Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Podcasts AirTalk
Should The Workplace Dress Code Cease To Exist When Things Go Back To Normal?
solid blue rectangular banner
()
AirTalk Tile 2024
Apr 21, 2020
Listen 15:40
Should The Workplace Dress Code Cease To Exist When Things Go Back To Normal?
Stretch pants all day long, a hoodie or a baseball cap, and sweats for weeks at a time. Working from home leaves no judgement on our fashion choices, which is kind of nice. There’s no dress code at home.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 09: Wearing his official robe, New York City Criminal Court Judge Paul McDonnell works remotely from his Brooklyn home due to the coronavirus outbreak on April 09, 2020 in New York City. Judge McDonnell, who is usually presiding over cases in a Manhattan court room, has had to  alter his work space by hearing cases remotely due to the virus outbreak. While Judge McDonnell continues to work on cases from 9 to 5, he has seen a drop in criminal arrests as COVID-19 slows all New York activity. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Wearing his official robe, New York City Criminal Court Judge Paul McDonnell works remotely from his Brooklyn home due to the coronavirus outbreak on April 09, 2020 in New York City.
(
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
)

Stretch pants all day long, a hoodie or a baseball cap, and sweats for weeks at a time. Working from home leaves no judgement on our fashion choices, which is kind of nice. There’s no dress code at home.

Stretch pants all day long, a hoodie or a baseball cap, and sweats for weeks at a time. Working from home leaves no judgement on our fashion choices, which is kind of nice. There’s no dress code at home. 

According to a recent piece in The Atlantic, most workplaces have some form of dress code or standard for work attire. But maybe the rules, even if unspoken, should be ditched all together. 

Workplace fashion has grown more casual overtime, with some companies even allowing jeans and sweatshirts. Fashion experts say we’re likely to see an impact to fashion trends due the events of the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s unclear what that will look like. Employees may be able to get away with more casual attire, but some workers may return to work in fancier outfits because they simply miss dressing up. We’ll see.

Today on AirTalk, we want to know what you think. How have your fashion choices changed due to the pandemic? Do you think changes to the traditional office dress code could be a good thing or a bad thing? Share your thoughts by calling 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, fashion historian based in Los Angeles and author of "Worn On This Day: The Clothes That Made History" (Running Press, 2019); she tweets

Credits
Host, AirTalk
Host, Morning Edition, AirTalk Friday, The L.A. Report Morning Edition
Senior Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Associate Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Associate Producer, AirTalk
Associate Producer (On-Call), AirTalk
Apprentice News Clerk, FilmWeek