Fashion is a form of self-expression. It’s a way of describing how we feel and how we want to present ourselves. We wear pajamas at home because we want to be comfortable, and we wear business clothes to show professionalism in the workplace. The Covid-19 pandemic merged our home and the workplace together. This is where we saw a rise in loungewear because it’s comfortable and presentable.

Working from home is a challenge as it disturbs the usual routine of getting ready for work. The biggest part of that routine is picking out clothes, putting them on, and getting yourself ready to leave your house. Now that many businesses have shifted to working from home, it may be difficult to be able to set the tone for your workday.

It is important to create a routine that will work for you. As stated by Professor Carolyn Mair, “keeping a routine helps us maintain a sense of control and degree of normality in times when we are feeling a lack of control, which leads to stress and even anxiety” (Callahan, 2020). It is entirely up to you to decide how you want to structure your day. Psychologist Cathleen Swody suggests changing your clothes before you start your work and after you're done. This will essentially provide you with boundaries between work and home. The boundaries you set will help distinguish your work hours from your leisure time and increase your productivity. 

For example, research conducted in 2012 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology shows that those that wore a lab coat performed better than those who didn’t. Similarly, athletes that wear red perform better than other colours.  This is what is called enclothed cognition - the influence of clothes on a person’s psychological processes. According to the journal, there is a link between the physical experience and the symbolic meaning. For example, the symbolic meaning of the colour red means power and strength which translates to the physical experience of performing better and showing more strength. This may go unnoticed, but the choices that a person makes - no matter how small - will affect their thought process. Enclothed cognition demonstrates the choices of clothing on a person’s view of themselves. 

We often have clothes for different tasks and that defines what we are about to do. Would you be comfortable exercising in jeans? Or going out to dinner in your pajamas? I mean you absolutely can, but you won’t feel or perform your best. Your outfit is a crucial step in setting yourself up for success.

Listen to how you feel each day. Some days you may not want to dress business casual, and it’s okay. Consider the saying “when you look good, you feel good” because you can use it as a way to motivate yourself a little more. Ultimately, you need to listen to yourself. What may work for others may not work for you. It is okay to test things out and try out different routines until you can tweak them enough in creating the perfect one for you.