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skinny jeans as business casual attire
- Thread starter fleet
- Start date
We're not allowed to wear jeans except on Friday's, and that's with approval. If we have a meeting that day, then absolutely not. I mostly wear dress pants, button down shirt and I'll put on a tie if I'm meeting with high level management.
I agree with this, as long as it's not obvious denim material. Depends on the job of course but I wear skinny jeans that aren't actual blue denim with a tucked in collared shirt and look dressed up
I dont know if they have to be "Skinny" jeans but you can 100% make jeans work in a business environment. Unless your job strictly prohibits denim. The Jeans, blouse and nice shoes combo is legit.
As a software engineer in business casual I just wear whatever other than graphic tees. Unless there's a meeting with the C-level or clients that day.
As others have said...it depends. In some offices jeans are totally fine, while others have a more strict dress code. For instance, I work in the FinTech industry. On our sales floor jeans wouldn't be acceptable except on Friday. On our Dev floors you can wear jeans any day. And when we go see clients of course we're in suits but everyone on site at our Financial Services clients is in business casual but that means slacks and dress shirts for the dudes and dresses/pants suits for the women. Definitely no jeans.
So as others have said, dress professionally for the first couple of days so you can get a sense for the office vibe, then decide. There's no way anyone on the forum can answer your question, unfortunately.
So as others have said, dress professionally for the first couple of days so you can get a sense for the office vibe, then decide. There's no way anyone on the forum can answer your question, unfortunately.
If you value getting better looking jeans then it is totally worth it. As with everything you are paying for the details. Its the same with tech or anything else. Cheap jeans and expensive both keep your ass from showing, but the more you spend you get a better cut, better fabric, etc.
Also haven't women always worn skinny ass jeans? I thought skinny jeans thing was the new thing for men in the last 10 years or so. And honestly it looks way better than the baggy jean phenomenon of years past.
I have seen people wear skinny jeans to work on casual Friday so I don't think its a big deal.
Man it must be cool to go to work in jeans or shorts everyday.
maybe it would help if people kinda visualised what outfits i'd be wearing with jeans? think:
except instead of a tiny skinny little thing i'm a bigger girl. same style/colour of jeans, though
Perfectly fine for most of sane Business America. Ive worked for a fortune 50 company and a mom and pop (and everything in the middle) and most of them seem to allow a bit more freedom to business casual for women. Dudes really only have 3 options. Sweater, Polo or dress shirt and slacks.
Also, good luck at the new gig!
I work at a government department and the majority of the office wear jeans. It's really only the dog eat dog, ultra corporate companies that have such rigid dress codes.
It really depends on the place. Black skinny jeans are PROBABLY fine but there are some places that are just total sticklers about that kind of thing and even though it's totally the norm now it just will never be OK in that locale. I think paradoxically it's less professional places like retail, etc, that are going to be really "NO EXCEPTIONS" on jeans, everywhere else it basically comes down to if you look clean and professional or not and the fabric of the pants isn't going to matter or be scrutinized. I basically wear nothing but long open sweaters w/ tunics and shirts and skinny jeans and leggings and it's always been fine and pretty much the norm.
I'm now imagining you wear business jncos
I'm now imagining you wear business jncos
What industry? Tech/IT? Did you get a good look at your new coworkers when interviewing?
Black skinny form fitting clean jeans seems well in line with business casual in my experience.
That said, if you like close fitting black pants then I'm sure you could find some slacks that fit you well.
There are a lot of factors at play in whether it feels like the right decision. My wife and I work at a university and my office mate (female) wears jeans every day but she mostly just deals with the faculty members and grad students from their group. My wife has a role elsewhere on campus where she's interacting with more external people and she usually wears work pants and some sort of blouse but on occasion she'll wear some jeans. I wear (skinny-ish) jeans and a polo every day personally.
Given that it's a new job, I'd feel it out. Try and find a few nice work pants and wear those initially and then see what your coworkers are wearing and go from there. The fact the jeans you really like are black probably helps -- that gives them a more professional feel at a minimum. If you're dealing with clients in person, it might feel a little inappropriate. If it's just you in an office setting, then I bet a lot of people will wear them regularly.
Given that it's a new job, I'd feel it out. Try and find a few nice work pants and wear those initially and then see what your coworkers are wearing and go from there. The fact the jeans you really like are black probably helps -- that gives them a more professional feel at a minimum. If you're dealing with clients in person, it might feel a little inappropriate. If it's just you in an office setting, then I bet a lot of people will wear them regularly.
It might depend how nice these jeans look and their color. Normal blue jeans might be stretching business casual, but if they're more like khaki (brown) or dark blue, or black, they might work
I don't buy skinny jeans because I have chun li cycling legs and the straight fits and athletic cuts are snug enough
but based on the picture you posted, yeah I would think that's good for business casual
but based on the picture you posted, yeah I would think that's good for business casual
Same. First year at my current company I used to wear khakis and shirts. Now 4 years later I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt most days.
For youths, typically denim jeans have fit skinny in the thighs, male or female. It's the fit in the calf that has seen changes. Elvis was criticized for wearing tights jeans, and Rockstars have pretty much worn skinny jeans since. In the internet's favorite movie, Back to the Future, the lead character Marty McFly wears skinny jeans. Never see anyone make fun of him for it.
The relaxed fit is more of recent thing in pop culture.
I guess it completely depends on your industry as well? Where I work, almost anything is fair play, as long as you look clean and decent.
Then again, I sometimes go to work on my gym wear because it's too hot outside and if I get stuck in conversations it might be a couple hours before I change to my normal clothes (chino pants and a T-shirt, generally).
In your case, and if I was a woman, i would probably wear a skirt instead (since you don't seem to find enough pants that fit you) on day one and see what's up, ask a couple people, etc. Then if it's ok, just swap to those jeans.
Then again, I sometimes go to work on my gym wear because it's too hot outside and if I get stuck in conversations it might be a couple hours before I change to my normal clothes (chino pants and a T-shirt, generally).
In your case, and if I was a woman, i would probably wear a skirt instead (since you don't seem to find enough pants that fit you) on day one and see what's up, ask a couple people, etc. Then if it's ok, just swap to those jeans.
In 2019 America they most certainly are. Business Casual is an ambiguous term that is defined by each company. The HR department should have a policy on exactly what works and what doesn't.
Yes, good denim is in and it's fine. I'm not business casual anymore but in my old dept we were, and good denim is often sharper looking than sloppy slacks.
Business casual is pretty nebulous, but it mostly just means dressing smart, but without wearing a suit & tie. For a lot of people who started working 15 years ago+ they take it very strictly to mean slacks + shirt, no tie, or slacks + polo shirt, no tie. But... a lot of people in slacks and a polo look sloppy as fuck, because they're buying shitty fitting Kohl's slacks and some enormous oversized billowing polo shirt from Old Navy or something that has dimples in the middle of it because it never fits.
Good denim will always look better than sloppy slacks, and a lot of good denim makers make denim that is denim but it's not a traditional denim/jean color.
For instance, this is denim:
(above, various shades of Paige's alternative denim colors)
With the right shirt, smartly fitted, esp. with a suede belt, this will be much more appropriate business casual than this sloppy ass dork wearing traditional business casual
This model checks all of the business casual boxes... tucked in shirt, slacks, no tie, no jacket. But he's a slob... huge pleats, poorly fitted, not hemmed, super billowy like fucking hammer pants, enormous open collar, white undershirt, enormous Alladin sleeves, etc. And yet this sloppy mess checks all of the business casual boxes from the 90s/2000s.
Business casual is pretty nebulous, but it mostly just means dressing smart, but without wearing a suit & tie. For a lot of people who started working 15 years ago+ they take it very strictly to mean slacks + shirt, no tie, or slacks + polo shirt, no tie. But... a lot of people in slacks and a polo look sloppy as fuck, because they're buying shitty fitting Kohl's slacks and some enormous oversized billowing polo shirt from Old Navy or something that has dimples in the middle of it because it never fits.
Good denim will always look better than sloppy slacks, and a lot of good denim makers make denim that is denim but it's not a traditional denim/jean color.
For instance, this is denim:
(above, various shades of Paige's alternative denim colors)
With the right shirt, smartly fitted, esp. with a suede belt, this will be much more appropriate business casual than this sloppy ass dork wearing traditional business casual
This model checks all of the business casual boxes... tucked in shirt, slacks, no tie, no jacket. But he's a slob... huge pleats, poorly fitted, not hemmed, super billowy like fucking hammer pants, enormous open collar, white undershirt, enormous Alladin sleeves, etc. And yet this sloppy mess checks all of the business casual boxes from the 90s/2000s.
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Skinny jeans can be considered business casual, but two things are dependent on that answer. 1. Your work environment and 2. The style of jeans. If the environment is typically laid back professional, then a nice pair of skinny jeans is okay.
Since this is a new job, I'd be somewhat hesitant of wearing jeans simply because I'd have no clue what the environment is really like, but if they're not really an apparent denim, you might be able to get away with it.
Since this is a new job, I'd be somewhat hesitant of wearing jeans simply because I'd have no clue what the environment is really like, but if they're not really an apparent denim, you might be able to get away with it.
You must not accept a lot of people in 2019. Acceptance is in brah.
Hey, OP! I'm in a similar boat in that I'm 5'1", so most jeans are way too long, and I have small hips and big thighs, so the only jeans that fit me are either mom jeans that have a lot of room or something with plenty of elastic and stretch. I work from home most days, but I have one trusty pair of black skinny jeans for when I need to go in to the office. I think it's absolutely work appropriate in a business casual setting. Especially with the material being black instead of blue denim, I think it amps up the dressiness.
I wore jeans to my IT job every day. I worked at a non-profit, so everything was a bit more laid back.
ITT folks applying male fashion standards to a woman.
I'd wear a skirt for a few days just to get the lay of the land. You'll likely be fine wearing skinny jeansas more and more places are accepting of straight casual instead of business casual in the workplace.
I'd wear a skirt for a few days just to get the lay of the land. You'll likely be fine wearing skinny jeansas more and more places are accepting of straight casual instead of business casual in the workplace.
This is highly dependent on your office and your industry. You should always try to err on overdressing for your first day (this does not mean go in full business formal if the place is obviously more casual).
If you've already managed to (and can afford to) spend $500 already on pants that don't fit, you need to be getting pants that fit your hips /thighs and tailoring them to your waist. As long as the difference isn't huge, I believe that's actually one of the easier alterations to make.
I would also suggest looking into ponte fabrics. They're super stretchy, super comfy, and look more professional than jeans.
If you've already managed to (and can afford to) spend $500 already on pants that don't fit, you need to be getting pants that fit your hips /thighs and tailoring them to your waist. As long as the difference isn't huge, I believe that's actually one of the easier alterations to make.
I would also suggest looking into ponte fabrics. They're super stretchy, super comfy, and look more professional than jeans.
Unfortunately there are judgmental "but what about our traditions" people out there who will deem it inappropriate but it should be seen as alright. It really depends on the field.
OP
OP
i'm so appreciative of all the replies, everyone! but damn some of y'all are super passionate about the definition of business casual.
...jesus, ok
...jesus, ok
Nothing screams "Please fire me" like skinny jeans on business casual day.
Lmao I love this response.
Jeans are absolutely business casual
Jeans and a button down with a tie? That's some midtown uniform if I ever heard one.
I have no idea what the dress code is at work, and I work for the government. I wear slim jeans and t-shirts most of the time. No ones ever said anything and I meet with pretty high up dudes often. Guess it just depends on your culture. I played it safe for a while until I realized no one gave a shit.
You can get stretch chinos. I 'd recommend having a look for some in a slim-fit (look for measurements based on your thigh-size), speaking as someone whose wardrobe contains a number of pairs of pants that are so loose at the waist they look like they'd fall straight off without a belt, yet are stuck in place due to being stretched over my thighs. I'm also Australian so I know that we have access to this textile technology, but unfortunately the only brands I can recommend are menswear.
Maybe not for the first day at the new job, scope it out first. Business Casual means different things to different companies, I've worked at many where jeans are fine, but some say business casual and jeans are against dress code.