Jeans At Work

From our CEO to our interns, here at indi, we all wear jeans at work. But in many offices across the country, jeans are off limits. Why is this ubiquitous, comfortable pant so taboo at work, even on casual Fridays?

Well. . .it turns out America’s favorite garment has a little bit of baggage. During the mid 20th century, jeans were adopted by members of the counter culture and used as a symbol of dissent against mainstream values. Jeans represented a threat to authority during a time when those in power wore gray suits or heels and stockings. But as members of the counter culture grew older and more conservative they continued wearing jeans. By the late 20th century, jeans were commonplace garb for Americans of all ages and political views.

Despite jeans’ contemporary ubiquity, some businesses feel that jeans still symbolize a threat to authority—an unwelcome symbol to most CEOs. Businesses that have an old fashioned view of jeans often cling to archaic dress codes and expect their employees to dress like Milton, shown below.

Such constraining dress codes could lead employees to rebel in other ways. We’re not saying that dress codes cause otherwise honest employees to burn down office buildings or steal thousands of dollars. We’re not even saying that employees should be permitted to look sloppy at work—we’re the first to admit that jeans can be quite dapper! But here at indi, we believe that allowing employees to express their personal style will improve their output. Hey, it works for us!

posted by: danielle on August 18, 2009 at 3:22 pm
filed under: Denim 101 | comments (2)
TAGS: history of jeans, jeans at work

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Just because your office “allows” you to wear jeans to work, doesn’t mean you should abuse the privilege. Oh wait, were you one of those give an inch, takes a mile kind of kids?  Well, if so, here is a much needed lesson on your “jeans for work” etiquette.

Unless you work at a custom jeans company (this is where we forget about our 14 hour days and remember why we love our job), you should be mindful of the unwritten rules of wearing jeans to work. When choosing your jean for the office, keep in mind that you (probably) still want to look polished and professional. When you wear a dirty, tattered jean, people tend to not take you so seriously. Take Brandy, here, for example. Odds are you wouldn’t want anyone in those jeans in charge of much more than, uh, acting or singing.

image from usmagazine.com

But I digress. The point is—a dark wash jean without any serious distressing/destruction treatments will looks crisp and clean. People like that. They respect it. Another solid option is a trouser jean because it resembles a more traditional dressy pant. Its slick lines will look sophisticated, and its wide legs will give a stylish draping effect.

Now since you’re going to go casual with your jeans, you want to dress up the rest of the outfit with a feminine blouse or button-down and some cute high-heels or flats. Do not, try to pair your jeans with a t-shirt or sweatshirt and tennis shoes. Those items should *never* be seen in the office. Really, do we have to say it?

And, if you do find yourself craving a little adventure, you can always shake things up with a bright colored vest or blazer. Just make sure you know what you’re doing here. No need to ruin a perfectly good outfit with one bad yellow vest decision. Case and point, this guy, below…

Image from http://www.notempire.com

So, with our sound advice in hand, go forth, wear your jeans to work, and most importantly, make us proud!

posted by: abigail on July 14, 2009 at 5:48 pm
filed under: Denim 101 | comments (1)
TAGS: jeans at work

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