My friend Khatu asked me on a recent Skype date what I wear to work, and my response was “most of what I wear on my blog, I generally wear to work”. But after a short discussions about work wear with her, it got me thinking about my work wardrobe, and I realized that, for the most part, what I don on a daily basis is not always considered standard office dress code.

After working in our office for five years I have not once having been cited, but rather complimented and marveled at for my clothing choices. Combining that with the fact that most of the people I work with often show up to work in sloppy polo shirts, khakis and sweatshirts, or any combination of dress slacks and un-complimentary knit shirts or button downs (and even Crocs–and Uggs in the winter!), I decided that going a slightly outside the lines and boundaries of what is defined as “normal” or appropriate for work wouldn’t land me in hot water.

Having gone to a private Christian high school that required tucked-in collared shirts or sweaters, well-pressed slacks, trousers, well-tailored jeans and skirts as part of the daily dress code, I’ve been instilled with the belief that clothing should never reveal a mid-driff, but conceal that region, should not be super tight, nor extraordinarily low cut, and skirts should never reach higher than three inches above the top of my knees. Within these guidelines, I’ve seen managed to be the most off the wall employee at my 200+ office, fashion-wise.

One thing you should recognize, however, is that within my off-beat choices, I have always managed to stay modest for the most part. I might get a little crazy with prints on prints, loud statement accessories that can border on aggressive (as some work colleagues have mentioned in reference to my rings), and my shoes aren’t always office appropriate, but I never go over the top when it comes to form-fitting pieces. My clothes are always within reason for a business casual setting as my office is, in terms of propriety and constraint. Regarding my body… I keep it professional.

That said, I might’ve gone a little overboard by wearing this shift dress that I wore and did an OOTD teaser of yesterday. The hem did go past my finger tips…but a couple of HR generalists clucked their tongues at me for my “naughty dress”.

I still maintain I was within dress code protocol when I bought the shift. At the time I was exercising a bit more than I am now (read: not at all), and I had a significantly smaller MT (muffin top) then. Um yah, skinny people get MT, too, and for skinny people, even 1% higher body fat percentage (BMI) shows up more severely than for overweight people. My waist was a bit smaller then, which means the hem was a little lower than it falls on me now.*

Fucking muffin top. I’d better get back on that whole Pilates Track–*SHRINK MAH BELLEH*!

Singing to my popsicle.

If the HR Generalists (not actual corporate HR, just local HR professionals we contract out to small businesses) wag their fingers in my face again, I’ll firstly have to bite my tongue at their poor choices of drab and dumpy attire, and then promptly blame it on the muffin top.

{ Have you ever worn something to work or school or an event that was slightly inappropriate? }

*Note: I did NOT wear these sky-high heels with that short hem. I wore the River Island cage heels next to me, which are a full inch shorter than the Jeffrey Campbell Miss Me’s I’m wearing in the pictures. Makes a difference for amount of leg.

{ Outfit Architecture }
Hyden Yoo contrast plaid shift dress [Worn HERE and HERE]
BUY SIMILAR via ShopStyle.com
Gold circles & discs bib necklace by Causeway Mall
Eco-friendly repurposed gold bangles by Alex and Ani via Charlie and Lee
Marc by Marc Jacobs heart locket watch [buy on eBay]
Miss Selfridge wire wrapped stone ring
Kenneth Cole waffle weave gold cuff
Muted gold infinity earring (local boutique), worn singly
Miss Me Cage heels (in the style of Jeffrey Campbell Camp cage heel sandals) via Lulus
Ployy B Blossom Bag
Whole Foods Mango Frozen Fruit Bar [also seen HERE]

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