Written by: Stephanie Glennon

Most people probably like rolling out of bed and being able to “go” to work, pajamas, bedhead and all. Some people may be distraught at the thought of returning to the office, for reasons beyond health concerns - maybe they don’t want to commit to the effort of the work-appropriate looks they’re being held to.

Thankfully, you’re not most people.

If you’ve been dying to get closer to “normal”, if you’ve been getting all dressed up and not having any place to go, if you’ve been virtual-window shopping for weeks now, then the potential of returning to your office - where people can see you, talk to you, and where you can have the familiar background hustle and bustle of other adults doing their job - may not be quite so daunting.

Maybe you’re even a little bit excited.

We don’t blame you. In fact, we’re right there with you!

Especially because a return to the office, your return to the world, is a second chance at a “first” impression. If you’re anything like us, you’ve been coping with the quarantine by embracing retail therapy, and you’ve been dying to make the office your personal runway once again.

Us too. We’ve been busy taking this opportunity to flex our creative muscles and really bring something special to the table as we (finally) transition from summer to fall, from working at home to working at work, from pandemic to post-pandemic.

(We’re remaining optimistic, okay?)

So let’s talk about your options, as you go back to filling your coffee thermos and packing your lunch. Just by being at work physically, you’re making a statement - so what sort of statement do you want to make?

It’s a big question, isn’t it? How do you want to reintroduce yourself to your coworkers, now that you’ll be sharing physical space with them? How do you want to reinvent yourself and your wardrobe?

We’re here to help answer all of those questions, and any others you may be turning over in that big beautiful brain of yours, all so you can have the best possible re-entry into the real world.

First things first: returning to the office at this point feels a little like the first day of school, or coming back to work after a long (stressful, pandemic-infested) vacation. There will be some bumps along the way as you get back into good habits and find your place again, and that can be more than a little uncomfortable.

It doesn’t have to be, though, and the first step to tackling any awkwardness or discomfort is getting your mind right, but sometimes that’s just too big a task to take on, especially when you have, you know, actual work to do.

The next best thing to getting your mental house in order? Getting your physical house in order, or at least looking like you do. When you feel your worst, you should look your best. Seriously! It’s a time-honored mental ‘hack’. Not only does it help pull your brain out of its own funk, but other people really do treat you differently depending on the clothes you’re wearing and how you wear them.

If it’s still pretty warm where you are (it definitely is for us, #isitfallyet???), being temperature-conscious doesn’t mean you have to dress down.