What Clothing Have You Stopped Wearing During Quarantine?

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Here are some fun questions for today: What clothing have you stopped wearing during quarantine? What ARE you wearing? What clothing is unlikely to come out of your closet any time soon, e.g., are you planning to ever wear a bra again? 

When I scroll through Instagram lately, I've noticed that clothing companies REALLY want me to buy bras — they're the subject of most of the ads I'm getting. That's not surprising, because I've also noticed a ton of women online happily declaring they've stopped wearing bras during quarantine, with some adding that they don't plan to wear them again (or at least not styles with underwire). Bralettes and sports bras had already been growing in popularity over the last few years anyway. (Psst: Here was our recent roundup of the most comfortable bras, including several bralettes!)

High heels and makeup have also fallen out of favor with a lot of women during these last couple of months… as well as pants with non-elastic waistbands. (Personal note: Why did I ever think jeans were that comfortable? Lately, I've been getting a ton of use out of these pink, hedgehog-print “lounge pants,” i.e., PJ pants, that I bought for $5) 

Let's hear your thoughts on the following, including which habits you think will stick — and which won't — once you go back to the office: 

Outfits in general: What is your typical work-from-home outfit lately? Are you all about comfort, or does it make you happier (or more productive) to dress like it's a typical workday — or at least in something along the lines of business casual? We're assuming that many readers have made athleisure a WFH staple during coronavirus, so we recently rounded up the best athleisure brands that are worth the splurge. Has this been the case for you? Do you have a lot of video calls that you need to look presentable for? (Check out our recent post on tips for video conference calls if so.)

Bras: Are you only wearing your comfiest options, such as bralettes? (See Kat's recommendations for the most comfortable bras for working from home, if you need ideas.) Or are you not wearing bras at all? 

Heels: This is something we can pretty much assume that readers working from home are skipping, especially those who don't wear shoes inside the house anyway! (Now THAT would be an interesting — and contentious — debate that would almost deserve its own post…) What were your feelings about high heels pre-pandemic? Did you wear them frequently? If you think you'll go back to heels but aren't eager to wear the ones you have, you can get some great suggestions in our Guide to Comfortable Heels. If going without heels for a couple of months has put you off them permanently, will you donate your existing shoes? (See our post on where to recycle, sell, and donate your work clothes.)

Makeup: Have you been using makeup, and if so, how much? Are you wearing it for work Zoom calls, for yourself, or both? Are you going with your typical workday makeup look, or just swiping on some lipstick, etc., for video calls? The no-makeup makeup look has been a big stuck-at-home trend, so is that something you're trying? Does going through your normal morning makeup routine help you add a bit of structure to your days, or help make time at home feel more like a regular workday? (Alternately, have you set aside most of your beauty products for now?) 

Jewelry: Have you been wearing any jewelry in quarantine? Has it been something you haven't even been thinking about, or are you wearing jewelry for video calls, perhaps? For you, is wearing something pretty/fun/cute a little pick-me-up in times like these? 

What clothing have you stopped wearing during quarantine, and how are you dressing differently? If you've been shopping online for clothes lately, what have you bought?

Illustration via Shutterstock / T. L. Furrer.

30 Comments

  1. I’ve been rocking big, dangly, statement earrings as a way to “dress up” my athleisure when I have to show my face via Skype or Zoom. They don’t play well with face masks, so I take them off when I leave the house, but I feel like they are an easy way to have some fun with my otherwise boring – yet comfortable – outfits.

    I don’t generally wear makeup or heels and am pretty small (I wear unlined bralettes normally) so not much else has changed in that regard. My exercise apparel (sports bras, bike clothing, running clothing) has been getting a lot more action in recent weeks than pretty much anything else in my wardrobe.

    1. Overall Outfits: I’ve been wearing stretch travel jeans, tshirts, sweaters when cold because I need to get dressed up a little to feel a transition to “work time.” For outside the house time I have been trying to find some masks that have a little character. Haven’t made it to the color coordination stage yet of mask purchasing.

      Bras: Bralettes when top is not sufficiently smooth and comfy or I have a zoom meeting and don’t want too-obvious headlights, and workout bras. I’m small but discovered that it is nonetheless VERY IMPORTANT to have a bra if I want to run.

      Heels: I tend not to wear heels anyway even with a suit. Which I haven’t worn in months.

      Makeup: Mostly concealer and maybe foundation. Sometimes eye makeup and colored gloss.

      Jewelry: At home I have a very comfy pair of earrings I wear all the time but I do not wear much else. A watch when I go out so I can see the time without touching my phone. I used to be a big jewelry fiend, so this is a change.

  2. I’m going to the office and dressing the same as I always do Including makeup and jewelry) even though I hardly see anybody. (Except I have been doing Casual Friday for the first time ever.)

    At home I am foregoing makeup and am swapping out comfort, no-wire, slip-on bras for “real” bras. It’s been warm here so I have been living in t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. I just bought all new shorts for the first time in a few years so I feel pretty stylin’ (and I have a lot of cute tops coming, too).

  3. I want to add some nuance to this morning’s discussion about high and low risk and COVID-19 virus, as in my view the terms high or low risk are quite general. Risk consists of threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts. (Some people use assess instead of impact; I prefer impact.)

    COVID-19 is a threat to everyone. Some of us are more vulnerable to the threat, and the impact varies — some people get slightly sick, other people die.

    Society has been mitigating the threat through safe at home orders, now followed by physical distancing, masks, limited people in groups, etc. In the future, we hope to reduce the threat to an acceptable level via vaccinations, herd immunity, the virus burns out, weather, etc.

    A healthy young person is less vulnerable to the virus, while an immune compromised young person is more vulnerable. Older people are more vulnerable to the virus, and sick older people are very vulnerable.

    A healthy young person will likely have a lower impact if they catch the virus, while an ill older person will have a high impact if they catch it (they will likely die).

    Society has all of these levers to pull to get to a scenario where the risk is acceptable — we can mitigate the threat and/or we can defend vulnerabilities and/or we can lessen the impact.

    For example, I live in a hot spot so the threat is strong, but I am not very vulnerable to the virus, so if I catch it the impact will likely be low (I’ll get sick.) However, as there are insufficient defenses for more vulnerable people (nursing homes) the impact to society is higher, so that influences my decisions. For example, let’s say we don’t have a vaccine, but I am not vulnerable and we have good treatment options for anyone that catches the virus. Then, I am going to be more comfortable going out, and vulnerable people will be somewhat more comfortable about my (or even their) doing so because we’ve reduced the impact.

    Our risk acceptance, personally and for society, needs to weigh all of these factors.

    1. I really like how you are assigning 3 different “variables” to the factors affecting the overall outcome and risk assessment.

      I would add another dimension even: the dynamics of knowledge of what exactly impact means.

      In early March before all the lockdowns, most people and governments were concerned about the capacity of the healthcare systems (e.g. number of ICU beds and ventilators), with the notion that if we can flatten the curve enough so that the seriously ill can get on a ventilator should they need it, the worst case (many deaths) could be avoided. It was generally believed that kids and the younger and healthy have nothing to fear.

      To some extent and in many locations that worst case scenario indeed did not materialize. However, we are seeing now an increasing number of reports of cardiovascular events even in younger and healthier patients, long lasting organ damage (kidneys), maybe neurological impairments (loss of smell), and inflammatory syndromes in kids. These findings are different from our knowledge 2 months ago, and hence should also be taken into consideration when looking at “risk”.

        1. To (maybe) help calm you, it is still very very rare and 1/2 the cases in New York appear unlinked to COVID.

          1. Also, they have treatments for it since Kawasaki syndrome has been around awhile. I read an article this morning – I think in USA Today – that so far they have encountered almost no children who couldn’t be treated for it, and the kids who have been treated recovered. It doesn’t mean I want my kid to get it or will put him at increased risk but it was comforting to know this is a known quantity with a known treatment, unlike Covid-19 for which they have not found a universally effective treatment.

  4. We don’t do Zoom calls, so I wear actual athletic wear (not athleisure) every day. That way, I can just go for a quick run around the block when I have some time or need to clear my head, and don’t have to change after the end of a very long workday.

    1. Ditto. I wear my workout clothes every day so I can workout after work (which cuts down on laundry, too).

  5. I’ve been going to my office the whole time (hospital), but we have a relaxed dress code for the indefinite duration. My regular work clothes are so irrelevant right now that I boxed some of them up for storage. I was annoyed at how much space they took up in my closet when I have no idea when I’ll need them again. I’m wearing sweatshirts and jeans for everything except exercise.

  6. Honestly? Leggings and t-shirts (with occasional college sweatshirts when I get cold) most days. Jeans and nicer tops on the weekend usually (purely to differentiate the week vs weekend in some way in my mind). Shoes are sneakers and only if I have to go outside for something. Otherwise, just socks around the house.
    I like the way I look in bras, so I wear them for myself. I doubt you could tell on Zoom if I was wearing one or not. I did have one bra that accidentally got thrown in the dryer and the wire got bent out of shape, so I removed it and turned it into a “wireless” bra. It’s ok–a bit more comfortable but I just don’t like the way I look in it.
    Makeup almost never, except eyebrows occasionally for client calls, since you almost can’t see mine on Zoom. However, I wear dark tortoiseshell glasses most of the time that hide my eyebrows anyways.
    I wear pearl studs everyday, purely out of habit / because I think they brighten my face a bit.

  7. I have worked primarily from home for years, but still made myself presentable because I was out running kids around in the morning and after school. Now, I am almost never in the jeans (do they fit?), sweaters and boots or wedges I wore before. Underwire is a thing of the past. I am now usually in the True & Co. Lift bras from Nordstrom. I switch between Zella or Lululemon leggings and Lulu or Athleta joggers. I wear fitted tees with joggers and tunic-ish ones with leggings, often with a cardigan or jacket, usually from Lulu again. If I leave the house, I wear Nikes or Rothy loafers. I always have in failry cheap stud earrings because I don’t feel right without them. I just refuse to be uncomfortable.

    I do put on concealer, blush (NARS the Multiple), mascara and eyebrow gel, because I feel better in them. My daughter recently told me I need better mascara because mine is clumpy. Thanks, seventh grade expert. I am still drying my hair with the Revlon magical styler/dryer.

    I try very hard to avoid Zoom. My boss is very good about asking me if he can video call me and accepting it with if I say no. The team I manage is all women and we have agreed not to video call. I surveyed them after I started reading management advice about keeping in touch via Zoom meetings and we all decided it was too much pressure. When I know I will be on camera, I try to put on a brightly colored sweater and I pull a lipstick out of my desk drawer. I have one I can’t escape later this week.

  8. I have to be wearing either a work(ish) shirt or work(ish) pants to not feel like it’s lounge time. So I’ve been either wearing Zella high-waist leggings and a loose work top top or Betabrand pants with a sweatshirt or t-shirt (I have 2 Harry Potter tees I’ve been wearing a lot).

    I bought a wireless bra from Gap and hate it, which I didn’t realize until I’d already worn it for a full day. :| So I’m wearing my normal bras, which aren’t uncomfortable.

    Haven’t worn nice shoes since March. Allbirds or Puma flats every day. I’ve worn slippers to the drive through.

    No makeup except for when I presented at a conference a few weeks ago, jewelry only for that and video interviews (I was an interviewer), except black stud earrings once in awhile. I can’t imagine putting on lipstick for a videocall, my colleagues would look at me like I had a second head. I wore lipstick for the interviews a few weeks ago and both my colleagues saw me and said something like “We agreed on no sweatshirts, not dressing up…”

    I’ve also started changing into joggers at like 5:00 PM.

  9. For me, at this point, bras of any kind are for work, workouts, and white shirts. I was heading in this direction before Covid. I have C- cup, not-very-droopy breasts.

  10. Overall Outfits: I’ve been wearing the same clothes I wore as a working senior engineer. Tech is incredibly casual. Jeans, buttondowns, tshirts, ponte pants, or linen pants in the summer, and the obligatory hoodie when it’s chilly. It might amuse many of you to read that hoodies as obligatory business wear in my sub-field for speaking and industry events. I’ve recently returned to school in computer science and it’s about the same.

    Bras: Still wearing the same day to day bras. With my 30G, most sports bras are great for exercise, but not very comfortable for me to wear for long days at the computer. I dream of a bralette that might be comfortable, but haven’t met it yet… :)

    Heels: I actually am wearing heels more often about the house. Mostly for fun and my own amusement. My apartment has no stairs and is relatively small.

    Makeup: I wear make up on/off as I did before. I do wear a lot less lipcolor when I go out because it’s a pain with the masks. I did start dying my own brows and eyelashes.

    Jewelry: This where I’ve seen the most change. I stopped wearing rings and my watch during the heavy hand washing pre-lockdown. I’ve largely stopped wearing earrings because im on zoom/headphones and they’re just not comfortable when you have over the ear headphones on for 5-8 hours a day.

    1. pinkh00die, go to Nordstom.com and look at the True & Co. bras in the “full cup” style for D -DD. I haven’t seen the full cup version at Target so you’ll need to look at Nordstrom. I am a 32F and it works for me. I wear it in small but have ordered an XS to try. I wouldn’t exercise in it but for everyday it’s great. Sorry to all of you who have had to hear my True evangelism multiple times.

  11. Things were already pretty casual and simple at work, and that’s not changed too much.
    Still wearing – stretchy jeans, wireless bras, cotton cardigans when cold, big earrings; eye and lip makeup
    Now wearing – leggings, sandals, sleeveless tops when hot, overalls, jumpsuits
    Not going to wear again (maybe?) – full face foundation, heels (just not right for my job)

  12. I haven’t stopped going to the office (essential field), but since we’re not having meetings and keeping in our offices with the door closed pretty much all the time, I’ve definitely made some changes. (Biz-cas office, but since I’m the lawyer, I usually try to be a little more on the formal side of that.) I have stopped entirely wearing mascara and blazers, and blow drying my hair. I wear a cardigan most days, when before I only wore them occasionally.
    I think pencil skirts or sheath dresses are fairly comfortable (at least, as comfortable as anything else I own that doesn’t get down to a real “I wouldn’t want my coworkers to see that all all” level), so I still wear them, and I still wear heels (which I take off as soon as I’m in my office) because I just don’t own many flats. I wish I had more in-between clothes.

  13. I have jettisoned blazers, sheaths, suits and heels. I spent the winter in joggers and sweaters. Now that it’s warmer I have been wearing the rest of the business casual part of my wardrobe. I do put on makeup for video calls as I otherwise have that vegetarian pallor. I have not been putting on jewelry, and likely won’t until I have grown out the rest of my hair color as random hair accessories are still necessary.

  14. Hi,
    I’ve been going to the office (essential business – transportation) since this began but we switched to Friday casual when the safe at home orders began. So I switched from sheath dresses, blazers, and pencil skirts with heels to dark wash jeans and button-downs, cardigans or jardigans on top, with flats (Rothys and Skechers knitted ballet flats). About a week or two in, zip-fly jeans started feeling really uncomfortable so I started buying pull-ons (Levis and Lee both make really good ones that fit my body well). I got so used to not having the buttons and zips digging into my waist that I started buying pull-on style dress pants. This week I decided enough with the Friday casual and went back to a modified version of what I used to wear – sheath dress, cardi, heels. Never did do anything special with my hair (air dry) and kept my light make-up (mascara, brow gel, lipstick, BB cream). But my wardrobe has definitely shifted in the direction of comfort as neat pull-on pants and flats are going to be a bigger part of my look going foward. Bra, well, 32G. Underwire for work, wireless at home continues.

  15. I’m on the dressy end of business casual in an East Coast university administration job–working from home since mid-March. I packed away the majority of my winter work clothes (dresses, skirts, blazers, heels) almost right away and haven’t brought out my spring things yet. I just found the closet demoralizing, with somehow both tons and nothing to wear.

    I love dresses and skirts, but haven’t worn them at all–maybe when it warms up a bit I might wear a casual knit skirt, but nothing I would normally wear to work. Instead, a new development: I’m wearing chinos many days, including an ancient pair of slim cargo pants that I normally only dig out for gardening or camping. I don’t wear chinos to the office–too casual/preppy–but somehow they feel both “dressed” enough to put me in a work mood, but far more soft and comfy than jeans. Often I’m wearing them with a pullover sweater, knit top, or simple blouse for days full of Zoom calls.

    I’ve been wearing comfortable shoes–different kinds, from boots to loafers to sneakers. Recently some sandals.

    I took off my wedding ring on the first night at home in March and haven’t worn any rings or bracelets since–too much trouble with all the hand-washing. I wear a necklace or earrings once in a while, but nothing that interferes with my headset (which is most of my hoops and such). I miss earrings, but my hair is a travesty. Best not to call attention to it!

    I put away most of my makeup in March–don’t wear much anyway, but I’ve completely ditched the tinted moisturizer, mascara, and occasional eyeliner. I’m taking great care of my skin and wearing just a bit of blush and sheer lipstick for video calls.

    I wear comfortable underwire bras to work and on the weekend and haven’t even thought of changing that. Pretty small upstairs (34C), but I just don’t feel comfortable in public–even on Zoom!–in a bralette or cami. Feels like pajamas or a sick day to me.

  16. What I’ve loved the most about WFH clothing is actually footwear related. Athletic shoes are now my dress shoes since I mostly wear slippers since the Midwest is in its third month of March.

  17. I’ve been living in leggings and sweatshirts or t-shirts (depending on weather), no bra, no makeup, no hair styling, not even washing my hair anywhere near as much (I used to wash every day, have dropped down to 2-3x/week). I do get up and shower before starting work each morning, or I don’t think I’d be able to wake up properly, but I’ve been avoiding a lot of the usual maintenance – no shaving my legs, pits only once a week or so. I’m a lawyer and have had some court hearings via Zoom, so for those I do hair and makeup, and I’ll put on a blazer over a real blouse (but still no bra, because you can’t see anything below the tops of the shoulders, the way my laptop camera angle works). And I put the sweatshirt back on as soon as it’s over (often I wash off the makeup, too).

    The big thing I’ve noticed is how much LESS TIME it takes just to exist these days. I feel like my husband, who’s always been able to shower and dress in under 10 minutes (he doesn’t shave his head but keeps it pretty close to stubble). I don’t know that I’ll feel comfortable continuing all this once we’re back at the office (well, I won’t be allowed to wear leggings and t-shirts! gotta be in business casual at the least), but I really resent the amount of maintenance women are expected to do just to be in public. (I know I put the expectations on myself, but still, those expectations are coming from somewhere.)

  18. I like to feel professional for work so I am still wearing blazers, but with lounge pants rather than a skirt. I still wear make up and earrings and it never occurred to me to stop. I love heels so I still wear them when I go out, but slippers indoors. I still wear a bra and I find bras very comfortable. Maybe it’s because I’m a DD/E, but I am and always have been baffled by any and all discussions of underwires and bras being uncomfortable. What makes them uncomfortable? Maybe the fit is wrong for a lot of women? Or is it just the difference in body shape and make up that makes them uncomfortable for some people? I am really curious about this. Just walking around the house without a bra is uncomfortable for me. My bras are all European brand Change and I love them. Bras have got to be on the Top 10 Inventions Of All Time list.
    I guess I’ve always dressed for myself, and my style just happens to work well in the corporate world, so very little has changed in working from home. I was wearing blazers in college and I’m sure I’ll still be wearing blazers when I retire (if I ever do).

  19. I do not miss wearing Spanx at all – I haven’t worn them now for two months: yay! I usually wear dresses & heels to work for corporate HR but have only been going into the office once a week in casual wear. The rest of the week I am home in athletic wear and sports bras. This has seriously made me want to look for my next job being work from home… Also, I love being barefoot all day.

  20. I work in a very casual office, so I usually wear dark denim. I have not worn jeans in months and only wear fluid skirts or pants in light fabric. This has changed my life for the better, and now I think I’m just going to stop wearing jeans altogether and invest in fabric pants instead!

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