse or a piece of jewelry, and integrate it tastefully into their outfit. The point here is not to look aggressive, immature, or anti-social, I guess, which is what some styles have a connotation of, even though it may not be in the intention of the wearer.

And then there are those who know how to bend the rules without breaking them. We once had a teacher who had an extreme boho/ethnic sort of style (never wore anything else but long, sweeping, often asymmetrical dresses with maximal accessories), but she was so polished, stylish, and clean, that it somehow all worked together and was quite appropriate for her teaching environment. The students loved to guess how "Mrs. X" was going dress day after day!

8 years ago

Christina F.

Veteran

I know people who dress for work but retain some of this aesthetic. One goes the t-shirt and blazer route a lot, mentioned above. I did that a lot when I used to teach, too. Another opts for flowy layers (mostly black, with occasional grey or red), and chunky boots. The latter is at a pretty relaxed environment, though, where she can also get away with colored streaks in her hair. (Her role doesn't interact outside our org, but it does interact with the top levels internally.) It's all about how the people around you are dressing, and whether you will be client-facing at all.

8 years ago

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