Weekends may the time in which you don your stiffest bowtie, pull out the tortoiseshell framed glasses, and slick your hair to the side for a night out on the town, but of course, office dress codes can make it hard to express your full love of nerdy fashion. It can be even more annoying to read research by Office Team, which shows that the average dress code in the U.S. is drifting away from formality in favor of more casual looks. Fashion is as creative and malleable as it is personal, though. By thinking innovatively, you can stick to your office dress code and still add touches that unleash your inner nerd.
Eyeware Is Crucial
If you don’t have 20/20 vision, leave your contact lenses at home and embrace the trendy intellectual look by picking classically ‘nerdy’ glasses. As stated by Nerd Glasses Fashion, a few classic nerd models include black wayfarers, Clark Kent shapes, browline, and cat eyeglasses. Always go for dark tortoiseshell or black. If by any chance your glasses snap, a trusty piece of masking tape will look great for an Instagram pic, but for the office, ensure you have a backup pair on hand at all times.
Embrace The Dapper Feel Of Ties, Suspenders And Bows
Suspenders, ties and bows are all cool style statements that have made a major comeback in fashion, but you need to wear them well to ensure your complete look exudes sartorial flair and formality at the same time. The key is to mix and match. Don’t pair suspenders with a tie or bowtie, for instance. Rather, wear them over a crisp, fitting white shirt, slim fit trousers, and a great set of perfectly polished brogues. Wear your jacket over the shoulder for an extra casual look.
Embrace The Nerd Love For Contrasting Colors And Prints
Jet back to the 1980s, and you may note that, prior to the color revolution, ‘matchy-matchy’ was in – many fashion magazines even featured models wearing the same hued bag, shoes and clothing. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE by Kurt Gray et al found that “Fashionable outfits are those that are moderately matched, not those that are ultra-matched (‘matchy-matchy’) or zero-matched (‘clashing’).” Nerd fashion does love a little ‘clash’ between prints (think stripes and plaid) and while this is perfectly possible at work, the ideal is to achieve this subtly. For instance, you might wear a floral top with subtly striped trousers. Ensure that the items share color hues that make your choice to combine them make visual sense.
Closed Collars Forever
Nerdy fashion tends to shun one thing (skin) but you don’t have to take it to the extreme. A buttoned-up, closed-wristed shirt is key for both men and women, but there’s no reason that you can’t pair this up with something unexpected like an A-line, above-the-knee skirt, or skinny fit trousers. Accessorize it with your favorite shoulder bag or nerdy briefcase for a more intellectual look. Be playful with colors and materials, both in your clothing and accessories.
If there is one thing that characterizes nerdy fashion, it is probably confidence. Since time immemorial, nerds have taken liberties that less courageous people have feared – including the old classic – donning clashing prints. If your office dress code is strict, then sticking to subtle touches is key. However, if you work in an artsy or design-based environment, go all out and put both Wolowitz and Koothrappali to shame!
