Pre-Covid-19, my daily routine included showering, getting dressed and putting on makeup to make me feel and look human before leaving for work. But since the spread of Covid-19 changed the routine for many people of all walks of life and from different part of the world (for the better in terms of more sleep).
Covid-19 plagued the world with everything bad, putting lives, prices and fashion on hold. To comply with the social distancing rule and to fight against Covid-19, many people were forced into working from their comfort of their own homes, as well as the comfort of their most comfortable clothes.
These many people included us here in Malaysia as well. When I was working from home, my fashion sense drastically changed from office chic to homeless chic. This change in fashion made me buy more sweat pants for “working from home” from Zalora when parcels could finally be delivered to the house.
My daily uniform at one point was sweat pants, a comfy loose t-shirt and an oversized hoodie. This went on for a good month and saved me a lot of brain power deciding what to wear, with what. Remember when you used to have your bantal busuk? Mine was my jacket busuk (no shame at all).
Before you decide to judge the hell outta me, just know that I’m not always dressed like a homeless person when I’m working from home. I do glam it up when I have a Zoom meeting to attend. I actually do put in the effort to actually put on makeup, brush my hair and wear a nice top with my trusted “work from home” sweatpants to present myself as a functional, presentable human being (because no one’s going to know and see that on camera right? So why not be comfortable while you’re at it?).
All of this comes down to one question, is fashion still a thing now that physical meetings are out, and virtual meetings are in? Here is what millennials have to say because, let’s face it, traditionalists no matter what, will always be dressed for any and every occasion.
A, an insurance agent said yes, fashion is evergreen, even though virtual meetings are in. It can be as simple as dressing up at home. Fashion to everyone is individual, but it can be expressed differently. C, a risk analyst said fashion does matter because physical meetings are slowly making a comeback and that she won’t hesitate to go shopping again (laughs).
For S, who works in a hotel, fashion is both still a thing and not a thing. This is because things are slowly going back to normal, meaning employees now are required to go back to the office for physical meetings while some companies are still working from home due to the pandemic. R, an entrepreneur, said fashion will always be a thing. Consumers may buy less but they will still buy especially when there is a good deal. In other words, they are more on the look out for deals. E who works for an e-commerce site was rather straightforward, “fashion is still a thing kot” he said, fullstop.
In conclusion, fashion will still and always be a thing despite the working from home practice and virtual meetings. At the end of the day, it depends on ones individuality and/or if they are semangat enough to get all dolled up, even if it’s just the upper part of their body. Me personally, I have my days when I want to be professionally office chic and there are days where I just want to be a laid back bohemian homeless chic.