Saturday, May 6, 2017
Corp without Corp Goth
Corp without Corp Goth
So, I graduate college this Sunday. No big deal or anything (except that I am internally screaming at all times.) With that comes entering the job market. In college Ive been blessed to have jobs that dont require me to change my appearance much at all, but not so right now. I got a job I am pumped for which will be great experience and hopefully a good addition to my resume for when I apply to graduate school. But, it has a corporate dress code.
The dress code Ive been sent uses such charming words as "business professional," "corporate conservative," and "no visible tattoos." My job also requires travel, which means I need more basic pieces that all work well together. While I dont have an assigned uniform, the corporate uniform of black two-piece suits and conservative button-ups is calling me.
Corp-Goth as a style is versatile, from the very conservative with just hints of more Gothic colors to elaborate, very-Gothy and even fetish-y inspired outfits. Some people can get away with a skull-printed tie or belt, others cant. I need a look on the more conservative end of the spectrum. So, what to do?
Probably the most obvious thing is to not go out and buy lots of colors, not that I would do that of my own accord anyway. For starters, Im sticking primarily with black, turquoise, red, and gray. I might incorporate others later (Ive been loving olive green, royal blue, and eggplant colors lately, especially if they happen to be in a gorgeous velvet) but for now keeping it simple and dark will hopefully be keeping me looking on the gothier side.
This red lace floral dress would be pretty good for dressier work events, but something in this bright red color looks wonderful as a blouse poking out from under a black blazer or as a skirt with black suit top and black tights. It just adds a pop of fun color that isnt too far off the end of the gothy color spectrum.
Vintage styles can fit a more Goth aesthetic without seeming at all inappropriate for a work environment. High-waisted trousers and skirts, pretty buttons, and tea-length skirts all fit the constraints of my dress code. While I wont be doing anything rockabilly with cherries and skulls, I think Ill be able to find a couple of pieces in Gothic stores that would suit the kind of look I am going for.
I personally love these pants by Chicstar. I own a skirt with a similar cut and it holds up very well. Wide-legged trousers always strike me as more business appropriate and a little vintage-y. The blouse is also pretty cute, but I can find something like that at a more mainstream store fairly inexpensively.
Yeah, I need to cover up my tattoo somehow so I will be wearing a lot of long sleeves. I actually dont own too many long sleeved blouses of my own accord, so well see what I can come up with. Im gravitating to a lot of peasant-sleeved blouses recently because I think they look romantic without being either too boring or too witchy.
This blouse from Macys is currently unavailable but it should give an idea about what Im looking for.
I wont want to wear long sleeves all the time (I need 2-3 cocktail dresses and finding one that is plus-size friendly, not hideous, and not $400 is bad enough without adding in long sleeves as well) so what I was going to do was buy one or two wrist cuff bracelets like these ones by Forever 21 which should cover it perfectly.
Lace is another one of those details that can be pretty Gothy while not being work inappropriate, so Ill be incorporating it where I can on blouses, skirts, and dresses. Hopefully black lace will be a little bit easier to find when we get closer to autumn and winter here in the northern hemisphere and then I can add it to pretty much anything.
This black lace dress is a little bit on the dressy side just for regular work days but with a blazer over top it should work out pretty nicely and still have the lace overlay on the skirt and at the neckline. I think paired with more practical business tights and shoes it would look even better for my purposes.
I am working six days a week and I have about a month break every six months (dont ask, my work schedule is bizarre) so whats left for me to do but dress how I want to in my down time? Im honestly not that bummed about having to tone things down for a while (Ive been cultivating a black pencil-skirt filled wardrobe for years now, so its not that out of my comfort zone) but I will enjoy dressing how I want to on my days off.
The outfit on the right from Restyle.pl might even be work appropriate (or dressy work event appropriate, anyway) but it looks so amazing done up with gloves and more Gothy accessories and makeup.
So, its about time for me to go to some thrift stores and see what kind of magic I can work to assemble something business appropriate.
What is the dress code where you work? Can you do what you want, or is it more conservative?
P.S. I wont be posting this Saturday because I have a million graduation related things going on right now, but next Wednesdays post should be a lot of fun!
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