What to Wear When You Work From Home

Last weekend I was filming one of my soon to be infamous closet cleanses at one of my client’s houses. She spends most of her days working at home. As I was tossing out her clothing and asking why in the world would she have sleep-worthy garments in her closet. She was using her home office job as an excuse to wear pajamas and ill-fitting clothing all day. Not a valid excuse in my eyes.

Now I work from home too so I can sympathize but I always manage to pull together a complete look together. It’s not that hard. I went on to school her on the importance of dressing for your job – even if that job is at your house.

When I first moved to LA I worked from home and would wear my pajamas ALL day. My self-worth plummeted and I just felt like a loser. I wasn’t giving myself or the job the full respect it deserved. I ended up never leaving the house and I lived off of takeout and coffee. I ended up leaving that job and got a new job with an actual office.

Today I run multiple businesses (School of Style and my personal styling business) and spend most of my days working from home. I actually get dressed in the morning because it a.) helps get me into work mode b.) shows respect for my career and c.) gives me permission to actually leave the house for a meeting or to have someone over to my office.

So what do you actually wear when you work from home and how do you change your pajama wearing mindset? I’ve got your back with some information that helped me go from PJs to actual clothing …

1.) Casual-Business is the new Business-Casual

When you work from home casual and comfortable are actually a very important factor. Why would you ever want to be uncomfortable in your own home? Many people who work from home forget about the “business” side of getting dressed for work. You can don’t have to wear a full suit but adding a knit blazer or a a loose fitting button-up blouse can add a slight polish to your look without being uncomfortable.

A chic knit blazer will  feel lke a sweatshirt but will make you feel like a boss lady

2.) Leave the House

Try to leave the comfort of your home at least once a day. Go to Starbucks and work for a bit, eat lunch out, or a take a meeting outside of your home. This way you won’t be “wasting” an outfit. When you are dressed and ready to go, you will be more likely to leave. Leaving your house will actually revive you and make you work smarter.

Sneakers are totally okay when you work from home – just make sure the look is pulled together

3.) Have a Clear Start to Your Day

If you wake up, make a cup of coffee, and then sit down with your laptop – you are never going to get out of your pajamas. Have a clear divide between “home” time and “work” time. What this looks like for me is I wake up, shower, drink a green tea while I put on my makeup, and walk my dog. Once I enter the house again from my walk, my work day starts. So it’s like I am arriving at work. So you can wear sweats or your robe to do you work “home” stuff but put on some damn clothes for work.f

Pajama pants can look chic when you add a cozy cashmere sweater

4.) Go Shopping (or get a stylist)

A common problem I find with women who work from home is that they <em>never</em> go shopping. They live in this cocoon where wearing pajamas and sweats all day is okay. When they finally emerge into the real world, they have no idea what is in style or what flatters their body (also wearing sweats all day can be a recipe for weight gain). So go shopping and buy some gear that makes you feel excited to get dressed in the morning. And if you don’t have time to go shopping, hire a stylist!

Must-Haves

• Jeggings or legging jeans (J Brand makes the best ones)
• Oversized sweater
• Knit blazer
• Casual blouse (Joie makes a great one)
• Ballet flats
• Simple/ delicate jewelry (anything too heavy will give you a headache)

For all of my ladies who work from home, what do you wear? Do you try to look stylish or do you think it’s a complete waste of time?