Velvet Elvis


I wanted to wear this coat or the black version today. I went at my closet trying to find something to match either one. I haven't liked it when I wore it with pants (at least not MY pants) so I went for a dress instead.
tis okuse disuse this backbrown aldo boots
IMG_1081

A few previous wearings of this dress.
tut tutIts gonna be a HOT one.Your crooked nose is where it's at.
I am having a bit of a hard time this time of year (I know aren't we all) I am increasingly hating how I look in pants. I almost exclusively own wideleg at this point because that is all that fits in the thighs. If it is too tight I just won't wear them. (I sit all day too) But I am one of the only ones at work who wears dresses and while that doesn't bother me oh 94% of the time the other 6% I wonder if it feels like I am trying to stand out. I am not. I used to. As a teen I wanted to be "different" (just like everyone else) but really I just kinda want to stick to myself and do my own thing but to be frank if you want to get ahead in my kind of environment fitting in is key. Just something I am thinking about. Also future career prospects. I deserve a career instead of a job.

Do you dress like your coworkers? HONESTLY do the ones who dress different, do you (un)intentionally single them out in your mind?

I know who cares what people think. yadda yadda but at the same time THIS IS MY LIVELY HOOD this is how I pay the damn bills.

Comments

Anonymous said…
The jacket is fantastic with the dress! Love how it nips in your waist.

It can be tough to feel like the only one in your peer group who looks or dresses a certain way. I'm a pants-hater myself, and nearly everyone around me shuns skirts. But my office environment is super-accepting.

How do you look in leggings and tunics? Maybe you hate that look, but it's a pants alternative that works for me ...
hillary said…
The problem is I dislike my thighs and leggings just make me feel like its LOOK AT MY THIGHS LOOK AT THEM I DARE YOU NOT TO LOOK AT THEM.
My boobs are too big for tunics. If it fits them then it doesn't fit the rest of me.
heather said…
honey-pie, girls like you and i, we ALWAYS stand out at the office. we are fabulous and have amazing style we can't help it. pants or dresses (i hate pants, i wore pants under a short dress recently and my friends asked what was wrong) we stand out for looking good not because we wear one thing over another. so embrace your fabulousness and wear what YOU feel the most comfortable in!
Bridgett said…
I'm a 28 year old in grad school with a bunch of 22 and 23 year olds. They constantly wear jeans and sweatshirts. Sometimes sweatpants. I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb but oh well.
hillary said…
I am in my 30's at a school with tons of kids but my coworkers are mostly 40 plus there are only a few young ones I am in the middle of them. Most people wear polyester suits and nylons. Or jeans and a sweatshirt.
EvaNadine said…
you always hear the saying "dress for the job you want, not the job you have"
at the same time, i think we all need to inject a little of ourselves into our outfits. if others comment, it is probably because they think you look amazing (which you DO!) and they wish they knew how to style themselves as well as you do.
own it, girl!
Love the jacket and the print on your dress - Looks very chic but seems like it is a very comfy outfit.

I think I'm in a unique situation where I work - its manufacturing and mostly guys, so 97% of the people who work here wear jeans, t-shirts, hoodies etc. The women who work here are older (40-60s) and in the office they mostly wear khakis and a simple top. I could wear jeans most days if I wanted to, but I'm mostly in my office and I dont see the front office set much so I figure I'll just wear what I want and as long as I'm not coming in dressed for the club I'm ok (that would violate our safety regs anyways, hah)
hillary said…
That is the problem! I do inject myself. I do dress for the job I WANT. Which is obviously not this one. I STICK OUT.

thank you. :)

I am hoping Annie pops up on here. She is a coworker who knows what is up!
Emily Kennedy said…
Love that jacket! It adds gorgeous shape to the dress! Also, I have been so wanting a velvet jacket.

Aw. It saddens me to hear a woman feel so unhappy about pants. I want you to find some really awesome ones! I also want them not to be widelegs, just to have something sleek and different. I would say maybe you could find some lovely slacks at Express. Their pants always make me feel pretty fine.
hillary said…
I've posted literally dozens of non widelgs looks. It's personal prefernce and comfort. I like widelegs. I have size 6 waist 10 butt and 12 thighs. Slim pants are just not flattering on me.
K said…
I love the look this jackets makes with the dress!

I don't have anything to offer in the dressing department though. I work at home half of the time and the other half is mainly with one other man and then a building full of people I hardly know. I make my own rules for how I dress because the building has a large variety of acceptable.
Unknown said…
The whole butt/waist/thigh thing is where I am. That is one of the reasons I only wear skirts now. I just look aweful in pants!

I am the only one here at work that dresses the way I do. But I like that I'm a bit different. although sometimes, it can be frustrating.
mamichan said…
my office dresses neatly, there's a clean-cut j. crew-ish vibe, i don't think i necessarily fit into that but no one cares. but i have colleagues who come to work in soccer shorts or wear holiday sweaters. not appropriate! i wonder what they're thinking when they get dressed.

pants. i hate them right now. at least i hate mine. i'm in denial about the fact that my thighs and hips got bigger so it's an effort to pull them on every day.
Lorena said…
I adore velvet and that jacket is super, i love the cut!
Now, on dressing for work... at work it's only a handful of us. Mostly women, ranging from 30 to 60.
I could come to work in jeans and a t shirt everyday - except when I have to travel - but, I REFUSE to.
I know I can do better.
I think I stand out and there is nothing wrong in trying to look presentable.
Once my boss asked me if I was going to a party - I was wearing a black polka dot full skirt with matching top. At the moment it felt awkward but, you know what ... I rather be looked up to than down to...
Raquelita said…
Lady, my entire blog is based around this question. While there are increasing numbers of well dressed academics, there's still quite a bit of style suppression in the academy -- and in some disciplines more than others.
Emily B. said…
Yeah, what La Historiadora de Moda said. I have this problem, too. I frequently get the "shallow" label in my English department (as in not serious enough for a scholar) for my ongoing interest in vintage, particularly dresses. I really try hard not to listen to those people, though. I know it's hard to be different, but I think it would be worse to compromise on my style.

p.s. I think you have fabulous legs.
Marnie Grace said…
Love that jacket! And the dress is so cute, too. I wish I had more dresses/skirts I could wear to work. I wore one ONCE (in almost 11 years)... it was xmas time and I wore a royal blue merino wrap dress with tights and some cute booties. It was a very body conscious dress. I got a LOT of looks and some snickers. My office (in Springfield, MA, btw! I was in Boston on Tuesday for meetings!) is VERY casual. It's an environmental agency so a lot of people do field work. My field work days are few and far between. What's wrong with dressing up if I'm just sitting at a computer all day?!?! So... sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, depending on my mood. I'm really trying to wear a wider variety of my shoes... even that alone gets me noticed because no one wears heels in my office!!! I live for weekends... then I can do really fun outfits & shoes! :)
ThriftyMomma said…
We moved to a tiny little town. My kids wanted to go skating. The mothers at the rink inform me that they wear Carhartts, no makeup and a ponytail. I am sitting there wearing a double wrap, purple snakeskin watch, have makeup on and a casual but pulled together outfit and god forbid Earrings! I have always just blended in anywhere I have went but here I stick out like a sore thumb-it's wackadoodle! If you even wear makeup in this town your considered different. Am I in the twilight zone? and seriously I have toned down my wardrobe, makeup etc just to blend here. I think it lends itself to becoming lazy and depressed hence 4yrs here and lots of Pounds!!!
ThriftyMomma said…
We moved to a tiny little town. My kids wanted to go skating. The mothers at the rink inform me that they wear Carhartts, no makeup and a ponytail. I am sitting there wearing a double wrap, purple snakeskin watch, have makeup on and a casual but pulled together outfit and god forbid Earrings! I have always just blended in anywhere I have went but here I stick out like a sore thumb-it's wackadoodle! If you even wear makeup in this town your considered different. Am I in the twilight zone? and seriously I have toned down my wardrobe, makeup etc just to blend here. I think it lends itself to becoming lazy and depressed hence 4yrs here and lots of Pounds!!!
Kelly said…
I dress totally different from anyone else at my job (at least for the most part). My office is SUPER casual. People come in here in sweats. You can see on my blog that I don't really dress "up" but still, almost every day someone asks me where I am going dressed so fancy. I know they single me out - they've all but said it. Sometimes they make comments in a nice way but sometimes it's a really back-handed compliment sort of way.

Honestly sometimes I just get so brain-tired dealing with the attention or comments that I have basically been wearing ugly jeans and sweaters for like a week now. Putting on a dress and tights is comfier than my jeans and easier to put on in the morning, but if I'm tired or cranky I just put on jeans and a t-shirt because I don't feel like I have the brainpower to deal with being dressed nicer than that all day. I have to be in a good mood to face the comments and honestly I just haven't felt up to it lately.

I know they say "dress for the job you want" but sometimes I think dressing how I do hurts me. Like if I'm not in jeans and a wrinkly t-shirt, then I'm obviously trying to be better than everyone else. Or something.
Kelly said…
um, sorry for the mega-long comment. I can get wordy.
hillary said…
kelly not mega long at all. The thing here is no one says anything EVER but then snide comments come out like they are talking about you behind your back so I get worried what they are thinking because none of them know me.

I don't care what they think but I want respect. That is all that matters in the workplace to me. You can hate me but you better treat me with respect like I treat you.