business casual

So far at work I've just been wearing whatever separates I have in my possession that I can pass off as business casual, and permutating the tops and bottoms and the occasional Sailor Moon dress (the only "fun" outfit I brought to Hong Kong). I also sit facing the emo Asians (the creative people), and take my fashion cues from them: emo style, Hong Kong edition. But last Friday, for the first time, I felt really self-conscious about how I was dressed at work.

It was Casual Friday, so I wore a fobby green polo shirt and jeans to work. It had been raining so I rolled up the bottoms of my jeans. Then, one of the associates in my department came to my desk. "Vivien, do you have a moment to talk? Chris and I need to meet with you."

Chris? The regional director and head of the department? Need to talk? Why would he ever talk to me? Shit! What if they had caught on to my gch tendencies? What if they wanted to lecture me about professionalism?

Well, I had no choice but to oblige and go to Chris's office.

It turned out to be good news--they wanted to staff me on a cool project, and I would perhaps go on my first business trip ever, to a resort and park development in China!

But the more we talked, the more I felt overwhelmingly underdressed. I was meeting with two 40-year-old men wearing oxford shirts tucked into slacks with sharp creases, and matching belts and shoes. Meanwhile, my jeans were still rolled up around my ankles and my 3-dollar kelly green polo shirt was decidedly unbusinesslike. I'm paranoid so my thoughts went something like this:

I look like a child!
They must be judging me!
This is so unprofessional!
My career is over before it ever began!

For the first time in my life, I felt sartorially inadequate and decided to google "business casual." I know it encompasses a very broad range of dress but I wanted to go for the conservative end of the spectrum. Apparently this means no sleeveless tops and no open-toed shoes. I hate to admit it, but it turns out my mother is right after all. "Clothes are meant for covering, not showing," she has always admonished me.

That's fine. Nobody at work will ever see my upper arms again.

Business casual: clothes that people would not voluntarily wear under normal circumstances if left to their own devices. That's fine. From now on I will be the epitome of business casual.
I'm all neutral colors, oxford shirts, and knee-length skirts for the rest of the summer.