In lieu of my muddling thoughts about my new job, (muddling in a good way...) I thought I'd retouch on some issues that though has spawned from my switching career fields into fashion, probably applies in a more universal way.So I have broken free of the work dress code. No more confusions over the ambiguities of 'smart casual'.  No need to dress 'appropriately' for clients (again, the limits of 'propriety' - what are they?).  No need to have that emergency suit (yes, i have one and no, I'm not wearing it here...) for VIP meetings.  It was a pretty relaxed dress code as it was and I pushed the boundaries as much as possible but now, it's a proper free country.  I could come in wearing a literal potato sack and ballet pumps if I wanted to.  How about my giant scrunchie? Or a hat or two or three....?

The fact is where I work, everyone is pretty low key.  Even the fashion team.  That ol' chesnut about the fashion front row dressing with subtlety and the fashion students going all out and crazy at the back rows has some truth to it.  It's something to do with the mentality that 'Well, I'm a paid employee of this magazine and thus I've proven my fashion credentials so I don't need to (literally) wear it on my sleeve.'  The fashion interns around here seem to make more of an effort which again asserts the previous two sentances.  It does make sense especially in an environment where everyone is knuckling down to proper graft (yes, it is a LOT of graft...) and really, who has the time to look like a Christmas tree decoration when you're up against the clock with deadlines, meetings etc.

But even more of a factor that contributed to my initial ultra low-key dressing is the fact that it is a new environment, new people to make eye contact with and wanting to prove myself work-wise first.  So, greys, less layers, navy blues, a higher concentration of my quality designer pieces and flat Oxfords or pumps.  All of this of course is still a certain facet of my style.  I'm not JUST a walking overly layered and messy ornament as I've said before.  Still, it's sort of being reluctant to kiss/hug someone when you first meet them.  In the way that it takes me time to come out of my shell, to start saying the Susie-isms that the people who know me are familiar with, my style also has to build up gradually.  A print or two has started sneaking in.  The layers/headpieces are on their way.  The pink PVC skirt has now made an appearance.  I'm getting comfortable saying things like 'That is REALLY HID-eous!' (pronounced 'HID-A-OUS') or 'Oh-my-god-I'm-so-hungry-I-could-eat-my-imac....'.  These are the superfluous things of course.  The bigger picture is getting over the initial pleasantries and getting down to the interesting core beyond that.  So the fussier, fancy clothes will come out to play eventually  because at the end of the day, it was never my calling to be a nonchalant mag editor but rather a starry-eyed, ruffled-up, hat-wearing, asymmetric jacket, PVC leggings, glitter platforms (that is all at once by the way....) girl who likes to preach about the evils of cheese and join my thumb and index  finger together to make a circle around my eye and peer into this fashion circus.