Dress Well, Work Better
How what we wear makes us feel
“What do I wear to work in the summer?”
“Same thing you wear in the other seasons, you just sweat on the subway.”
This is a real conversation I had with a 22-year-old graphic designer, the winter before the pandemic. I often revisit it. As life would have it, she never had to get dressed and ride the hot ass subway into the office, but the question sticks with me.
Today, I want to discuss what happens when we get dressed for work.
This is my favorite photo of me from my 3 years at Outdoor Voices. I was about six months in, working in customer service, and a customer had just sent me two cases of Budweiser for being so on it.
I was dressed in my best Leandra Medine—which I still think hits—and vividly remember feeling incredible, even before the beer arrived.
What I also notice about this photo is that I look tiny. At that time, I was taking two yoga classes a day and not eating enough. I was not naturally blonde or thin, and most people were one or both of those things. I always felt out of place. Fifteen years of ballet had already taught me about critical body self-analysis, so this isn’t a rag or a realization, but I’m not going to pretend like working with an office of fit models doesn’t do something to the brain.
But that day, I felt like myself, and also them, still Camille, but finally fitting in.
You have to feel like yourself at work. You’re still going in a body, even if that body is at your kitchen table. Mine is.
Three ground rules from me:
You must be clean.
I once went 9 days, in office, without washing my hair, which is a growth hack that has since been disproven by trichologists. During this time, I lost my opportunity to be on the OV Exercise Dress PDP because my hair looked so bad.
Your coworkers shouldn’t know how hot you actually are.
I absolutely encourage Pretty Woman-ing where appropriate. For instance, last year I wore my legs to CarMax and left with a very low interest rate, but the office is not the place.
When working from home, you must wear shoes.
“But Camille, I don’t wear shoes in the house!” Good, you shouldn’t, it’s disgusting. But consider Home Work Shoes. During the pandemic, I resonated with what Ester Perel discussed re: the loss of transitions throughout the day. Getting dressed, changing for a class, freshening up for a drink—these markers of transformation invite us to become someone new. We need to play dress up! So I taught myself that shoes = work. If you can’t bring yourself to wash your hair, please put on some Home Work Shoes.
I reached out to three friends for their take on dressing for work. I fired off the ask in entirely different ways, so what you’re about to read varies in format. Enjoy!
Sara Belmer is the Director of Global Marketing at Tory Burch. Formerly of Argent and Outdoor Voices, Belmer is an exceptionally on-fire individual. A very important person to all who know her. In addition to her day job, she surfs, participates in local politics, and takes on fashion and interior design projects for select clients. She styled my 3-week trip to Scotland and Greece last year and imparted so much wisdom about how to dress and feel confident.
Here’s what Sara’s wearing to work and what she thinks about it:
“My POV on dressing for the office specifically is that I have to be comfortable, full stop. If I’m uncomfortable, I cannot focus. I obviously want to be polished, chic, and functional, but comfort comes before all of those things, which is my general styling philosophy for life. I keep work shoes at my desk and commute in sneakers, which is very Devil Wears Prada of me, but demonstrates my commitment.”
Comme Si Navy Button Down, Tibi Nylon Purple Asymmetrical Dress, Vintage Prada Flats, Gucci Watch.
“Take a dress that is NSFW and put a button-down over it.”
J. Crew Men’s Button Down, Hanes Youth Tank, Tibi Stella Nylon Pants, Tory Burch Violet Mary Jane’s, Gucci Watch.
“I wear some version of once a week. The Tibi nylon pants are my most prized possession, and the thing people ask me about most often.”
Tory Burch Top and Flats. Tibi Jeans. Gucci Watch.
“I love this outfit because it’s really sculptural and plays with proportions in an interesting way, but it’s still so comfortable.”
Kathleen Rubin is the Senior Associate | Regional Business Development Manager at TBG Partners in San Antonio, Texas. Previously, Kathleen led projects for the San Antonio River Authority and the City of Austin, all in service of more beautiful public spaces. She does incredible florals and interiors as Room is Blue, and we met because she was my Yoga teacher. Kath says she remembered me in class, but I slid into her DMs. (If you think someone is cool, say hi.)
I asked Kathleen, chic Virgo, to tell me about her outfits because they are so, so good:
“I wear some version of Jesse Kamm pants and a button-down almost daily. I love canvas pants because they’re structured enough that I look dressed, yet comfortable enough for me to ride my bike to work, go for a mid-day walk, or on a site visit at one of the creek projects. I like this monochrome look because it feels a little more polished when I have external meetings.”
“Same formula here. Love a white shoe. You can’t really tell from this photo, but this shirt has a nice structure to it. There’s a big slit on the side that moves nicely, and the fabric has a bit of silk, so it feels a little dressier but still bike/walk-friendly. "
“Here’s a pretty cute way that I styled an ugly work shirt. People are always leaving their old shirts in the break room, so I picked up this large men’s button down and then rolled the sleeves a lot to make it cute.”
I had to ask about the trench.
“It’s old American Apparel, I got it at their going-out-of-business sale for $5.”
If the flooding in Central Texas has been weighing on your heart, too, the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund is a great place to send support.
Sarah Azody is a Media & Entertainment Strategy & Consulting Executive at Accenture. She runs a huge account, I’ll let you guess which one.
Sarah is sharp, funny, generous, and always asking the best questions. A few weekends ago, we went mountain e-biking for four hours, climbing mountains and speeding downhill at 25 mph—it was a first for both of us. At dinner that night, she asked, “So what was that, 6 miles?” It was 24. We exploded with laughter. But that’s Sarah: her capacity is astonishing. Huge! And that extends to every part of her life, including her very important job where she leads a team of 200.
I wanted to bring her perspective into this convo because her day-to-day is so different from my own. But when I asked for photos of her in-office outfits, she didn’t have many. Too busy actually working.
Instead, she shared a philosophy:
“I worked with an executive coach to help transition how clients view me.
I’ve worked with some clients since graduating from college, and it’s been a challenge to shift their perspective and see me in my senior role—I started working with client-level managers, and now I’m with SVPs and C-suite executives. One of the things I kept going back to was my outfits: what should I wear?! Would a blazer, wide-bottom trousers, and super-polished short hair make me look more senior?
What we landed on was this: if I’m trying to continue growing in a male-dominated corporate environment and be at the same table, then who cares what I’m wearing? We don’t talk about what men wear at work. Ever! They can wear t-shirts and sneakers, and no one gives a shit. So, why are we giving so much attention to what we wear? The more we keep bringing this topic to the light the more we keep making it ‘a thing,’ and the whole point is that guy over there and I are the same, so if we’re not talking about if he’s wearing heels or sneakers then we’re not talking about whether I should be.
Now, all that said, I love fashion, so I do like the fits.
And I love dressing femininely, no matter who I’m speaking with. I’m a woman after all, so I’m not about to hide that. I love soft fabrics, skirts, dresses, and movement. I dress for my cycle, too. It really amplifies my feminine energy, and that boosts my confidence to the max.
Longer satin skirts, knit sweaters during the luteal phase, my favorite dark jeans and comfy dark tops during the menstrual phase, and a tighter top, dresses, and skirts in confident colors during follicular and ovulation.
So all that to say—I dress for myself and capture my feminine energy at work because that’s what makes me better than the next guy.”
Getting dressed on your terms gives you an edge. How we dress communicates power, creativity, and so many other intangibles that signal “listen to my ideas in this meeting, I’ll save the business.”
Now, if you’re like, “outfits are hard,” same. I take notes from my friends Erika at Long Live and Marissa at Off Season.
wait I still haven’t figured out what to wear to the office in the summer
loved this!