Workwear is a huge topic of conversation in the fashion world, with viral videos on TikTok and Instagram consistently sparking debate as to what’s appropriate for a day in the office—and, more importantly, what isn’t.
Some brave souls have been willing to risk messy TikTok comments by sharing their controversial workwear outfits for public opinion—including Seattle-based corporate employee Kady.
Kady shared some of the ‘deranged’ outfits she’s worn to work in a viral video as she took viewers through her most controversial outfit choices.
She began by sharing how, “As someone who shares workwear content on this app, I’ve definitely seen this discourse about what is and isn’t appropriate to wear to work, and I’ve definitely seen how mad people get when an influencer will post an outfit that seems to indicate that she has never set foot in an office in her life—and, I myself have also been on the receiving end of that exact criticism.”
Before starting with the first—and most tame—outfit, she shared that it is “important to note” her 10-15 years working in an office were in the sports industry, preempting messages telling her she “would get fired for this” in a law office. She said she “just thought it would be fun to share some of the really unhinged outfits that I do wear to work sometimes.”
While she started tame with jeans and chunky white sneakers—something considered bold for offices with stricter dress codes—the video’s 2.1 million viewers were left stunned by some of her later examples, featuring leather corsets, mini skirts, and even a body harness.
Defending her approach to workwear, she explained, “I know when I have to dress up and when I can keep it more chill. I am lucky enough that I have a workplace that allows me some creative expression in my wardrobe, but I understand that is not the standard.”
When it comes to figuring out your work ‘uniform’ for each day, HR expert and founder for Upstream HR Strategies Erika Migliaccio previously told Newsweek, “I encourage people to think about what is the job that they want, and then to picture three or four people you know that have that type of a job and think to yourself, ‘If I had to describe them in three words, which words would I use?’ That’s their brand.
“The three words that you’re striving for should be reflected in what you’re wearing. If I want to crawl across as collaborative and creative and smart, then my clothes should be, you know, kind of fun and smart at the same time. If I want to come across as you the office Vixen, then I guess my clothes would reflect that too.”
What Do the Comments Say?
One of Kady’s choices hit a nerve with a viewer, and it may be unexpected considering some of her other outfit choices: “All of your outfits are so cute! But I am a diehard no toes in the office person. Maybe my feet and your feet are okay, but we both know some people’s feet aren’t .”
“To me, the big red flags in office wear are crop tops, mini skirts, and spaghetti straps.” wrote one user. “Other than that, most everything is good!”
Perhaps surprisingly given her preparation for backlash, many approved of her outfit choices. One wrote, “This is 100% what I be wearing to work and I just don’t care what anyone else thinks. My CEO is usually wearing activewear.”
“My two corporate jobs had the dress code ‘dress for your day’. If nothing special was going on we could be as casual as we wanted,” said another. “If we had to meet with attorneys or clients we would wear business.”
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