Clothes As Armour: My Return-to-Work Outfit

With my anxiety about a return to work after a 15 month absence I was delighted when my favourite shop, White Stuff, offered to send me an outfit to help manage the nerves.

This was important to me because many years of low body confidence means I treat outfits as a form of armour. Feeling I look good helps me feel good. It buoys my confidence.

My wardrobe is full of White Stuff items – the cut of the dresses in particular suits my figure, and the bright colours and fun prints suit my personality.

I was delighted with the outfit I selected: the Beautiful Island Jersey Dress in Paradise Coral made me feel good the moment I put it on. The shape is very flattering; accentuating the right parts, and skimming over the bits I don’t feel so confident about.

With its high neckline and a hem that reaches the knee, it is a perfect work wear dress because I don’t have to worry about indecency!

The colour: a deep indigo background with blue and coral spirals is so pretty, and goes with so much.

I paired it with the Waterfall Cardi in Deep Sky Blue – the shape of the cardigan is again very flattering. The way it is cut makes the cardigan look smart, almost like a jacket – perfect for looking the part at work. That said, I can see myself wearing the dress socially, too – it’s such a versatile frock – with a purple or coral cardigan perhaps to bring out those colours.

I was so pleased the dress has pockets – more dresses should feature pockets because they are so useful!

All dresses should have pockets.

Being a fan of a statement necklace, I was very pleased with the Short Flowery Necklace in teal. It sets off the dress beautifully, and has lovely detailing without being too ‘showy’, making it the perfect addition to this work outfit.

As you can also see in this picture, the dress has tabbed sleeves – it seemed to me to be a good compromise between sleeves and sleeveless – and therefore suitable for work in warm weather.

On my feet I have the Melrose Mid Wedge Demi Sandals. Not being a fan of heels I find platforms like these to be a perfect compromise for when I want to add a bit of height to an outfit. These sandals are the perfect complement to an outfit and, crucially, comfy on my feet. Admittedly I didn’t wear them on my first day, preferring instead the familiarity of my sensible brogues (first days and new shoes are not a happy combination!).

The finishing flourish is this stunning Cockatiel Scarf. Not only is it double sided: a multi-coloured graphic print on one side and plain green on the other mean it can be worn with pretty much anything, it is also double-layered and huge! This means it would be invaluable as a wrap during chillier summer evenings.

It is difficult to do the scarf justice in photographs…

Trying to show how big the scarf is!

Arriving at work in this ensemble did not completely remove all my nerves (it’s a beautiful outfit, but sadly not a magic one!), but I felt I looked good which helped immeasurably. I received some kind compliments too, which is always lovely!

The outfit is timeless and classic, and I look forward to wearing it on many work days and to many social occasions.

About to leave for work on my first day (I opted for my sensible brogues for the first day).

Disclosure: White Stuff kindly gifted me this outfit. All words and opinions are mine.