The Space Between My Peers

My mom requested that I update this post, listing y’alls comments next to each outfit.  This may take awhile … 

Because this is a conversation, I like to let you know what I’m thinking.  And right now I’m still thinking about personas and perceptions, so I thought it would be fun to do another fashion lab like last week’s, only this time concerning office attire.

Here’s what I was thinking we’d do.  For each look presented, please tell us

if you saw this person in your office (or your husband’s, mother’s, or whomever’s office), for what purpose would you think she was there?

He hee.  This should be fun! (If you want to specify what kind of office, feel free.)

1. 
   
   In a word:  unambitious.
   Is there because she thinks it her duty to contribute to her family’s income, Newly hired perky Midwesterner working in an entry-level job in an accounting division, underpaid catalog model secretly yearning to wear something better in the next shoot, applicant for an accounting job, “I’m not conventionally ambitious - never after your corner office but liks to look ‘nice’”, 30+ individual contributor, who doesn’t particularly care to get ahead, Administrative assistant, probably a temp.
2. 
   Overall impression:  productive, persuasive, and professional.
   A producer (as in, a professional who does whatever work her business casual industry does), Mid-level sales representative who often has to take clients out for lunch and a round of golf, also an underpaid catalog model secretly yearning to wear something better on the next shoot , the only female in a sales presentation team, “I’m friendly and have an ‘open door’ policy”, Friendly manager-level or director-level professional, works in marketing.
3. 
   
   Impression: Fashionable, but possibly immature.
   Intern, Fashion magazine intern, (yet another) underpaid catalog model secretly yearning to wear something better in the next shoot, counselor, (what she means to communicate by this outfit is) “I’m modern and fashion conscious, but trying to get ahead at work”, Sales/marketing/communications – not taken seriously and doesn’t know why, someone whose outfit just needs a minor tweak or two to make it more appropriate for the office.
4. 
   Overall impression given by this outfit:  creative and necessarily functional (or funky?)
   Single or divorced woman in her 50s who works because she has to, Works on a movie set or shoots street photography, delivering requested media material, “I’m creative and funky and you need to appreciate this”, Physician with administrative duties, someone working in a creative industry.  This is one look, in my opinion, which could easily be misunderstood, although that is less likely in black.
5. 
   Somehow this outfit manages to convey upscale leisure
   Top boss’s stay at home wife who stopped by for lunch or whatever; Country club administrative person, receptionist or similar job; daughter of co-worker, coming for $; “I’m doing this to fill in time, I don’t need money (we have so much already)”; Art director / creative director; another person whose outfit just needs a minor tweak or two to make it more appropriate for the office or yet another underpaid catalog model. This could be an effective look for a business casual office.
6. 
   Never, ever wear something which could be mistaken for pajamas to the office (with the possible exception of the case where appropriate office attire is scrubs)
   In the office because they haven’t figure out how to make her retire, Model on shoot for a mattress/sleep-number ad, canvasing for social cause, “I hate suits and dressing up for work”, Boss’s wife (SAHM) meeting him for lunch, Confused telecommuter, since these are clearly pajamas. There’s a fine line between a casual matched set and sleepwear.
7. 
   Not advisable.
8. If, in your understanding, this outfit constitutes real clothes, you might think the wearer in the office for something like: Fund-raising for the arts, PR agency designer or architect (has to work late several times a week), some other worker in a creative-type industry, a dental hygienist, or bringing pizza. On the other hand, this outfit has huge potential to not be understood AT ALL, as evidenced by the statement, “I slept at my boyfriends last night, my life is wild!” and my sister’s total inability to imagine who would wear that.
9. 
   Not respected (or respectable)
   Receptionist, or perhaps low-level marketing assistant, Sales person in an auto showroom, counselor headed out for date night, “Hold onto your husband at the office christmas party”, Marketing manager on her way out for a hot date, someone in a creative industry who isn’t necessarily communicating her value through her appearance. Or another underpaid catalog model secretly (embarrassed and) yearning to wear something better for the next shoot. This look is for nightlife.
10. 
    Impression: inexperienced and boring (not your best look if you’re serious about your career).
    Is there to get the boring job done in the most proficient way possible, Technical sales representative with significant bargaining power, counseling or psychology intern, “Not sure why I don’t get promoted, even though I dress really well, people don’t take me seriously”, boring director level or wanna be, Interviewing for entry-level professional position, since nobody with an actual income should be caught dead in such a cheap looking suit.
11. 
    Artistic, stylish, and powerful

    Fashion consultant brought in to train the office how to dress business casual; owns her business, maybe a caterer or an event organizer; happy, but underpaid catalog model, secretly hoping to be able to keep the outfit (okay, I made that up); secretary/receptionist in a counseling office; “I want to be a curator at a gallery”; Fashion executive, another professional whose outfit just needs a minor tweak or two to make it perfect.

All outfits from Nordstrom.com, simply because their system is easy for me to use.

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