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skinny jeans as business casual attire

jeans to work?!

  • yea

    Votes: 443 63.3%

  • nay

    Votes: 257 36.7%
  • Total voters
    700
fleet

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
hi! first ever post! i deal with the biggest first world problem: pants don't fucking fit me. i'm a woman who is super pear shaped. i'm a little overweight, i have a small waist, really wide hips, and big thighs. i look cute as hell in like, underwear or whatever! but for the life of me i literally cannot find pants that fit me. if it doesn't have an elastic waist, don't even think about it. if it's straight leg, it's too tight on my thighs. if it's not high waisted, it sits at my widest point and i can't even sit down. if i size up, it balloons around my waist even if it fits my thighs. if i size down, it fits my waist, but squeezes my hips and thighs. if i size just right, it's a combination of too loose and too tight. every day is a living nightmare, existence is suffering

i have one pair of pants that are comfortable and make me look all sucked in and nice: plain, black skinny jeans. coincidentally, i'm also starting a new job next week. the dress code is smart, casual, business attire. i've got stacks and stacks of cute blouses, blazers, collared shirts, whatever. but i don't have a pair of pants to match them with. i'm not a big skirt person either.

here is my question for you, era: is it appropriate to wear skinny jeans in a professional setting? a google search is giving me equal amounts of 'go for it' and 'don't even fucking think about it'. they're nice jeans, not really denim textured, but they're still obviously jeans. fwiw, i like to tuck in most of my shirts and wear some plain heels. good people of era, please help me!!
 
TheMadTitan

TheMadTitan

Member
Oct 27, 2017
27,179
If they're not stereotypically denim, I'd say go for it, especially if you have casual in your dress code.
 
joecanada

joecanada

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,651
Canada
Sorry I have a question.... I thought skinny jeans wouldn't fit bigger thighs? I'm asking because I can't wear many types of jeans and assumed skinny would be a big nope.
Do they make these in like a stretchy or athletic style?
I would just do the skirt thing tbh that's what I see at my office
 

Normal

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,296
joecanada said:
Sorry I have a question.... I thought skinny jeans wouldn't fit bigger thighs? I'm asking because I can't wear many types of jeans and assumed skinny would be a big nope.
Do they make these in like a stretchy or athletic style?
I would just do the skirt thing tbh that's what I see at my office
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Skinny stretch jeans exist.
 
OP
OP
fleet

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
joecanada said:
Sorry I have a question.... I thought skinny jeans wouldn't fit bigger thighs? I'm asking because I can't wear many types of jeans and assumed skinny would be a big nope.
Do they make these in like a stretchy or athletic style?
I would just do the skirt thing tbh that's what I see at my office
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

yeah they're stretchy denim. they fit snug, but because they're stretchy i can move in them easily and they don't cut off circulation to my vitals. i love em
 
TheMadTitan

TheMadTitan

Member
Oct 27, 2017
27,179
joecanada said:
Sorry I have a question.... I thought skinny jeans wouldn't fit bigger thighs? I'm asking because I can't wear many types of jeans and assumed skinny would be a big nope.
Do they make these in like a stretchy or athletic style?
I would just do the skirt thing tbh that's what I see at my office
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not necessarily, I know a lot of thick thighed woman who wear skinny jeans. The ones with the elastic make them easier to put on and take off, but they don't exclusively wear the ones that stretch.

None of my male friends who wear skinnies have meaty thighs, so I can't use them for a frame of reference. And I wear Levi 502s, so I can't use myself as reference, either.
 

Deleted member 23158

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,091
I am not a woman, so I'm not for sure. I have however seen plenty female colleague's wear black skinny jeans. Can't really see it going wrong if you pair with a blouse/shirt + blazer (if it's colder).

For some context. I work at one of the big 4 accounting firms in the Netherlands, where male colleague's usually do wear a suit (though we can get away with smart casual if we are not going to the client).
 
NippleViking

NippleViking

Member
May 2, 2018
4,476
I think it depends on what industry you're in, as well as your office culture. If you're in a field that's fairly traditional and perhaps conservative, like say Medicine or Commerce, then I'd suggest you stick to the more conventional attire of chinos and suit-wear. But for some industries like IT or marketing, I think looking a bit more casual or new-age is fine.
 

Deleted member 13798

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,374
Jeans are not business casual. Ever.

But you can wear a button down/tie with jeans for a look if your workplace allows it, or for casual Friday or whatever.

But it's not business casual, and we don't need to redefine what business casual means just because some people can wear cargo shorts to work.
 

SRG01

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,007
You should really ask a supervisor. Some skinny jeans may be dark enough to double as dark pants.

Barring that, I know some people wear dark yoga pants -- and some definitely do look like dress pants.
 
Arc

Arc

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,500
I don't know if my office is truly business casual or what I would really consider "smart casual" but I wear skinny jeans or chinos like every day. They look and fit better. 🤷‍♂️
 
PaulloDEC

PaulloDEC

Visited by Knack
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,406
Australia
If you're starting next week, does that mean you've been to the workplace in question before? Like, for the interview or something?

If so, what kind of things were the other employees wearing?
 
MMarston

MMarston

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,605
As others have mentioned, it depends on the workplace. I'd pay attention first to what everyone else is wearing for a few days just to get a good gauge at what "business casual" is to them. Or better yet, just ask.

But in my personal experience, you can usually rock most kinds of good looking jeans for business casual.
 
Tagyhag

Tagyhag

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,449
Definitely depends on the environment.

Just buy a pair of slacks to be safe, then after your first day you'll know if it's ok, just ask around on that day.
 
HomerSimpson-Man

HomerSimpson-Man

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,629
Jeans isn't traditionally considered business casual expecially where I work. Jeans are for casual Fridays though.

Best to ask, it can't hurt.
 
molnizzle

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
Usually no.

You might be able to get away with it though, but definitely not a first day move.
 
OP
OP
fleet

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
PaulloDEC said:
If you're starting next week, does that mean you've been to the workplace in question before? Like, for the interview or something?

If so, what kind of things were the other employees wearing?
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it's an association that works with children with autism. the other employees are on the floor with the kiddies getting messy, so they have a uniform/were wearing their uniform during the interview. i'm going to be employed as the prov. psychologist there, working with adults in an office on a different floor. as the psych i still want to convey professionalism, so.
 
Gifted

Gifted

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
1,359
Sounds perfectly reasonable based on your description. If you want to be safe you can always not wear them the first day to get a feel for the environment. Nice jeans are ok in 85% of business casual places and I'd say higher for women.
 

SRG01

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,007
Can you possibly find higher-waisted pants that have wide hips? Like almost vintage style?
 
OP
OP
fleet

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
SRG01 said:
Can you possibly find higher-waisted pants that have wide hips? Like almost vintage style?
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honestly, i've probably spent upwards of $500 since entering the workforce, just trying to find pants that fit. seriously. expensive pants, cheap pants, vintage pants... i'm at the point where i would literally just pay someone to measure me up and make me something that fits. i dunno if that kind of service exists though.
 
deftones r cool

deftones r cool

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,050
I couldn't imagine working somewhere where the ability to wear jeans on a Friday is considered a treat; as if capitalism isn't exploitative enough
 
Kuro

Kuro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,538
Can't find stretchy chinos? Jcrew seems to have a few for women I think.

edit: Not the AU Jcrew apparently.
 

SRG01

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,007
fleet said:
honestly, i've probably spent upwards of $500 since entering the workforce, just trying to find pants that fit. seriously. expensive pants, cheap pants, vintage pants... i'm at the point where i would literally just pay someone to measure me up and make me something that fits. i dunno if that kind of service exists though.
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Indochino. Custom made-to-fit.
 
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,765
fleet said:
i haven't heard of them, no. honestly i would love to try it out but spending ~$100 for a pair of pants + shipping to australia isn't worth the disappointment of owning ANOTHER pair of pants that kinda fit but not really
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Ah, didn't know you were in Australia. It looks like international shipping is free on orders over $75 so if you order maybe two, at worst, you'd just be out the return shipping cost to get a refund. Not sure what that costs, but if it's not too bad, it may be worth trying if you're having that much trouble. My wife has switched over to them to for her work clothes and loves them. I'm no expect in clothing or anything but the concept of yoga pants made to look like regular pants seemed like it could solve the trouble you're finding but totally understandable about the cost and overseas issues. I hope you find something that finally fits.
 
Skade

Skade

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,837
I'd say, go full formal the first days and look around you how coworkers actually dress. Then you'll get a sense of if you can actually use theses pants.

And you can always go for it and see if you get remarks. If nobody tells anything it's good, and if it isn't you can always have the excuse of the newbie and not bring them at work anymore.
 
amanset

amanset

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,577
Skade said:
I'd say, go full formal the first days and look around you how coworkers actually dress. Then you'll get a sense of if you can actually use theses pants.

And you can always go for it and see if you get remarks. If nobody tells anything it's good, and if it isn't you can always have the excuse of the newbie and not bring them at work anymore.
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Maybe not "full formal", but this.

You dress conservatively, even if you feel you don't look good, until you get the lay of the land. This is the rule for starting pretty much any job.
 
Pankratous

Pankratous

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,232
For a new job, I'd recommend just dressing smart on the first few days. Nobody will chastise you for being overdressed, but they will if they feel you are underdressed. Get a lay of the land and see what other people dress like.

For what it's worth though, I think skinny jeans will ultimately be fine.
 
PersonAndStuff

PersonAndStuff

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,264
The definition of business casual generally excludes jeans but you can get away with it depending on the culture. They may also specifically explain their policy in a handbook.
 
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