There used to be a time when I would go crazy for a “business casual” day. Back in the day I worked in a “real” office, with a receptionist, coffee machine, and animated co-workers that could make you laugh on even the worst of days.

Back in 1992, when I was introduced to this office world, I was working for a company (later acquired in 1995 by the behemoth company I work for now)… and we had a pretty low-key dress code. I wasn’t wearing suits, but since we had customer seminars in our office on a frequent basis, so we had to be dressed for success on most days… kinda a “pumped up” business casual.

After the hostile takeover (yeah, it was pretty crazy in the dot.com era) the company we were melded into had a VERY strict dress code. So, as the months went on, to appease the “crazy” software people that they brought on (me), my new company adopted casual Fridays.

Casual Fridays were like the old dress code, so we were bummed.

The interesting part of all of this is how this got me to thinking how much I miss dressing up and going to work each day. Most days, I dress in very casual clothes (and almost always my sneakers) and spend the day here at home in my office.

I occasionally go into the local office (about 20 miles from home), but boy is it different. I can actually wear jeans (not my sneakers though) and would fit right in. Reason being, our office culture is all about mobility now. Customer meetings are no longer held in-house anymore. The purpose of going into the office doesn’t have the human component anymore. It’s plug in, do your thing, and get out.

The only real opportunity I get to put on my fashionable shoes is when I travel for work, which is not more than a couple weeks out of the year. I have to admit, it does feel good to walk around in heels once in awhile. There is something mildly comforting to me wearing a nice pants suit, heels, and my cool “smart” glasses (don’t forget the handbag!). Perhaps I was never meant to be the work at home type, but here I am.

So, I guess in the end, I am saving money not having to have my closet full of work clothes. Hell, that would be scary anyway, because I know my love of fashion would carry into my work clothes and soon I’d have a VERY expensive habit to add to my OTHER very expensive habit of collecting handbags.

Wow, now that I just thought of this, perhaps a new handbag purchase is in order. Look at all the money I am saving!