Working From Home? Here are the 5 Fashion Tips You Need To Feel Great

2020 has been a year that has transformed the workplace... and potentially business casual attire forever. As a teacher who has spent many months this year working from home, I've definitely transformed my style over the year. 

I know that at first, working from home makes it tempting to bust out the sweatpants and live in loungewear. However, I quickly found two things:

1. Sweatpants really don't inspire confidence sometimes.
2. I missed wearing my nice dress clothes.

Now, listen: It's fine to be comfortable while you're working. It's also fine if you feel your best in sweatpants, truly. But if you find yourself in a slump when working from home, I'd suggest checking out your outfit. We all know that when we feel confident in our looks, we just feel better the whole way around.

Still, it can be hard to feel inspired to dress your best when your meetings consist of Zoom calls, and no one ever sees you except from the shoulders up. How do you find a middle ground? How do you dress for the job you want while also being comfortable?

This fall, I feel like I turned a corner in my work-from-home wardrobe and found ways to balance it out. Here are my top five tips for fashion if you're working from home.

1. Experiment with bright colors and patterns.

Let's face it: Those little zoom squares make it easy to feel washed out and dull, especially with harsh lighting or fuzzy computer cameras. Use this time at home to experiment with bold colors, colors you typically wouldn't wear, and fun patterns. I'm not suggesting breaking out the Tropical bird shirt in the back of your closet for that investment meeting. But this is the time to try new colors and new styles. I have found that bright red and blue really liven up my look on camera.

2. Invest in jackets.

I blame the show What Not To Wear for my obsession with jackets (Clinton Kelly and Stacy London always talked about how they add structure to an outfit). I love that a jacket takes me from casual to professional in one second. I also love that if you are squeezing in a lunchtime workout, you can toss the jacket over your solid color exercise tank or top and pull it together for a meeting in less than a minute.


One of my favorite jackets is the Lauren Conrad Jean Jacket from Kohl's (I'm not sponsored by LC... I wish haha). But I also have a few moto jackets, a few bright jackets, and a few just fun jackets to mix it up.

3. Play with fun accessories.

Do you have some sparkly earrings that are "too much" for daytime office lights? Do you have a bold necklace or a lipstick you have been dying to try? 

The distance created with online meetings lets you experiment without the fear of getting odd looks all day. I have been wearing my bolder jewelry and makeup. I've been experimenting with my James Charles Morphe eyeshadow palette more as well. I've been embracing bold because on the Zoom square, it's really hard to look overdone. 

I have found that playing up my fashion and experimenting has kept it interesting and given me a judgement-free period to try new trends I wouldn't have. 

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I've read so many articles about how you should wear dress pants or jeans everyday at home to keep yourself motivated. I do think there is some truth to the point of wearing "real pants" to stay motivated. However, do I wear dress pants everyday?

No way.

I suggest mixing it up. On days I have a lot of difficult work to do, I'll wear jeans or nice pants. I'll go all in on the workwear so I trigger my brain to work hard. But other days? Nice leggings suffice for sure.

I also make Fridays leggings day no matter what. I think it's perfectly fine to be comfortable and enjoy the perks of being home.

4. Mix up your bottoms.

5. Wear perfume.

There's something about an expensive perfume that makes you feel confident. I've been wearing perfume everyday from home just because it makes me feel better about myself.

I am a commitment phobe when it comes to expensive scents, though. That's why I love Sephora. Anytime you order from them, you can choose two samples...and they almost always have perfume samples in tiny vials that last quite a while. I rely on these to mix up my daily scent, which also keeps it fun.



At the end of the day, fashion is always in the eye of the beholder. But I hope if you are working from home, you're using this as a chance to mix up your look and experiment--because that's what keeps it interesting. What are your best fashion tips for working from home? Tell me below!