Stupid Fashion Question!

[rikibeth]

Are pantyhose still de rigueur in a business (not "business casual") environment?

Yeah, I know, I could avoid this whole issue by wearing pantsuits. And I do know that today, even for a job interview, a properly formal pantsuit is just as acceptable as a skirt suit.

But my pencil skirt happens to fit me better than any of my dressy office pants. So I need to know.

I wouldn't have known that the rules had changed if I hadn't read something at The Pursuit of Harpyness on the subject.

So... I'm supposed to wear tights in the winter and go bare-legged in the summer? And if I don't, I'm dowdy and behind the times?

Or is this one of those rules that only apply in Manhattan, and I should stick with the damn pantyhose?

For the record, I don't enjoy wearing them, but I think bare legs would have been too chilly for March, and tights would have been too informal for a job interview. I wore sheer black hose.

Please discuss!

Comments

[gentlyepigrams]

If I were wearing a skirt, I'd wear dark (not nude) hose. But I'm old and even Austin is a conservative enough part of the country (Texas) that if I were wearing a skirt, I'd want the hose. But I'd be wearing trousers if I were interviewing for most tech jobs, so it wouldn't be an issue.

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

Good lord...

If this chick considered DC unfashionable, I can only wonder what she'd think of where *I* live.

Darlin' you're interviewing at a BANK. BANKS are conservative. You won't lose out on the job for being a little conservative. Just wear unobtrusive ones.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I'm almost as old as you are. And I'm interviewing for admin-type jobs. Also, I like skirts.

I think Connecticut is pretty conservative.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, no kidding. Sheer black is about as unobtrusive as it gets, right?

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

I think the dark hose were the way to go in this case.

[quinby.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, hose are still what most people wear. I don't know about -fashionable- per se, but if you're working in a more conservative environment, you can never go wrong with hose.

When I was at the Park Service, I was told that I had to wear hose. No other option.

As far as I know, in most places, people aren't going to think less of you for wearing hose, and are more likely to have an issue if you don't.

[gentlyepigrams]

I know you're my age, I'm just saying age is a big factor in the answers.

Based on things I've heard, CT is some kinds of conservative but I think it's still lower-maintenance overall than TX. There's a difference in required conformance standards, maybe? But for an admin job in an office situation (not a tech firm), skirt and hose are always good. I'd rather be slightly too conservative than underdress for an interview.

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

This.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, in most places, people aren't going to think less of you for wearing hose, and are more likely to have an issue if you don't.

This. This is what I was getting at. If fashions have changed enough that I can skip them on hot days in summer, excellent, but I'm glad that they're not Hopelessly Out and marking me as a fuddy-duddy.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I think the big difference in expected appearance between Connecticut and Texas is that Texas would expect more makeup and more elaborate hair. I wore light foundation, mascara, and a sheer red lip gloss, and, well, you can see my hair in the userpic -- that's pretty much what I DO with it. I get the feeling that, in Texas, that'd make me practically Hippie Nature Girl?

Also, I played DOWN the accessories -- just earrings. Texas standards might call for more sparkle?

[quinby.livejournal.com]

I think part of it is that a lot of young people want them to be Out, so they're not wearing them, even though the older people still consider them important.

It's like slips. I swear I'm the only person who wears one anymore, but still. Hose are less Out than slips, and I really don't see hose going out until most of the Older Generation is no longer in the workforce, and even then, I doubt they'll go all that quickly.

You're just fine.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

Here in Chicago people still wear pantyhose quite a lot, and I would be startled if someone had bare legs with a skirt in an interview. My company is mostly business casual, but people to dress up more than that for interviews (we're a financial company but not, mercifully, a bank).

I also often see our female managing directors wearing dark suits with nude or tan hose and pumps, pretty much the same as they would have worn 10 years ago, but more interesting tailoring and textures nowadays.

[gentlyepigrams]

I wear tinted moisturizer and a bit of blush, plus lipstick. No eye makeup, because of the glasses. I'd pick it up a bit for a job interview, but not much.

For a law office interview (and I've worked at one) I'd wear wedding ring, conservative earrings (and possibly leave the stud out of the second hole) and, depending on the neckline of my blouse/shell under my jacket, a conservative necklace, like pearls. I don't do big hair, ever, but I might get a manicure, which for me would be pale pink fingernails or French, so very natural or faux-natural. But I'm very understated by Dallas standards, less so by Houston and I assume Austin. And I would never have purple hair for an interview, obviously.

[florahart]

I would fail so hard at working anywhere where anything along this line was expected. One of the reasons I remain in the job I have is that most days (so, days I don't have a meeting with the dean or something), as long as I'm not wearing, like, torn sweatpants or a t-shirt with an offensive slogan on it, it's okay. I don't own any heels or any pantyhose.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Ha. I wear slips too. Sometimes, anyway. If the skirt isn't lined, or if I'm wearing a control garment and I want the skirt or dress to drape nicely, or, sometimes, just because HELLO IT IS WINTER and the extra layer is good to have. Deva Lifewear (http://www.devalifewear.com/mm5/) sells real silk full slips that are made of awesome.

The thing is, slips may be "out" in that most women don't bother with them, just as I think a lot of guys don't bother with undershirts, and I have no problem with either of those choices, but I don't think anyone will look DOWN on you for wearing one. If you're doing it right, they won't even know you're wearing a slip! But if pantyhose are Out, and you wear them anyway, people can see that. Hence my concern.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Yeah. My hair is its natural color for the first time in YEARS, because of this job hunting thing.

I'm sure it would have been fine to wear pearls or a simple pendant with my outfit, but I didn't want to bother.

Nail polish just makes my fingers look stubby. My nails have grown out pretty nicely, and I've filed them into shape, so they're what a French manicure would be simulating. I'm not going to do anything else to them.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

The only time it's safe to be fashion-forward in an interview situation is if the position is with an artsy or avant-garde company. Anywhere else, your best bet is to wear something relatively conservative -- make your "I'm not just another brick in the wall" statement with a bright-colored blouse or an unusual necklace.

If you really want to know what's being worn in the business world, go downtown and people-watch during lunch hour. Fashion blogs aren't worth the electrons they waste.

[alchemine.livejournal.com]

I never ever wear pantyhose to work (today it was hot, so I went with a casual black summer dress and bare legs), but I would wear them if I were interviewing for a new job, just to be on the safe side. However, I would be sure I was interviewing at a place where they weren't part of the dress code, because wearing pantyhose every day is my idea of torture!

[florahart]

(also, it would seriously never occur to me to notice whether someone was wearing pantyhose. The person for whom I was on an interview committee yesterday wore a skirt...I think? But I have absolutely no idea whether she was wearing pantyhose. I spent 15 minutes walking across campus with her, and sat next to her in hour-plus meetings on either side of that)

[gentlyepigrams]

For me the manicure would be about getting my hangnails cleared properly, tbh. Forgive me, manicurist, I have sinned.

Here in Austin, I'd have no trouble applying for tech jobs with purple hair and double-ear piercing almost anywhere. I might go a bit more conservative in other ways to counteract it but I see people with way more piercing and wild colors than I have (mine is highlighted purple) all the time.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I figure once I'm hired is plenty of time to break out the more interesting clothes, like the jacket in this userpic -- never the skirt! But the jacket looks really good with a more conservative business skirt or a pair of dress slacks.

Is it weird that I like conservative business wear more than business casual? In the words of a friend's daughter (who was complaining about a school dress code), "Khaki puts bars on your soul."

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Right, but I can't count on the interviewer NOT noticing, awesome as that would be.

Did I mention that one of the reasons I love my Serious Grownup Purse is that it's big enough that I can stash a pair of slip-on Vans in it, OR a pair of heels, so I can swap out and not actually have to wear the heels outside the building?

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Dichroic glass earrings, actually. *g*

And it's not primarily a fashion blog, that's the thing! It's a decidedly feminist one and spends a certain amount of time debunking the cultural beauty expectations, as well as other topics.

If I went downtown, I'd have to PARK. Bleah.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

I think bare legs in an office would be both uncomfortable and icky, personally.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

If I lived somewhere with YOUR weather, those might be my standards, too! Here, they're a very logical choice for spring or fall, because it's just too chilly for bare legs, even if you won't freeze in a skirt the way you might in winter.