Working Women : Study Up

I find it interesting the where and why of dress codes - they're also becoming a huge talking point in the media, and most especially in the fashion world. This week, I'm looking back on dress codes of my own - today, my School dress code! Tomorrow, I'll cover my current, University dress code.

Also - if you have a dress code you want me to wear, PM me or leave it in the comment section!

New Zealand Schools Have Uniforms.... most of the time.

A very typical New Zealand school, whether Primary, Intermediate or College will have a uniform - with the exception of very small country schools. College - our "high school" - seniors are often the other exception. Some of my school's rules for senior "mufti" (wearing regular, non-uniform clothes) will be listed here. I've left off those that either went un-regulated or have since been altered, because otherwise this post would be VERY long.

I tried to create outfits similar to what I ACTUALLY wore then, or would wear now. Note all the oversized bags because my school did not have lockers so I had to carry all my stuff, all the time.

• No singlet shirts - minimum of 2 inches across the shoulder
• The point of the two inches rule was to allow for the wearing of school team uniforms. But as you can imagine, most students were just happy not to have to wear sleeves in the summer. You could wear a shirt under strappy dresses but not singlets or bras.
• No bare midriffs
• So no brallettes, boob tubes or crop tops. Considering I live in a very rainy and windy part of the world, this wasn't much protested. Those that did risk it would often end up asking to borrow someone elses' shirt.
• No sheer items
• This was a less-welcomed rule. Often, students - including me! - would wear a fitted but wide-strapped plain black shirt under whatever sheer piece we wanted. So, if we took the sheer part off, we'd be within the school rules. Most teachers let it slide. Sheer skirts weren't tolerated, though.
• Skirts to be 2.5 inches above the knee from the ground when kneeling
• This is actually a pretty good measurement, being about halfway up the thigh on most students, and fairly easy to buy off the rack. 
• Minimal makeup
• There were a lot of rules regarding makeup, but so long as it wasn't sparkly or unnaturally coloured, you wouldn't typically get told off at all. Black lipstick and eye-shadow was also tolerated because Goth kids scared the staff.
• Heels - If you can't run, you can't walk
• Again, this was complicated - you were required to have a slight heel, between certain heights, but if you weren't able to run in it, they probably weren't any good for school anyway. Students with too-high heels had to borrow ugly, worn-in uniform shoes from the Lost & Found box.
• Covered Toes
• Mostly because it rained a lot, but also because or Tech equipment, we were required to wear closed- toe shoes. Not a bad idea and easy to conform to.
• Hair must be tied up in a ponytail if long, clipped or held back if short
• This applied to guys as well. The Justin Bieber haircut was not popular for long, because one of our deans kept Hello Kitty clips in his office. Mostly, it was for students working in Food, Art or Technologies where there was a chance that long, dangly hair could become dangerous, getting into food or machinery.
• No visible rips or tears
• I was a senior right when the boyfriend jean was taking off - so you can imagine that most students did not like this rule! Unless it was a formal day, though, wearing tights underneath not only looked cool but meant the trend was more tolerated by teachers.
• No jewelry besides plain white or black stud earrings.
• Typically, you could get away with small earrings. Like the long hair, it was a safety issue more than anything.
• No obvious branding or words
• Most kids just put marker pen over logos on shoe, or wore long shirts to cover belts. When it came to shirts, though, undranded was the only real option.