Reader Question — I recently read your post about wearing your good clothes every day and how it influences both how others perceive you and how you feel about yourself. Since I work from home and people usually only see me from the waist up, I’m wondering—how necessary is it to wear a complete “good” outfit while working?
Should You Wear a Full Good Outfit When Working from Home, or Is Dressing Well from the Waist Up Enough?
If you’re working from home and only visible from the waist up, there’s no need to wear a full suit with high heels to feel polished and stylish. The purpose of wearing “good” clothes is not just about how you look, but also how you feel—and that comes from your entire outfit, not only the part seen on video calls.
Good Doesn’t Have to Mean Formal
To begin with, it’s important to clarify what “good” actually means. It doesn’t have to be formal—smart casual can absolutely count. The key is that the outfit looks put together, not sloppy, and gives a well-dressed impression.
Even when working from home, if you’re wearing something like a blazer, jacket, or a more refined shirt, you can easily pair it with a good pair of jeans. There’s no need to wear full suit pants if you don’t want to. Just make sure the jeans still look polished—well-fitting, not worn out, and not something you’ve kept long past its best days.
These days, thanks to advances in fabric technology, it’s much easier to find clothing that offers comfort and stretch while still looking polished. Whether it’s a pair of pants with stretch, a skirt, or even tailored shorts, as long as they coordinate well with your top, you can create a smart, cohesive outfit.
You might still hold the belief that “good” clothes are uncomfortable or restrictive—perhaps because that’s what you experienced growing up. But that doesn’t have to be the case anymore. Comfortable and stylish can absolutely go hand in hand.
The Value of Dressing in Your Good Clothes
Even if no one sees you in person, you still see yourself—whether it’s in the mirror when you go to the bathroom or simply through your awareness of what you’re wearing. If you only feel “half-good” in your outfit, it can influence your mindset and even your performance. In fact, research suggests that what you wear can impact your cognitive abilities, and dressing well can help you perform better in the tasks you’re doing.
Remove the Sloppy Clothes That Don’t Make You Feel Good
If you want to avoid feeling sloppy or frumpy, start by removing any clothes from your wardrobe that give you that feeling. Let them go. Instead, keep only the pieces that make you feel good—items you enjoy wearing and that reflect your ideal style.
This way, getting dressed in the morning becomes easier because you know everything in your wardrobe works for you. Also, don’t forget to remove anything uncomfortable. If you don’t enjoy wearing certain clothes, you won’t reach for them anyway—they’ll just take up space and create the illusion of more choices than you actually have.