Denim decision

Last week, word came down from the vice president's office that we could wear jeans to work - unless we had any meetings outside of our own unit - from the day of the Christmas party, December 16th, all the way through the Friday before MLK day, January 13th.

There was much rejoicing.

I'm a bit conflicted on this issue, though.

Graduating from college in 1981, I entered a professional workplace where it was more or less expected that women would wear suits and (gasp!) pantyhose. Low heeled pumps let you get from meeting to meeting without risking a sprained ankle.

As a member of a natural fiber fabric club at the time, I had a wide range of sumptuous fabrics from which to make suits. Yes, I made my own - jacket construction is truly just a bit of engineering; if you follow the blueprint (pattern), everything works out in the end. One particular suit - a lined collarless jacket and straight skirt in a buttery soft, black and white herringbone, Italian wool/silk blend - still hangs in my closet thirty years later (hope springs eternal that I may yet get back into it). Paired with a jewel tone silk shell, it was one of my favorite looks.

Even now, in a very "business casual" climate, I tend toward skirts and dresses rather than the slacks and tops favored by most of the rest of the office.

Simply put, I find I'm better able to focus, make decisions and get things done when I'm "dressed for the part".

For years, Flylady has been preaching something similar in an entirely different setting. She advocates "getting dressed to the shoes" before starting any housework. You act differently, she maintains, when you are fully dressed and ready to go. It serves as a signal that it is time to get things done.

Don't worry - I do have a couple of pairs of dressier pants that will see some wear, especially this week. The high temperature is headed downward over the next few days, with Thursday topping out at a frigid eight degrees.

For the most part, however, I'll stick to my usual skirts and dresses. I need the boost it gives to my productivity.