My Work From Home Wardrobe (AD)

Raise your hand if you’ve ever worked from home and been tempted to stay in pyjamas all day. When I first planned this, it was before it was the reality for half of the country, but I’m sure many more of you are facing the ‘do I even bother getting dressed?’ predicament right now. There are a few things to consider when it comes to a work from home wardrobe.

While it may sound nice to wear loungewear all day, that isn’t always the best idea.  Getting ready properly motivates you to start your day. And there’s only so many times your postman can see you in pyjamas before it becomes embarrassing.  

My work from home wardrobe 

I’m not a loungewear person, I’m either fully ready or not ready at all. And tweed is an everyday fabric, so fully ready means fully ready the majority of the time. However, that isn’t exactly practical in my work from home situation. You’re currently reading a food blog, and while cookbooks and TV shows would love to have you believe that we all cook in pristine white shirts then pose nonchalantly sat in a bay window, watching the world go by as we eat our creations, that isn’t real. At least that’s not my reality, and I doubt many of you are cooking in your silky white shirtdress the majority of the time either.  

Between cooking, bending down/ squatting in awkward positions to take photos, and spending all day with my dog wanting to sleep on my knee, my work from home wardrobe needs to be a little bit more comfortable and flexible.  

I recently picked a few bits from Femme Luxe Finery to add to my work from home wardrobe, but we need ted to have a little chat about something else before I talk about those.  

Fast Fashion 

Okay, I don’t need to explain the problems here. It’s 2020, we’re all aware. While I’m not an advocate for stocking up on a million pieces a month from fast fashion sites just because they were cheap, fast fashion does still have its place. I personally wear my clothes to death and try to repurpose what I can when I’m finished with them, so I do feel less guilty in that sense. 

 It’s about shopping smart. If you’re in a position to be able to afford to spend a little bit more on some pieces, invest in those core pieces. What those are will vary for everyone, for some people it’s quality jeans, or work dresses and so on. Try to invest more in good quality basics that you can wear year on year if that’s possible.  

Reasons You May Need Fast Fashion

But in terms of fast fashion still having a place, here are some situations that I think they come in handy: 

• Trend Pieces – want to try something totally different but don’t know if it will suit you or if you’ll wear it that much? It makes more economic sense to try a cheaper option first. If you really like it, invest in something similar with more longevity. There’s no point wasting a fortune on something you’ll wear twice then decide that fit/ style doesn’t look good on you. 
• Pieces that are going to get ruined – which is the purpose of these pieces here. Between the potential of splatting pasta sauce all over them, throwing flour around the room and Hugo (my dog) getting his claws caught in everything, I don’t expect the pieces I wear at home to have the longest life. Back to being economically sensible, I don’t want to ruin my best pieces by smearing melted chocolate all over them every Thursday afternoon. 
• It’s all you can afford – yes, you can shop at charity shops etc if you’re on a budget. But I get it, I’ve got a weird shape and find it hard to get things that fit properly at the best of times, if you’re in a similar situation and you need something, you need to get something within your means. 

My Size and Some Issues  

In brief, I’m 5ft tall, I usually wear a UK4, but I have really long limbs for my size and an abnormally high waist. Despite being vertically challenged, I need a 32 inch leg on my jeans, so petite clothes never fit and I basically have no torso because I’m all leg. 

When I was choosing my pieces, the sizing seemed to be all over the place. Some items are only available in two sizes – S/M & M/L, a small to medium being an 8-10. And most of the items that come in number sizing are a 6- 14 or 16. I checked their size guide and saw their 6 had similar measurements to an H&M or Topshop 4, so I thought I’d be fine and started ordering.  

I ordered one jumper and a pair of trousers for a typical work from home look, the jumper is loose and slightly boxy and the trousers are cargo style trousers, so there’s plenty of room to move. 

Femme Luxe Review 

Black Roll Neck Jumper

The black roll neck jumper was a S/M, which was pretty true to size as an oversized jumper for me. But I think it would be quite cropped on someone taller who actually has a torso, even though it was a good fit on me. It finished just below the waistband for my high waisted jeans, able to be tucked in or worn loose. In terms of quality, this was on the thinner side, which I expected, but felt soft enough, stitching was all good, so an overall good quality piece.  

Cargo Slim Fit Trousers

I was very confused by the trousers. Despite studying the size guide and being convinced the 6 would be like a 4, they very much felt like a 6. The waistband is on the looser side, and they fit a lot better with something tucked in, the legs are roomy. I don’t know whether that means they run large or are actually true to size? But I like them, and they’re pretty perfect for what I wanted them for in terms of comfort and ease of movement.  

Black Ribbed Jumper

Another item I picked up was much more true to my everyday style. It’s a black ribbed jumper with a flute sleeve and bow detail on the neckline. This one was also a S/M situation, it was big, but it isn’t that noticeable because it’s ribbed. The only time I really became aware of the excess fabric was when I tucked it into some trousers. This jumper would be a great option for those of you newly working from home who want to take the ‘I’m ready from the waist up’ approach to conference calls. The quality felt really good on this one too, it seemed to be thicker and it’s very soft and comfortable. 

Overall?  

As I said earlier, shop wisely. It depends on your needs, if you’re in a similar situation to me and want some new bits, or you’re working from home for a couple of months and will be back in your regular work clothes soon, they could be for you. Overall, I was happy with the items I received for the purpose I wanted them for. If you’re looking for wardrobe staples, maybe invest in something higher quality and more planet friendly.  

Have you ever tried Femme Luxe? What are your thoughts on fast fashion brands?  

Until next time, 

Sophie 

*Items featured/ mentioned in this blog post were provided by Femme Luxe.

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