Are Rompers Acceptable To Wear To Work?

As you may have guessed, I work in an office. I also live in New York, which, in the summer, maintains approximately the same conditions as Hades’ “last resort” bathroom. It’s humid, disgusting, and despite showering with a plethora of clean water and lovely products, I arrive every day to work looking like I’ve just stepped out of a Nelly video (except in hurr, I cannot take off all my clothes).

(Related: Fashion Tips for Ladies – Dress Professionally at Work)

As a serious fan of rompers, I’ve been thinking about starting to wear them to work since they keep me cooler than pants, leggings, or tights but are, in my opinion, prettier than plain shorts. Except…I don’t think they’re actually all that appropriate, which is odd since they actually contain more fabric and less potential to show your crotch than, say, a medium-length flow-y dress. I try to avoid wearing those, as they wind up blowing up if a car drives by, if I turn too fast or if I accidentally walk over a subway grate, all of which I’d rather not have to constantly be conscious of.

II realize this depends considerably on the dress code of your work, but ours is fairly relaxed. While we don’t put on in banana costumes made of jersey material or bounce around in Moon Shoes (sad face), we generally wear what you might find appropriate for a casual lunch date with your coworkers: nothing ripped, nothing crazy-short, no sweat pant-type of stuff. There are plenty of people at this office who are absurdly fashionable — for the record, I am not one of them, and I am sorry — but the vibe isn’t all judgmental or pretentious. Then again, I’ve been working from home or on film sets for a long time, and nobody has ever really cared what I wear, so I guess I’m probably a bit clueless.

I wear shorts to work, and those are just fine, but I am a bit concerned about rompers and playsuits even though they are essentially just a top and bottom sewn together (or cut from one piece). So, are they appropriate to wear to work? I mean, obviously, I wouldn’t be running around in this type of deal, and I would ensure the length and material were office-appropriate, but I suppose I thought it best to ask a crowd before trying it out.

Oh, and the “you’re too old to wear a romper” thing has no point, in case any of those comments were going to crop up; I will remain wearing them until I do not like them, whether or not I choose to take my potentially childish style to work.