Styling Your Work Uniform

Jacket | Top | Skirt | Boots (dupe ankle boot and ankle boot) | Jewelry | Sunnies | YSL Clutch

Feeling stylish and confident at work is a must. What we are wearing influences what we’re feeling, which most of us keep in mind when we’re getting ready for work and preparing to face the day. Office attire can be stylish and comfortable-- but what if you have to wear a uniform?

For the most part, work uniforms are outright bad for your desire to feel stylish and confident when you’re on the clock. There are a variety of different occupations that require you to wear a uniform to work; doctors, nurses, vets, chefs, and many more have a set outfit they have to wear to work. So is there any opportunity for style if you have to wear a uniform-- or should you give up, surrender, and save your fashion-savvy self for non-working hours?
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Here’s the good news: even when you have to wear a uniform to work, there are ways and means of still feeling comfortable with what you’re wearing. Here’s how you do it.

Choose The Best Uniform You Can
Many workplaces offer their staff a choice when it comes to selecting their uniform. Grocery store works can often choose between a fleece or an apron; doctors have the option of Landau uniforms or less-pleasant scrubs. If you have such an option in your workplace, always choose the uniform that works best for you. 

If you don’t like your legs, then opting for the pants rather than the skirt will improve your confidence. If you have to wear an apron or scrubs, opt for decent quality wherever possible, potentially even talking your employer into changing supplier. Cheap, unpleasant uniforms feel terrible against your skin, and there’s little chance of ever feeling completely confident while wearing them. Good quality uniforms will last longer; emphasize this point to your employer and see if they will make a switch.

Focus On What You Can Control
Even if you’re wearing a uniform, you do have an element of choice over how the following areas look:

• Your hair
• Your makeup
• Your accessories (check out some of the jewelry or bags I added to these pics)
• Your shoes (sometimes; some jobs do also issue shoes, so this may not be applicable to all)
• Cover up (think a jacket or scarf that can make your look go from work to the store without still feeling like you are in your work clothes).

Grasp onto the areas you can control to add an injection of style into your day. Opt for the latest on-trend earrings to distract from your apron; or delicately braid your hair to draw the eye from your shapeless scrubs. Add accessories to your uniform wherever you are allowed; colorful costume rings and pendant necklaces can add a touch of class to even the most basic of uniforms. And always have a scarf or jacket like this jean jacket pictured to add a little punch/coverup to your uniform when you leave work.

Wear Clever Undergarments 
If your uniform is rather shapeless (as many of them tend to be) then what you wear beneath your uniform becomes even more important. 
The first step is to go and have your bra size measured by a professional; a huge number of women are wearing the wrong bra size, meaning that you might be damaging your overall look without even knowing it. With that done, you can also consider shapewear, giving you maximum control over your silhouette. This does make a difference even with shapeless uniforms; think of it as building a good structure for the uniform to hang from. 

​There’s no doubt that style and a work uniform can be difficult to combine, but hopefully, the tips above should have given you some idea on how you can make it work for you. 

What are some of your tips you can share with your fellow Polished Professionals?