Getting dressed for work sounds simple until you’re the one standing in front of your wardrobe with ten minutes to spare and nothing decided. We asked five Nigerian women how they actually handle their work outfits, and here’s what they had to say.
1. Amaka, 27, Banker
“I leave my house as early as 5 am so I can get to work by 7 am, so I really can’t afford to start thinking about what to wear in the morning. Even if I don’t plan my outfits for several days over the weekend, I have to decide what I’m wearing the night before. There’s nothing worse than getting dressed and realising that the shirt or trousers I wanted to wear are in the laundry basket. I also have to iron a lot of my work clothes, so I need to know what I’m wearing early enough.”
2. Dami, 24, Product Designer
“I don’t plan my outfits ahead of time. There are mornings when I don’t even feel like going to work, so trust me, I’m not going to be making a whole production out of my outfit. I usually just wake up, shower, and open my wardrobe to see what I wear. My office is also very casual, so I can get away with jeans and sneakers or even Crocs. If I have a meeting, I might put on a dress or a corporate shirt, but I still won’t be planning it the night before.”
3. Rosemary, 26, Lawyer
“I don’t really plan my outfits days ahead because my office already has a dress code. I know the kind of things I can wear, so there isn’t much to think about. My outfits are usually black, white, or a mix of both, so most days it’s a dress or trousers with a blouse and heels. I just decide the night before if I need to iron anything.”
4. Fola, 26, Social Media Manager
“I enjoy dressing up, so I actually look forward to putting my work outfits together. Since I work in social media, I’m usually on camera, so I think about how an outfit will look on camera as well as how comfortable it is for the day.”
5. Yinka, 25, Communications Officer
“I’m terrible at planning my work outfits. There was a day I ran out of the house with two completely different earrings on because I was already late and didn’t notice until I got to the office. I usually just decide what to wear when I’m getting ready, and if I’m already late, I wear anything I see that looks clean and decent. I keep telling myself I’ll start planning my outfits on Sundays, but I’ve never been able to do it.”
