One of my husband’s best friends wears jeans at home, and while I’m not proud of this, I’ve properly shamed him for his very conscious choice. “That’s psychotic behavior,” I’d respond to his wife after she’d send me a photo of him watching TV on the couch at 9 p.m. in jeans. JEANS! “I know,” she’d answer with the same disbelief, “I can’t get him to stop.”
Pre-quarantine, I had pretty strong beliefs about anyone wearing denim while being in the comfort of their own home. And if you’ve seen me on Insta stories, I’m usually in sweats or comfy clothes; clearly the type of person who unbuttons their jeans pulling into their driveway. But I’m beginning to soften my stance.
During the first week of quarantine, I found out my best friend of twenty years wears jeans at home. In complete disbelief, I immediately took to my Instagram stories to shame her. “This news is making me rethink my whole life,” I wrote over a screenshot of our Facetime session, where she was proudly showing off her blue denim jeans. “I read it helps with productivity, so I’m sticking with it,” she said surely.
She’s not entirely wrong. According to some experts, getting dressed for work sets the tone for the rest of your day. Fuck, I thought when I read this. If my quarantine looks were to describe a tone, they would say: 30-something-year-old woman who has lost the will to live decided yet again to not bathe today. Maybe that’s why I struggle with productivity, my thoughts continued.
If my quarantine looks were to describe a tone, they would say: 30-something-year-old woman who has lost the will to live decided yet again to not bathe today.
Alexandra D’amour
When I asked some of my friends what their new dress routines during quarantine looked like, their answers were varied. “You know I’m a jean girl, and I haven’t worn them in four weeks, so that tells you where I’m at,” one of my friends responded. Another friend shared that she hasn’t left her robe in weeks, even wearing it during work calls or family Zoom gatherings. I need a robe, I thought.
Other friends of mine, similar to my best friend, are fully embracing WFH in their jeans. One of my friend’s husbands shared that it helps him keep a positive mind frame, and is an attempt to keep his day-to-day routine somewhat resemblant to his normal one pre-quarantine. Another friend of mine is a therapist now working from home with a baby, and said jeans help her differentiate her “work hat” from her “mom hat.” She continued, “Jeans signal to myself ‘okay, we’re out of PJs so it’s time to wake the fuck up.’” And I can’t really blame her. I work from home, and have for over a year, and I can admit that working in what I wore to bed the night before is probably why I have such painfully slow mornings. There’s no physical transitional transformation from sleep to work mode.
Another friend of mine is a therapist now working from home with a baby, and said jeans help her differentiate her “work hat” from her “mom hat.” She continued, “Jeans signal to myself ‘okay, we’re out of PJs so it’s time to wake the fuck up.’”
Alexandra D’amour
The other day, inspired by my jean-wearing friends, I decided to experiment, and slipped into something different for my weekly grocery run. While I usually leave my house in sweatpants, socks, and sandals (quarantine is a lifestyle, okay?), I decided to put on my favorite jeans and a white t-shirt with gold hoops. “Wow!” my husband said when I walked out of our bedroom. “You look fancy!” he said, lighting up. It’s a sad hit of reality when your husband considers jeans and a plain boring t-shirt dressed up.
When I returned home with full grocery bags in hand, and even though I immediately changed back into sweatpants, I admittedly felt better. I felt accomplished. I also felt weirdly excited about having been seen. Like I was proud of showing my tight Levi’s to the whole world. In this test case, jeans did set the tone for my grocery run. I noticed I smiled more to strangers, had an extra pep in my step—it was a feeling even my comfiest of sweatpants hasn’t been able to provide me with.
I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about people who wear jeans while binge watching Netflix’s latest hit show, but I’m softening my stance on wearing jeans at home. Who am I to judge what one wears during a goddamn pandemic? If putting on jeans makes you feel better about yourself, about your work, or about life in general, I hope you put on your favorite pair and tell people like me to fuck off. During these uncertain and anxious times, no one needs to be judged for how they choose to dress. Jeans or no jeans.
Proud WFH-in-jeans-girl right here! Getting dressed as if I’m leaving the house almost always helps me shift into productivity mode. Although when I have my period, that’s a whole other story… day 2 right here, and as I type this, I’m curled up in bed wearing the same clothes I slept in 😉
Haha! Love “proud WFH-in-jeans-girl”. Omg, ok I can get on board with jeans and WFH, but PERIODS AND JEANS?! That’s a whole different article and I can’t promise I’ll have the same sentiment haha. Hope you allow yourself to rest in your favorite sweatpants!! xx
I’ve always wondered how some people can wear regular clothes (read: outside clothing) when they get home from work, until bedtime. Be it jeans, dress pants, skirts, how the f… do they do that? I’ll admit work clothes are much more versatile these days, so I have stayed in my “dressy” joggers longer than other clothes, but I have never been a jeans are my comfy clothes kinda person. Loads of people are though… to each their own. I might try to WFH in outside clothes this week though; my productivity could use a kick in the pants.
I feel strongly about not wearing jeans in my own home and many of my friends agree. But when I moved to Amsterdam I found out that many Dutch people wear jeans all the time. They get up in the morning, shower, get dressed for the day and then go downstairs to have breakfast, even in the weekend! Luckily I have some foreign friends here. Once my good friend Erin gave me her favorite Lululemon sweats when I was visiting and only had jeans, so that we could hang out in peace and coziness rather than in jeans.
I literally HATE feeling bands or restrictions at home. I don’t wear jeans or a bra! 😂 yup. I’m on zoom chats with a baggy tee and no bra. We’re we really meant to wear all this stuff anyway??
Jeans, every single day. Getting ‘dressed’ even when I’m not working helps me to feel put together and more myself.
They’re also just really, really comfortable – like a second skin
Wow I got in a biiiiig conversation with my boyfriend about this! He works from home in jeans and I cannot fathom such a thing but I’ve never liked jeans. He says they give him focus and a feeling of normalcy. I don’t wear jeans but I do wear necklaces and try to coordinate my sweats/leggings with a top. The necklace is key. It really amplifies a pair of loungewear.
I’ve worn jeans every day. I maintain my routine by getting dressed that way it feels like a proper wind down when I put on sweats/pajamas at night. My fiancé is doing the same thing.
OH MY GOD. I have been wearing jeans almost every day at home (I have a lot of HW to do) and I swear sometimes it makes me feel more motivated to get my shit done. In other words, when I put in the effort to “look nice” even from home, it makes me want to work as hard as if I were at school or at work.
I wore jeans yesterday just for a zoom happy hour! Jeans have now become “ special occasion” clothes 😂
I wear them when all my leggings are dirty 😂
Been wearing jeans since early march. Granted, I havn’t worn any in 5 years and this is my first new pair in ages so I wanted to enjoy them. But they’re also a really easy sartorial choice (goes well with any kind of top) and after a while they get really comfortable. (They’re Armed Angels and I hardly ever wash jeans so they get really worn in. 😍)
Jeans are my productivity pants – sounds weird but I immediately feel productive once I changed from lounge wear 😂
Funny enough I usually wear leggings and a long sweater or tunic to work, but since working from home I’ve been wearing “real” pants or jeans more often because it makes such a difference mentally.
So, I must confess, I read this story because your picture was so cute. Sweat pants or jeans, you are attractive. Your husband must have great self control if he lets you wear clothes around the house at all. Thank you for the insight about everyone’s struggle to stay motivated and not devolve into anarchy. A photo of you in the jeans would be nice. Just sayin’.