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As we continue our social-distancing pledge, the Vogue staff is working from home for the foreseeable future. This article is part of our This Week on Zoom column, where one Vogue editor shares their WFH outfits from the previous workweek—from the waist up, of course.
Monday
Monday marked the second official week of working from home, and while week one was rife with speculation as to how long we’d be working from home, week two was definitive. As numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York continued to soar, it became increasingly clear that this virus was going to impact every American for the foreseeable future in some capacity, be it physically, fiscally, or otherwise.
For me, during terrifying times like these, there’s some solace in routine. On Monday, I decided to anchor myself in my typical habits, albeit an abridged work-from-home version that went something like this: wake up, quickly shower and brush my teeth, throw on a nice top and sweats (or, admittedly, maybe no pants at all), open the computer, and begin working. I felt like a runaway train, but it felt doable for the few weeks I imagined I’d be telecommuting.
Now, in an effort to take care of ourselves and each other, the entire country is staying home for what looks like possibly another month. Comfortable, work-from-home clothing intended for indoors is the new normal. It took me a week to realize that my work-from-home clothing, while rooted in comfort, also needed to make me feel like I was going to work, even if my coworkers couldn’t see my bottom half on Zoom.
So, on Monday, I finally meditated for the first time in a long time, and put on my comfiest dress—coincidentally, one I’ve also regularly worn to the Vogue HQ.
Tuesday
“You look dressed up today,” a coworker said upon first sight of our upper-halves on the first of many Zoom calls of the day. She was correct. I looked dressed up because I had, in fact, gotten entirely dressed for the day; pants, makeup, hairbrush and all. Monday’s re-installation of a morning routine (that wasn’t just sweeping myself out of my bed and into my desk chair) gave me normalcy in an otherwise anomalous situation, so I decided to keep it going, this time with a blue-and-white striped dress shirt and jeans that I had recently purchased because Vogue’s Brooke Bobb swears by them. I also kept a blanket draped over the back of my desk chair. Blanket dressing was a surprising trend this fashion week, even if designers could never have known in February just how swiftly this comfort-first trend would become relevant.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a busy day filled with deadlines to meet, and many Zoom meetings to be had, so I wanted to look nice for all the faces I would (virtually) see. Instead of reaching for one of my dad’s cozy old sweaters like I did so many times last week, I opted for a lilac Marc Jacobs sweater with a ruffle neck collar that loosely channels the Edwardian trend as seen in our March issue. I figured the frilly collar—a century-old silhouette—added a bit of dressed up pizzazz to my otherwise comfortable look that was perfect for Zoom meetings, without having to really style anything out. I popped on a pair of my favorite socks, my trusty fluffy slippers, and just like that, I was halfway through the week.
Thursday
Despite being inside, trees are starting to bud and it s apparent that the warm days of spring are on the horizon. I started swapping out my fair isle sweaters and chunky cable knits for their lighter, springtime cousins—layerable cardigans, and thin, slinky polo sweaters. I admittedly hadn’t gone outside all week, so a solitary walk was my first order of business before starting the workday, and my comfortable, ’90s-inspired polo sweater tucked in nicely to my trousers and layered well under my jacket.
Friday
As if he’s a family member, I constantly take to social media to check in on Tom Hanks, his wife Rita Wilson, and their COVID-19 journey. The two seemed to be doing okay on Thursday night, which was a relief. After checking in on them, I somehow ended up in a Wikipedia hole calculating the percentage of Tom Hanks movies I’ve seen (approximately 70%), before realizing I had never seen the Mr. Rogers movie. After work on Thursday, I grabbed a snack, turned it on and felt inspired by Fred Rogers’s spirit and his cardigan sweaters, deciding to wear one on Friday.
When I woke up Friday morning the thought flashed through my mind to wear a robe and call it a day, but I committed to getting dressed up for the week, so I did my best casual Friday—Mr. Rogers-style, cardigan and all. At around 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., my neighbors decided to get on the balcony to perform “God Bless America”. At first, I was annoyed, grabbing for my headphones. I didn’t ask for a matinee show! Then, the solidarity they were feeling washed over me. I sat back, closed my eyes and folded my hands in my lap for a moment—I realized it would do me good to pause and take in a beautiful show of human connection before getting back to work.
