Bad Style Experiment: Overly Conservative Outfit

(In case you missed my intro, I’ve started a new experiment where I dress the way I truly dislike and document how I feel - read up here. I already did feminine ruffles girly, mismatched outfit, and overly slim outfit)

I dreaded this one a bit, though less so than the ruffles experiment. I decided to give it a shot, especially since I’m about to get a perm again and have curly hair - this tends to remove a bit of stuck-up-ness and I might miss my shot. I had a breakfast with a journalist and business leaders, sponsored by an audit firm, and decided it was the perfect environment to test out my “stuck-up” look.

I woke up a bit earlier and, instead of my usual three-minute dressing ritual of wearing whatever I fancy, I started building my “stuck-up” outfit. It was not easy. I had strained my thumb the night before, so I spent 15 minutes trying to make my hair into a sleek bun. It didn’t work out (apparently it’s not so easy without using a thumb), so I compromised with a sleek ponytail. I also added glasses instead of my usual contacts.

For the clothes, I pulled my Tibi pants, Tibi blazer, and Vagabond shoes. I then added a button-up shirt from Uniqlo and pearl necklace and earrings. Mind you, the fact that the pants and blazer are Tibi already brings in some chill and modern vibe - but I did not want to buy a suit (even second-hand) that I would never wear. I made an effort to button everything up, tuck in my shirt, and button the blazer - and I ended up with the following look:

Tibi blazer, Tibi pants (similar), Vagabond shoes, The Curated bag, Uniqlo button up.

I went downstairs for the school run, and as I was making coffee, I caught myself thinking that with this outfit my life felt fully in control - and fully boring. I guess this is what a stuck-up outfit represents to me: someone so inflexible that there is no space for spontaneity or adventure in their life. As I was preparing to leave, I saw my husband. He asked, “Are you going for a job interview?” I said no, I was going to a business breakfast with a journalist from The Economist. He said it fits - you look like an economist yourself.

As I was walking to the event, I kept thinking that this really felt a bit nerdy - but why not lean into the nerdy, stuck-up look? Why do I want to look cool all the time? With these thoughts, I arrived at the hotel, took off my coat, and immediately felt the urge to pull up my sleeves. I had to stop myself from doing that and carried on.

I met an acquaintance from the startup world who didn’t recognize me at all. I didn’t remember his name either, but I knew I knew him - while he was completely blank. I reintroduced myself, and then the aha moment hit him. I think I blended in with the auditors and finance crowd quite well, and it was genuinely harder for my startup friends to place me.

I then went for coffee and met my classmate from university. I saw him processing for a few milliseconds longer than usual looking at me. We had a nice chat and he asked me if I am still at the same company (or maybe he thought I moved to audit? :) ).

Throughout the event I felt quite fine - not so out of place, and I almost forgot about my outfit. It is indeed easy to dress stuck-up at an auditor event, as many people wear suits and similar looks - perhaps in a bit more relaxed way, but still.

During the event, the journalist shared a story about a journalism prize for writing stories about West Germany when it was trying to build its brand, and how this opened the minds of many journalists. It opened my mind a bit too. As I’m doing this experiment, I wanted to invite you, my fashion friends, to try wearing an outfit you viscerally dislike (but that would be a good outfit for someone else), and send me your photos along with why you dislike it and how you felt wearing it. The “prize” will be far less exciting than a journalism foundation award, but if I get enough entries, I’ll do a post with all your “bad style” outfits and feelings.

After the event, I came back home and saw my stepdaughter. This time she didn’t hold back. “Where did you go dressed like this?” I asked why, and she said, “You look like a grandma - and like my informatics teacher, with pearls and all.”

Feeling much better with my beloved Cos pants

Anyway, I unbuttoned the blazer and the top of the shirt, changed into much more modern pants, and felt great. Just small tweaks turn this outfit, for me, from a rigid, boring life into something much better. A stuck-up outfit is not that bad - especially if I’m allowed to unbutton a few buttons :)