Home Office Sloth-Cloth

Oh come on.  You work from home.  Do not pretend that you shave and dress up in a business suit every doggone day.  And, if you do, the question is why?

We all need some down time.  The beauty of working from home is that you get more down time than everybody else.  When you work at home you can be a little less guarded.  Maybe that is part of the joy of working at home.  You do not have to please anybody but yourself most of the time.

Sure, you have to clean up well when you go out of the house, but while at home it is all comfort without a commute.  In fact, the term "carpet commute" describes the homey feel of it all.

I have got to admit that I use to be a little embarrassed when the mail person or FedEx person came to the door.  Not because I was obscene, but in my ease I can get a little raggedy.  But, what I have found out is that these professionals are not necessarily over dressed themselves.  Further, I think they might be just a little jealous.

Home office clothes?  Too often it is an old baggy pair of Dockers or shorts and an sloth-cloth.  You know, an old t-shirt that you like to wear around the house.  And, depending on the time of the year, I am usually barefoot, wearing white crew socks (with the gray toe and heal), or my old-man slippers (well, because the floors get cold in the winter).

I am not saying that I go out of the house this way, unless it is a quick trip to the grocery store or the hardware store.  If I am meeting with a client, I am at least semi-formal -- meaning a suit without a tie.  Of course in Court I wear a suit and a tie.

At home, it is all about comfort and I do not have to be self-conscious.  I do not have to be anxious or artificial in any way.  Nobody can see me over the phone or online.  So, being just me, I do not have to feel contrived, or hammy, or studied, or Hollywood.

My clothing often allows me to go from office work to manual labor of sorts.  The other day, for example, I was working on pleadings, then I took a break, went to Home  Depot, and came home, rolled on the ground, and replaced a sprinkler head I drove over previously.  I washed up a little, and then I was back to the pleadings.  (I know, I know, you are asking how much fun can one guy have)?

I think it was Mark Twain who said, "The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this."  And, even at home, I wear a lot more than this.  After all, some people should not be caught naked in the privacy of their own home, and I certainly fall into that category.

So, on what do I base my home office fashion sense?  As the late, great Gilda Radner said, " I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn't itch".  For me that represents khakis and pocket tees.

Now these are not my church clothes because I have come to learn that God prefers ironed, buttoned up shirts, with a collar, nice slacks and dress shoes.  Go to church in your home office sloth-cloth and you are going straight to hell.  Go to court in your sloth-cloth and you are going straight to jail.

My point is dress appropriately for where you are, but in your home office it is okay to be a Raggedy Ann or Raggedy Andy.

Enjoy the home office experience.

Comments

[Jerry Bartholomew]

Read this while wearing a pocket tee, navy shorts, and crew socks--Chuck, you're resonating over here. But then I did just come back from biking with the dog who will be taking his place under my desk as soon as he stops panting. Another home office bonus.

[Andrew Flusche]

I'm with you 100%, Chuck. I try to schedule meetings and court appearances on the same days, so I only have to wear a suit a few times per week. On the other days, it's casual as can be. Heck, I change out of my suit as soon as I'm done with court for the day.

Now it's time to find some comfy shorts to put on. :)

[Andrew Flusche]

What a coincidence, Jerry. The cat is sleeping at my elbow, and I'll be heading out for a bike ride in a couple hours. Heck yeah!

[Miriam Robeson]

I agree that comfort should be important in the home office environment and I certainly agree that "your mileage may vary," (meaning what works for me may not work for you). However, I dress for my office differently than I dress for my garden, and I take the time to change clothing to suit what I'm doing (one of the great luxuries of working from home).

For me, nice blue jeans and a collared shirt help me set a comfortable-yet-not-unprofessional tone in the office that bunny slippers just can't attain. Dressing for the office differently than I dress for the garden helps me focus on my work a little better. If I feel more professional in my appearance, I think that I act more like a lawyer(and spend less time playing video games or in Second Life, and more time actually working).

Another reason for my choice of dress is that I receive clients in my home office. It's not unusual for them to drop by without warning, which is why I also keep slip-on shoes handy. Might endanger some of that lawyerly respect if I answered the door in the aforementioned bunny slippers.

[Jordan 15 sneakers]

Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed your most recent post. I think you should post more often, you obviously have natural ability for blogging!

[bed frames]

That boy is so cute. I love how he looks in that photo. I also like what he is wearing. That outfit is kind of scary. I am sure it is perfect for Halloween.