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Commentary March 05, 2021

Are the Days of Dressing Up Over?

Many of us are tired of the sweats and old tees that made up our pandemic wardrobe, but are we ready to sacrifice comfort for style? Not necessarily.

By  Theresa Hegel

One of my good friends from college recently shared a story about throwing a cardigan over her usual pandemic uniform of old T-shirt and leggings. Her elementary school-age daughter gushed about how “fancy” she looked and asked if she had a Zoom meeting for work later that day. Another friend celebrated the fact that she was wearing “hard pants” for the first time in ages. I felt triumphant for swiping on a smidge of lipstick and eyeliner before making an appearance as a virtual “mystery reader” for my daughter’s online class. The real mystery, perhaps, is why I even bothered. A year into the pandemic, and the bar for dressing up has become very low indeed.

Women's apparel hanging on rack.

True, the experts have been touting the importance of looking professional and put together even if your home office happens to double as a sofa. And I know plenty of people who claim they get dressed up every day for remote work (Sure, Jan). But there’s a reason Target’s new activewear line hit $1 billion in sales last year and that Crocs just saw record fourth-quarter earnings, and it’s not because foam clogs are couture.

Sweatpants were the unofficial look of 2020 (I mean, Anna Wintour, the high priestess of fashion, was pictured unapologetically wearing track pants in her home office.) I’ve tried to steer clear of sweats during the workweek, but leggings have become my OTP (one true pant, of course) – so much so that I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve worn jeans since ASI sent everyone home to work.

My 9-year-old will occasionally don pigtails and pearls for cyber school, but even she’s caught on to the fact that nobody can tell if you’re still in pajama bottoms on Zoom. (Don’t worry, I only let her get away with that line of reasoning a few times a month.)

For many, though, the appeal of endless pajama days appears to be wearing thin. A recent headline in fashion mag Elle advises readers to “Burn that tie-dye sweatsuit“ because it’s time to dress up again. In an opinion piece for The Guardian, writer Jenny Stevens embraces a friend’s mantra of “face on, joggers off,” positing that “the very small act of getting dressed up could well be a way of finding ourselves again.” There’s even a trend of people getting dolled up to receive their COVID vaccination, with some donning sequined gowns, heels and tiaras for the occasion. “We’ve had very little to look forward to. So, it’s really been nice to have something to be excited about,” Brooklyn-based actress Ashlie Atkinson told Refinery 29.

I can get behind that idea. I definitely miss the excitement and anticipation of putting on a lovingly curated Outfit-with-a-capital-O to go to a fancy restaurant, play, concert or some other special treat. And when I’m finally able to get my vaccine, it will certainly feel like a momentous occasion. Perhaps I’ll go the Dolly Parton route and wear a glittery cold-shoulder top.

But I think the pandemic may have caused a sea change when it comes to everyday fashion and workwear. Late last year, I spoke with style mavens at a handful of apparel suppliers in the industry about 2021 fashion trends, and they made a couple of really salient points. First, people want their clothes to be multifunctional and versatile, so stylish activewear that can transition from hanging out to working out will continue to trend. And though people will likely up their style game once they’re back in the office (if, indeed, they go back), it won’t necessarily look the same as it did before. Comfort will still be key.

“As the world progressively returns to a new normal, there will be an uptick in excitement to get dressed up,” said Tsedenia Kiros, director of design at Top 40 supplier Charles River Apparel (asi/44620). “This shift will happen in an undulating fashion, where we start incorporating pieces from our wardrobe that instantly dress up an outfit. Throwing a stylized blazer over a core essential T-shirt or hoodie is an example.”

It’s a discussion the ASI Media team has been having on and off for a while now as we contemplate the prospect of someday returning to an office many of us haven’t seen in nearly a year. Some, like my colleague Christopher Ruvo, are ready to retire the WFH schlub getup – he wore crisp jeans the other day and said he felt like Cary Grant. Others not so much.

I’m not sure you’ll ever catch me wearing “hard pants” again, but I think I’ve found a compromise. Back in the early days of the pandemic, when there was little else to do but scroll through my friends’ pics of fresh-baked bread or impulse-shop online, I succumbed to the siren call of something called the “dress pant yoga pants.” Stretchy like my favorite leggings, but with an office-friendly cut and super-cute black-and-white “catstooth” print, I liked them so much I splurged on a matching blazer as well. When I finally make my way back to the office, I’ll be doing so in style AND comfort … and maybe a jaunty top hat and cane to complete my look.

Theresa Hegel

Executive Editor, Digital Content

Theresa Hegel covers strategy for ASI Media, with a focus on apparel, digital technology and business operations and management. She's won multiple regional and national awards for her writing and reporting.

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