Stuck between a rock and a hard place.
A war on 2 fronts. Kaiser Wilhelm’s nightmare, and mine.
Longer than any war in history is the daily battle of how to
be stylish and not interfere with your work.
Scientists have the same what to wear to work dilemma as
every other female on the planet but we have extra contenders to consider. We
have PPE (personal protective equipment) which can range from gloves and hairnets
to safety shoes and protective suits. You can spend any amount of time in a day
taking these on and off and so struggle to not look like you’ve been dragged
through a hedge backwards when you’re not in PPE.
Sometimes I look in magazines and think, Yes that would be
an absolutely delightful work outfit... if I only had to wear those shoes for
30mins while sitting down and if mini-skirts and bare legs were acceptable in
the workplace. This is not sex and the city and any classy outfit I put
together is immediately destroyed by black tights, cardigan (labs are
controlled at temperatures which can only be described as constantly freezing)
and this year and every years Winter staple – the coat.
Infact, the delights of our western European climate mean
that actually the move from winter to summer wardrobe means you can wear courts
instead of boots without getting frostbite in your toes and you drop the coat
from furlined and chunky to a nice rainproof mac.
And so I rage battle every day to balance practicality for
work and a little sophisticated style.
“You cannot climb the ladder of success in
the outfit of failure”
~ Zig Ziglar
The biggest pitfall of workplace fashion has to be the Ugg
boot. I have never invested in a pair because I see it as dangling over the
precipice of a slippery slope into eventually not even brushing my hair and
perpetually shuffling around the lab with my feet looking like a hoof on a cuddly
toy horse. I KNOW they are comfy and very good for their designed purpose. So
is my onesie and I don’t wear that to work. I won’t give in!
I’ll give you an example of the daily battle;
1 – Winning; I
try to look professional and still look my age. Heels but ‘sensible’, stylish
but not overdone, Classy but comfortable. If I accomplish any one of these
things in an outfit I feel successful.
This is how I typically start the day,
See starting off alright, little bit of animal print, a few accessories,
sensible long sleeved top for winter and I can remain as such doing office work
until I actually have to do the practical part of my job, so morph into exhibit
2;
2 – It’s a draw;
Don’t get me wrong, getting your lab coat on feels all
professional but is joyless for actually thinking you may look half decent. I
do however rate this a draw because the shoes count for about 50% of an outfit
in my eyes so we’re on the front line but we’re fighting back. However,
Sometimes even shoes can’t save you;
3 – Lost;
Sometimes unfortunately, even small graces can’t be met and a venture into the
cleanroom for R&D work is inevitable...
I don’t even have words for this. If you ever complain again
‘oh I can’t believe he/she/they saw me looking like that...’ just pause for a
moment and remember this picture. Yea, don’t feel so bad now do you. Ugh.
Anyway,
I have to wear all my correct PPE to avoid contamination of
myself and my work and also not give up on fashion and slide into dangerous Ugg
boot territory. I lose a few battles but the war continues, I’ll keep you
updated!
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