Death to Business Casual
By Victoria Nergaard
Business casual: the latest item on the long and ever-growing list of things that millennial have “killed”. As the last of the millennial generation, at this point aging from about 25-38, enters the professional post-graduate workforce, the fashion they wear to the office is changing in a big, and bold, way. Sure, office apparel has never really been stagnant. For instance, since the 1980s it can be argued that office fashion has become less and less formal, shifting from staunch suits of the mid-century to more laid back slacks and cuffed button ups, but as fashion continues to change and become less professional than ever, office wear has fallen the same way for many work environments. When I, like many millennials, picture business casual, I typically think of the absolute last outfits I’d willingly choose for myself. Usually, my mind drifts to any costume from the set of the early 2000s television show “The Office”, especially those worn by Pam, in muted pastels, scratchy starched fabrics and ill-fitting silhouettes. And while maybe I’m wrong and there is cool and fresh “office appropriate attire”, the title “business casual” itself will forever be ingrained in my brain as dowdy and drab, unflattering and uncomfortable. Millennial work-wear, on the other hand is difficult to define as we enter an age of increasingly individualized style. It is as far as possible from knee length khaki skirts. pale pink boxy button ups and colorful over sized sweaters. The more fashionably inclined dress themselves in dramatic patterned midi- skirts, sheer blouses and even bike shorts with blazers. That’s right, we’ve even dared to bring active wear into the office. Or at least some millennial workers are bringing these looks to an office-space, considering this generation is more and more likely to work in non-traditional environments.
While millennial professional fashion is increasingly unorthodox, so are the conditions we work under. It is no wonder that this generation more commonly wears crop tops to the office considering that our work conditions are often reduced to unstable and impersonal email correspondence. This increased attitude of nonchalance is another obstacle for millennials to take initiative in their professional lives in regards to pay. Millennials are frequently left to take on work that’s unpaid and without benefits, but is usually set in a fun and open office space accepting of casual work wear and trendy looks. This begs the question of whether one prefers structured benefits or an office that dons a ping pong table in the center of it’s space? This sense of lightheartedness translates in more than one arena.
Gone are the days of stiff button ups and cubicles. Instead, millennials are welcome to work in open concept offices at standing desks in their Teva sandals and coordinating socks, but should absolutely not expect to be paid a living wage or receive full time hours. But hey, at least we can wear our favorite thrifted novelty button-ups to our digital content creation jobs and social media internships with no complaints from the boss! Perhaps it is this instability in the workplace that has really contributed to the change of workplace fashion. As office wear gets kookier, the clothes young people wear to work cause them to more closely resemble their childhood selves. While bright and colorful patterns paired with overalls are a fun way to express oneself in the work environment (and why is it we were so restricted from expressing ourselves in days gone by to begin with?), this really is reflection of the (and why is it we were so restricted from expressing ourselves in days gone by to begin with?), this really is reflection of the at least take joy in. Millennials have a fearlessness to abandon ill-fitting suits and shapeless khaki for garments that we truly love, that express who we are, and that we can actually sit comfortably at our desks in. It is a gift that these new millennial-equipped workspaces accept colorful culottes and experimental hair accessories.
While I’m sure any one of us would trade this privilege for work stability and free healthcare in a heartbeat, this is one silver lining that we can relish in. It often feels for us millennials that our lives lack control, like we’re haplessly waiting for the break that will finally afford us to make a life of our own. So if we have to live so beyond control, at least we get to choose how we dress, and how the world see us. Who gets to decide if something is deemed work-appropriate or not? If we’re going to be working under increasingly difficult and precarious conditions, we might as well be allowed to dress however we wish while we do it.
