How do you stay stylish at work without spending all of your salary?

During two years of working remotely, many used to work from home, wearing comfortable pajamas and slippers.

Today, most of them have returned to the daily work from the office, some have taken a new job, while others move from one job interview to another in pursuit of a job or promotion.

If you go to work every day five days a week, that means an average of 260 days of annual work.

At first glance, it may seem like getting a stylish look at work for this number of days is a big challenge, especially since the cost of work clothes - especially formal ones - is higher than normal.

How can you look stylish at work without spending your entire salary on clothes?

Why do we need elegance?

Despite the truth of the phrase "essence is more important than appearance", it is sometimes used misleadingly to justify neglecting appearance, as some believe that clothes and elegance are secondary matters that do not deserve attention, but like it or not, your appearance directly affects your work, whether on the impression you leave when others, or the way you think, and also the way you do your own work.

This effect was examined in a study by Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

In their study, Adam and Galinsky coined the term "enclothed cognition", which can be translated as "clothing cognition," to explain the effect of the clothes an individual wears on their way of thinking through two factors: the symbolic meaning of the piece of clothing, and the experience of wearing it.

The researchers conducted two experiments in one of which presented a white coat to a group of participants as a doctor's coat, and presented the same coat to another group as a painter's coat, where it was observed that the members of the first group increased performance in tasks related to attention compared to the individuals of the second group.

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Well, in addition to the effect the clothes we wear on the way we think and perceive the world, they enhance feelings of contentment and improve mood, remember every time you put on new clothes that you like and feel good about your self-image.

But clothing influences not only your self-image, but also directly affects the way the world sees you.

In another study conducted at Yale University in 2014, 128 men between the ages of 18-32 participated in fake buy-and-sell negotiations.

It was found that the group of people who wore formal wear made an average profit of 2.1 million dollars, while the group who wore neutral clothes made an average of 1.58 million dollars, while the profits of the group who wore sportswear did not exceed 680 thousand dollars.

It's not so much about the price of your clothes as it's about their coordination and elegance, and it's more than just your appearance, as it sends a clear message about how much you care about yourself, and take the time to take care of it.

Taking care of wearing unworn, clean and carefully ironed clothes shows how much you care about yourself and in that effort to improve your appearance, among other things, of course.

Work wardrobe

Well, does that mean you need hundreds of items in your wardrobe to look stylish?

of course not.

You don't have to spend your salary on work clothes, nor do you have to cram a lot of clothes in your closet, you just need to choose the pieces smartly.

In the beginning, you need to know the clothing code of the organization in which you work, which is something that you can observe by observing your co-workers, and if you are preparing for a job interview, you can browse the company’s website or social networking pages to see employee clothing styles, or you can simply ask Human Resources Officer.

It varies according to your work environment and the nature of your job, between formal, semi-formal, or even "casual" clothes.

In any case, you can look elegant and have a different outfit for every day, without buying hundreds of expensive items.

In a 1941 Vogue article titled "A $100 Campus Wardrobe," the magazine presented a proposal for a college student's wardrobe that consisted of a limited number of items: four skirts, three blouses, two jackets, two hats, a coat, and a pair of gloves. and a pair of shoes, a style revived in the 1970s by Susie Faux of London's Faux Wardrobe as the wardrobe or capsule, describing them as a collection of basic clothing pieces that can be mixed and matched in different ways.

The concept reached its zenith in 1985 when designer Donna Karan presented a capsule offering of workwear she called "Seven Easy Pieces".

This method provides an easy framework that makes shopping and getting dressed easier, and relies on the practice of vigilant purchasing, with the goal of having a limited number of high-quality essentials that can be mixed and matched.

(5) This trend has come back into the spotlight in recent years with the emergence of trends such as minimalism, and growing concerns about fast fashion trends.

Project 333 by Courtney Carver

In her book Project 333, Courtney Carver recommends owning just 33 items, including clothing, shoes, bags and accessories for all four seasons, in practical application of the capsule idea.

Courtney started this challenge in 2010. Several years ago, she wished her closet would be a spacious room so that she could store hundreds of items she wished to have, but through this challenge she was able to reduce her closet to accommodate only 33 items per season, that is, for every three months, and from here The name of her project came up.

Wedding ring, lingerie, home wear, sleepwear and sports are not included in these items.

By searching for images with the hashtag #project 333 on platforms such as Google or Pinterest, you will find many models that have been inspired by their followers, and you can also be inspired by ideas that suit you.

These ideas will help you always look stylish without spending a lot, and you will have a clutter-free wardrobe, and if your work requires traveling and moving from one place to another, you can travel lightly without carrying a lot of items.

Sample hashtag #project 333

While Carter recommends 33, others recommend 50, and some go too far to limit them to just 10.

It varies from person to person with different work style and lifestyle, and how much you can spend as well.

But quality is key in this approach, as buying high-quality pieces saves you paying hundreds for clothes that wear out quickly after just a few wears.

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The first step is to choose the color list: Make sure to choose one or two basic colors such as black, brown or gray, and buy basic items such as pants, coats or bags in basic shades.

Choose other distinct and brighter colors that can be coordinated together to complete your ensemble.

These colors are usually used for items such as shirts or dresses and accessories, so that all items in the wardrobe are interchangeable, because the colors of all the pieces always fit each other.

Be sure to sort your wardrobe and make sure of the items you have, you may discover many hidden pieces that you think are not suitable for work, but with a few additions you can make them look appropriate, for example, a regular cotton shirt, you can match it with a jumpsuit or with a blazer and a formal skirt for women, and a little From the distinctive accessories we get a new format.

Also, if your work includes attending parties or formal dinners, for example, make sure to have some pieces that are suitable for those occasions.

(7) In general, you can coordinate your wardrobe with a few suitable pieces, making sure that they fit the clothing code in your workplace, whether formal or otherwise.

Formal wear

In areas such as law, banking and finance, conservative and traditional dress codes usually dominate.

Invest in a classic jumpsuit in a neutral color, make sure it fits, and that the fabric doesn't wrinkle easily.

Women can also choose between formal dresses in neutral colors, jackets, skirts or formal pants. If you wear short dresses or skirts, make sure to wear transparent pantyhose in the appropriate color, and make sure to choose them with high quality so that they do not suffer from tearing or quick damage.

The clothes should be comfortable, you will never be able to focus on your work while you are wearing tight and uncomfortable pants.

For women, if you have to wear high heels, you don't have to wear them all the time, especially if you have back pain.

You can keep it at your desk, and wear flats on the way to and from the office.

To maintain the heel of your shoe, you can ask a shoe repair professional to add a thin piece of rubber to the heel, which will keep it on for longer and keep you from slipping on soft floors, as well as protecting your colleagues from the sound of heels pounding on the floor.

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Casual clothes

Some companies like to encourage employees to wear casual clothes, especially in creative work environments and startups, and although there are no formal rules for that dress, there are few unspoken rules.

It would help to keep an eye on what other people are wearing, eg are they smart but casual, or can they come to work in shorts, tracksuits and plastic flip-flops?

Whatever degree of freedom the company allows, be sure to avoid clothing that contains offensive or offensive phrases or prints.

Most home workers fall into the trap of wearing pajamas and home clothes while working, but remember what we said in the introduction about how clothes affect the way you think.

Lots of studies recommend setting certain rituals when working from home: getting up at a specific time, wearing different clothes than your home clothes, and sitting in a place designated for work.

This doesn't mean that you need fancy clothes as much as you need comfortable clothes.

You may also have to leave the house from time to time to attend work-related meetings or events, or even attend online meetings and open the camera.

Make sure you have a few pieces of clothing appropriate for these times.

Of course, if you work in a non-office environment, there are different criteria that you have to take into account. If you work in a factory or warehouse, you will need durable fabrics that can withstand working conditions, and if you spend your day in a sunny place (a construction site for example) you will need protective clothing from the sun. The sun in the summer, and another waterproof in case of unexpected rain in the winter.

If you work with machines, wearing loose-fitting clothing can pose a safety risk.

It is important to choose comfortable clothing that is appropriate for your profession, easy to care for and clean, and does not hinder you from performing your duties, with comfortable and durable shoes.

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One-suit secret

If your job requires you to wear a suit every day, and you're on a tight budget, here are some tips that will help you change your look with a limited number of suits, and maybe even just one or two.

Make sure to change your shirt daily, not only changing the color of the shirt, but also its texture and cut.

In addition to changing the ties and pocket squares, you can also wear the jumpsuit in the summer with a fitted shirt for a less formal look.

Make sure the suit fits you, you can always go to a professional to make it fit your size.

And if you are going to wear a limited number of suits or one suit, this means that you will need a durable, high-quality fabric that can withstand daily use, and you will also need to make sure to buy a suit of fabric that is suitable for both summer and winter where you can always add a layer of clothing under the suit or wear a coat above it.

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