Here’s an interesting (and thorny?) question: Do you feel like there’s a millennial/Gen Z divide at the office? If you have younger coworkers who are “Zoomers” (ugh, that name), do their thoughts about the workplace and the nature of work seem drastically different to you than those of older generations? In last Friday’s Weekly News Update, we shared an October 28 New York Times story by reporter Emma Goldberg called “The 37-Year-Olds Are Afraid of the 23-Year-Olds Who Work for Them,” and we thought it’d make for an interesting discussion (debate?) today.

We’re curious, readers: Does the NYT story ring true for you? What is your age/generation, and what are your thoughts? Have you observed a millennial/Gen Z divide at the office? If you’re a millennial or Gen Xer, do you sometimes find yourself thinking, “But it’s always been done that way!” about certain office norms?

We’re definitely not the only ones who want to talk about this story. As of November 2, the article has gotten 2,879 comments, which is pretty notable when you compare it to the 2,964 comments on the NYT’s “Bad Art Friend” story (October 5). (If Bad Art Friend doesn’t ring a bell, let’s just say it reached the “Cat Person” level of online discourse, or close enough.)

I’m not sure I’d call the “37-Year-Olds Are Afraid” headline “clickbait” exactly, but it’s definitely written to grab your attention, as is Goldberg’s tweet, in which she noted, “Gen Z is scary! They’re coming for your ‘9 to 5.’ They hate your emojis. They’re laughing at your jeans. And they’re making things in the office political.”

Here are a few excerpts from the NYT story, which range from surprising or even shocking (at least, to many of Gen Z’s elders) to gusty and/or admirable. (We’d describe the third as admirable!)

[A 30-year-old company founder] interviewed a Gen Z candidate for a full-time position who asked if she could stop working for the day once she’d accomplished the tasks she’d set out to do. He responded that her role was expected to be a nine-to-five.

[A 31-year-old startup CEO] had to laugh when a Gen Z employee sent a Slack message assigning her a task to complete. Ms. Priego interpreted this as a welcome signal that her 15-person staff doesn’t find her intimidating, but another member of upper-level management was horrified.

[A 34-year-old startup cofounder] got a Slack message from one of her youngest workers after the shootings at Atlanta-area spas in March asking what the team could do in solidarity with Asian Americans.

Yes, generalizing and stereotyping the generations can be unproductive and even offensive. Still, it’s worth talking about how a lot of Gen Z employees are challenging the status quo at work — including requesting (or demanding) that employers address important social issues — and how those of us who are older react.

As a younger Gen Xer who strongly relates to the Xennial concept and has a younger-Gen-Z kid, I find this really interesting. And I’m sure a lot of you readers had the same reaction I did to a lot of the anecdotes in the NYT story. I instantly felt old — kinda like 1970s Grampa Simpson. If you did, too — or didn’t — please comment and share your thoughts!

What are your thoughts about generational divides at work? (Faxing, anyone…?) Do you think there’s a millennial/Gen Z/Gen X rift in the workplace? What did you think of the NYT story?

Further Reading

• The new disruptors: Gen Z and the future of work [Fast Company]
• Gen Z and millennial workers are leading the latest quitting spree [CNBC]
• Gen Z to Millennial Bosses: Not You Making Me Work [Gawker] (Yes, it’s back.)
• Gen Z: 18 Statistics About Today’s Newest Workers [FairyGodBoss]

Stock photo via Stencil.

The post Generational Divides in the Workplace (aka, ARE 37-Year-Olds Afraid of the 23-Year-Olds Who Work For Them?) appeared first on Corporette.com.

We recently rounded up statement jackets for winter — fun, colorful, bold jackets — and I was intrigued to see this comment from an interviewer in a snowy climate, basically noting that many new graduates are wearing FAR too casual a coat over their suit for winter interviews. Here’s her comment on interview coats for women:

So wonderful to see no puffer coats. They appear on so many fashion blogs (by people who only work from home!) as the only coat a woman needs. More than once when I’ve been interviewing candidates for a junior position, the candidate has arrived in a puffer coat that I know from the branding cost her well over $1k (so it’s not a cost issue for a new graduate.)

But several colleagues (male and female) have joked about [their] collegiate or excessively casual appearance — which is surely not what these women intend to convey. The same comments are made about male candidates in parkas.

Of course, if there is a blizzard going on, all bets are off. . . . [E]veryone needs a basic cloth coat — for interviews, for formal meetings outside the office, funerals, evening occasions.

I don’t disagree — the puffer coat has come a long way in the past 10 years; my earliest association with it was the frumpy writer played by Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone. (Highly recommend if you haven’t seen it; it’s a classic rom com!) These days you can easily spend serious $$$$ on a puffer coat, but it still doesn’t make it appropriate for interviews.

As we’ve noted before, in general your interview attire should be pretty bland — you want to keep the focus on your resume and not your fashion sense. (I’ve even argued that signs of ostentatious wealth are a bad thing for careers in which you are representing someone other than yourself, especially lawyers who may be in front of a jury.)

{related: check out our entire Guide to Women’s Interview Attire!}

As I’ve also noted before, you should definitely make sure a suit blazer fits beneath your winter coat, which means you may want to size up a size (or three). Another good tip is that your coat should be longer than hip-length if you’re wearing it with skirts or dresses… Look for something at least finger-tip length or longer.

{related: how to dress professionally on the coldest days}

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Classic Interview Coats for Women

Some of our favorite interview coats for women in classic styles include these styles and brands:

Some of our favorite classic coats for work as of November 2023 include: olive / blue / green / caramel / black / gray (not pictured but also) – and don’t forget to check out our editors’ favorite washable winter coats!

{related: what to wear to work when it’s cold outside}

Plus Sizes: The Best Coats to Wear Over a Suit in Winter

Hunting for plus-size coats for a winter interview? These are some of our favorites:

Readers, how about you — what are your thoughts on the best coats to wear over a suit in winter? What do you think of when you think of “interview coats for women”?

{related: how to do business casual in cold weather}

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / arkusha.

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A reader wondered: what are your best tips for how to shift your work wardrobe to business casual, especially when your personal style tends toward classic, understated, and conservative — without buying an entirely new wardrobe?

(Oh, and also: you’re in a technical field, you’re the youngest employee in your office, and the only woman there besides the secretary.)

Reader K wonders:

I have recently started at my dream job which is a technical one and I work with men only (besides the receptionist). I am on a very tight budget but have invested in basic pieces such as good quality black suits, classic dresses, blouses, black pencil skirt. The dress code is business casual. Yet the other day I wore a classic grey dress, black blazer, heels, and pearls and the CEO made a comment before a meeting insinuating I was overdressed. He wears cords and a polo everyday. What can I wear to work? I prefer to wear more conservative clothes and feel more professional in blacks, and greys and dark color palettes with a small pop of color (like a maroon or emerald blouse). I am in my early 20s and look especially young and am the youngest in my office and prefer the clean cut conservative professional look so am at a loss of what to wear. Any help would be much appreciated.

We’ve talked about how best to dress in business casual in a male-dominated, technical workplace as a younger woman, dealing with other women’s backhanded compliments about dressing well, and being told by a male boss that you dress too well and need to dress “frumpier,” but not exactly this.

{related: The Ultimate Guide to Business Casual for Women}

Personal style is often important, but sometimes showing that you can “read” company culture requires dressing in a different way than you might otherwise. Furthermore, when you look young, it can come off even worse — like you’re playing dress up. So here are a few ideas about how to blend conservative style with business casual…

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

My Best Tips to Shift Your Work Wardrobe to Business Casual

Don’t wear structured pieces together.  A sheath dress and a blazer both sound like awesome building blocks for a wardrobe — but when you wear them together it gives a more uptight vibe. Try wearing the blazer with pretty much any five-pocket pant (know your office), or as a way to give structure to some looser, more flowy dresses. On the flip side, try wearing the classic gray dress with a more unstructured cardigan, dark tights, and boots.

A small signature piece of jewelry is ok, but know when to downplay it.  One of my old friends has a signature pair of pearl and gold studs that she always wears, even though the rest of her wardrobe has always had the full range from conservative to wild — it’s a nice consistent note throughout her wardrobe. In the outfit you note, the pearls sound like they really gave a more conservative vibe to the outfit, whereas if you’d gone with a fun statement necklace it might have given the outfit an edgy but still professional vibe. Even wearing the pearls with a brooch or a colorful scarf would have been a nice way to take the focus off them. (And I say this as someone who normally loves pearls!)

If jeans are appropriate, get a few pairs you feel comfortable wearing to work.  Denim has a way of making any outfit more casual, even if it’s dark rinse trouser jeans. This is probably the most budget-friendly thing I can tell you — buy one or two nice new pairs of jeans, and the rest of your wardrobe (pumps, blazers, button-fronts, pearls, whatever) will all be much more wearable.

Another great option: pants that have five pockets, like most jeans do (but know your office first!). These may be corduroys, khakis, velvet… whatever. On top, chambray shirts have been huge in recent years, and can be a great layering piece beneath cashmere sweaters, blazers, even sheath dresses, to make outfits more casual.

These are some of the best jeans for work (affiliate links): 1) Paige 2) Madewell 3) Topshop 4) Wit & Wisdom 5) Levi’s — and you may want to check out our recent discussion on how to wear denim trousers

Some of our all-time favorite cords (again, mostly for casual offices) include the Kut from the Kloth ones at Nordstrom, available in regular, petite, and plus sizes. If you prefer a tighter fit, check out corduroy from denim brands like AG; if you prefer a looser but still tailored look check out NYDJ cords. Madewell also has a ton of great cords right now, and I’m drooling over all the colors of these cropped, flared cords from Tuckernuck.

Get inspiration online.  Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok are all great for this!

Readers, what is your advice for reader K? What are your best tips for how to blend conservative style with business casual — and in general, what are your best tips to shift your work wardrobe to business casual?

Updated images via Stencil (woman wearing blazer and jeans).

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A reader wrote in, wondering what to wear to the wedding of a colleague… what are your best tips, readers? What have you worn to weddings of colleagues — and what would you expect colleagues to wear to your wedding?

I am a mid-level law associate and my husband is a teaching physician at a local hospital. His boss is getting married in DC in April. It is the bride’s first marriage and it will be a huge event. The wedding is at 5 and then dinner and dancing at 6 at a country club. I have NO idea what to wear.

Can I wear a black cocktail dress? I am so bad at these things and I want to make a good impression for my husband and look professional for my own benefit! This may seem like an elementary question, but did I mention I am fashionably challenged? (One more thing:  I am barely thirty, but my husband is a good ten years older. I don’t want to look like a airhead, but I don’t want to look old for my age either!)

Weddings, in general, are fraught with chances for fashion errors. What is appropriate — or inappropriate — tends to be very region-specific, as well as wedding-specific.

{related: here are some fancy but easy updos for the office or beyond}

What to Wear to the Wedding of a Colleague

Take your cues from the invitation — the wording of the invitation (are middle names used? does she call her groom a “Mr.”? is “honor” spelled with a u?) and the style of the invitation (is it entirely in script? was there an inner/outer envelope? are there any quirky touches to it?) will give you an idea of what the bride is aiming at for the wedding.

As always, pay attention to the dress code listed on the invitation. If it says “black tie,” that typically means formal evening attire for women — a floor-length gown or dress is appropriate.

For semi-formal or cocktail attire, opt for a longer dress or skirt and blouse combination. And if it’s listed as casual or beach attire, go for a sundress or chic separates.

{related: the best semi-formal attire for business events}

In general, avoid wearing black or white to a wedding — we know a lot of places where black is still seen as a color of mourning. D.C. walks a fine line between being a cosmopolitan city on the East Coast, and a Southern city — we’d avoid black if at all possible. 

{related: what to wear to a business cocktail party}

Instead, try to stick with jewel tones or pastels. If you want to wear white, opt for a cream or off-white shade instead. And remember that at some venues and religious ceremonies, it might be appropriate to bring a wrap or shawl in case your shoulders need covering.

Above all, use good judgment and consider the formality and location of the wedding before selecting your outfit.

(If all you’ve got is a black cocktail dress, be sure to wear a very colorful, happy wrap, as well as bag and shoes.)

{related: what to wear to summer cocktail parties for the office}

That said, look for a dress that isn’t too short, too low cut, too frothy, too shiny, or too bedazzled — because your husband is slightly older you may even want to go for a more demure, knee-length dress. Note that Rent the Runway has a whole “Weddings” section, including Black-Tie Affair-appropriate dresses.

(Want $30 off your first Rent the Runway order? Here’s our referral code.)

{related: what not to wear to a black-tie affair for work}

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Subdued Party Dresses

Some of our favorite jumpsuits and party dresses for professional settings include these as of Oct. 2022… depending on the event, you may also want to check out our latest favorite colorful sheath dresses (great for alumni events, or just get darker colors like navy).

{related: how to do black tie on a budget}

After-Party Attire: Our Favorite Foldable Flats

Lastly, don’t forget about footwear — depending on the venue and your outfit choice, you may want to bring along ballet flats or dressy sandals in case you need them for comfort.

The post What to Wear to the Wedding of a Colleague appeared first on Corporette.com.

Update: We still stand by this discussion of whether or not patterned tights are appropriate for the office, and we’ve updated a widget below with a few great picks for great patterned tights available now. You may also want to check out our best advice on what to wear to work when it’s cold outside, or all of our discussions on tights for work.

Previously, we asked whether or not patterned tights were appropriate for professional women. The initial results of the poll are interesting — the voters were pretty split in terms of what could or couldn’t work.

• 36% of you said that men’s patterns (pinstriped, windowpane) in dark, neutral colors would work
• 33% of you said ANY pattern would work, but only in dark, neutral colors
• 23% said solidly colored tights in neutral colors would work, but to avoid patterns
• 5% of you said any pattern, any color, any day.

Above: some of the best tights for work as of 2022: one / two / three / four
(here are two great fleece-lined options — and here’s a great way to store tights!)

Commenters noted that they considered dark gray to be a neutral, as well as a charcoal blue; we completely agree.

We’d also suggest wearing navy tights with a black dress, if you’re more of a funky soul — it feels rebellious but still looks conservative.

(Our $.02 on black and navy: as long as it looks like you’re doing it on purpose, it’s a-ok. It’s bad if you look like you got dressed in the dark.)

Patterned Tights We Think Are Appropriate for the Office

Hunting for great patterned tights to wear to work? These are some of our latest favorites as of 2022, but note that if you’re looking for higher-end tights you can check Wolford and Falke; if you want something more budget-friendly check Target, Old Navy, and other mall stores…

2022 Update: Here are some cute colored tights for work! If you’re looking for something high quality check out Falke’s opaque tights in sedate colors; if you want affordability, these $17 Amazon tights have 7700+ great ratings and tons of colors.

What do you think, readers — are patterned tights at the office appropriate?

Updated images via Deposit Photos / pepperbox. 

This article was originally written Nov. 8, 2008, but was substantially updated in 2022 except as otherwise noted. 

The post Are Patterned Tights Appropriate at the Office? appeared first on Corporette.com.

Reader A has a great question about dressing better than her boss — specifically, she wonders, must she carry a lower-end bag than what her boss carries, or would a work-appropriate designer bag be OK? Here’s her question:

I know the blog has discussed before if it’s appropriate for younger folks to have designer items in the office. Mine is similar… basically, do I have to stick to brands below what my boss has? It’s an ad agency. I’m in management, she’s VP. She makes double what I do. She carries a Kate Spade tote and lower-end Coach purse and acts ashamed of spending so much if anyone compliments her bags. Does that make it inappropriate or unwise for me to carry similar?

This reminds me of one of our earliest posts that kind of went viral: the intern who wanted to carry a Birkin bag. I still agree with my advice back then that if you carry a bag that starts at $8000 (and according to Bonkers Closets they go up to $300K) that it’s sending the wrong signal at the office, particularly if the main reason you’re carrying it is as a status symbol.

(We’ve also discussed when “must” you carry a designer bag to work — and how to deal when your offensive client uses your designer bag to “joke” that he’s paying you too much. Ah yes, and how to deal when your boss tells you dress too well.)

Hunting for a great handbag? In 2023, readers are loving affordable crossbody bags like those from Cuyana, Lo & Sons, and Madewell.

In terms of a designer bag to suit your life as a professional, readers have been loving affordable(ish) brands like See by Chloé, Polène, Strathberry, DeMellier, and Mansur Gavriel, as well as more designer bags like Chloé (particularly the Marcie line) and Mulberry. (If money is no object, Loewe and Bottega Venetta are always worth a look!)

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Back to Reader A: Kate Spade and lower end Coach are in different ballparks than a Birkin. (In fact, I put them in tier 2 and 3 of our last discussion on how to upgrade your handbag collection.) When you’re starting to build your working wardrobe I think it’s a great idea to spend a bit of money on a bag that’s going to be durable and is exactly what you want. 

I think it’s a bad idea to purposely buy a cheap bag just so you don’t upstage your boss — you’ll need a new one in a few months, to say nothing of the ethical considerations of buying fast fashion.

As of Feb. 2023, some of our favorite luxury work bags for a splurge (large enough for work papers and sometimes even a laptop) are from Chanel, Louboutin, McQueen, Mulberry, MCM, Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, and Strathberry. Of course, note that a lot of our readers who are in big jobs note that they love their (more affordable) Lo & Sons bags, as well as their Tumi.

Looking for work backpacks to splurge on? Montblanc, MCM and Senreve are great, and Valextra has some men’s backpacks that look perfect.

Don’t go into debt for a bag — and know your office (a diamond-encrusted Birkin is probably not appropriate for any office), but in general: buy what you want and don’t worry about it. If your boss specifically asks about it, you may want to brush it off with a comment like “thanks, I’d been saving for it for a while!” or “it was a killer sale!” — but even that is unnecessary.

Readers, what are your thoughts on designer bags and younger workers — what do you think of as work-appropriate designer bags? Would you advise someone against dressing better than your boss? 

Pictured at top: Kate Spade bag on sale at Nordstrom (where there’s actually a ton of Kate Spade stuff on sale). There’s also a surprise sale going on via Kate Spade right now, fwiw. 

Social media images via Deposit Photos / NicoleClaudia. Similar to the red bag pictured:

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