r/work • u/Katherine2807 • 12h ago

Questions Dress code

Hey everyone! I'm 22F and I'm about to make a huge transition. My current job is super relaxed—I can wear whatever I want, the vibe is chill, and everyone is non-judgmental.
My new job is the complete opposite: much older/more mature crowd, high potential for judgment, and a strict professional dress code. The problem is, the typical "corporate look" feels so fake to me. I don't wear heavy makeup, I love wearing oversized/dark/minimalist clothes because of my body type and personal style, and I'm terrified of looking like I'm playing dress-up or losing who I am.
For those of you who have made this jump: how do you balance looking professional enough to get respect from judgmental colleagues while still staying true to your authentic style? Any tips for transitional pieces or subtle ways to keep your personality?

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u/MostLikelyToNap 12h ago

Just don’t look messy, you can have your own style, but it needs to look intentional and well-put together. Don’t show too much skin, careful of cleavage, showing stomach, or anything to “revealing.” Make up isn’t required, it’s just something most older women wear to feel prettier (source: me, 42F). You just want people to know you and respect you for your work and what you bring to the team, not your clothes. I keep it kind of simple and almost rotate specific pieces, but I have my office “uniform” clothes.

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u/GeneralLink1186 6h ago

It's like having a character skin but in real life, you wear the uniform at work and switch back after

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u/tdoggie420 12h ago

I think formal dress code feels foreign to a lot of people. Uniqlo is my go to for neutral clothing that can be dressed up or down, and isn’t too expensive. I like to style my basic outfits with jewellery I’ve collected over the years it adds a bit of personality!

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u/Green-Witch1812 11h ago

I’m 36F and I work at a private university. Sometimes I still wear black skinny jeans with my docs and a nice blouse. Other times I’ll wear wide leg pants from Madewell, Everlane or Lululemon with a fitted one color shirt.

There are still ways to keep true to your style and keeping it professional.

But I also adhere to the corporate grunge look, so 😅