Born to Mack

 Workwear, redone.

 Remember these guys?

 It's hard to pull off "gangster" in a pencil skirt, but I manage.

T-Shirt (Urban Outfitters - I will never have enough early 90s rap reference Ts), Skirt (J.Crew, similar here) Shoes (Charles by Charles David, last seen here), Necklace (Dogeared), Bracelet (Asos - old, similar here), Watch (Fakety-fake-fake $20 at BP. here)

Nothing says, "I'm a productive and stylish employee who should be taken very seriously" like a Too $hort "Born to Mack" T-shirt. Hence, my wearing this cheeky little number to the office the other day. Sure some people got it, while others just stared at me blankly—confused, probably wondering where my pantsuit from Macy's was, but this is Startupland, Sillicon Valley, USA, I'm a 20-something with style and a sense of humor, and it's the 21st century damn it! I want to break free of my young-professional-after-work-boxy-blazered-networking-mixer bondage and LIVE! And by live, I of course mean wear what I please and never take myself (or my outfits) too seriously. 

I say, push the workwear envelope where you can. Those unspoken rules (pah!) of dress codes for young professionals in the workplace are more plastic than you might realize. Plus no one looks good in a polyester pantsuit. NO ONE. Don't let "The Man" keep you down, guys...(or something). Those ill-fitting pantsuits of the late 90s, conference-going, schwag-collecting young professional from days past are designed to smother the youthfulness and creativity in all of us. And they do a GREAT job of it. Dressing with some levity, and nudging—I said nudging them—the boundaries here and there where you can (note: this does not mean slutting it up), will not only inject some fun into your look, but it will also bring some lightness to your work day, and maybe—and this is what dressing with style and purpose is really all about—make some of the people around you smile. 

Photos © Rose Garrett