coffee: your best accessory.
Let’s not be coy here. Many of us are adults, and some of us, some more than others, may have run into the fashion – and social – conundrum of whether to run home in the morning to change or to head straight to work after spending the night in someone else’s bed. Here are some tips to swing through the next workday with class.
First, the practical stuff. For the bold modern woman, showing up to work in nearly the same outfit ain’t no thang. Pack some essentials, such as mints, toothbrush, and hairbrush if possible. Bring a little bag of makeup remover wipes, a small tube of concealer, mascara, eyeliner and chapstick. And floss, can’t forget about the floss. Those minimal basics should at least freshen up your face and remove any cakey, smudged foundation.
Other ways of quickly transforming your day-old look: Pack a different lightweight dress, which doesn’t take up space in your handbag and is comfortable to wear. Or switch up accessories, such as a boyfriend blazer, big statement belt or black leggings. But if that is too much planning, wash your face and try smoothing your hair into a professional bun or chic topknot. People might even think you did it on purpose.
On the flip side, there are nuances to workplace culture. If you head straight to work, there’s a chance you could risk looking haggard and tired, which could perk some sideways glances from your coworkers. And if it’s a repeated pattern, your boss might ask what’s the matter with all the late nights and poor productivity. To which, you’d better have a good response, like you’ve been up worried about your mom or dad who’s been feeling ill. Or, you can simply say you haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep in a while. No lying there.
The line between professional (or public) life and private life is a fine one. You want to hold the esteem of your managers and coworkers and to build a reputation of integrity and excellence in your work. In this modern age, we like to think that the sum of our merits lifts the trajectory of our career. But that’s not the complete picture, because the unsaid things – such as another day of looking frazzled and wearing the same clothes twice – say a lot, too.
What about you? Is it a faux pas to wear the same clothes as the day before? Or is that irrelevant to today’s society?
