What do female engineers wear?

I am aware that most women featured in the photos in this post are actually technicians.

WHY ASK ?
Its an important question. Dianne Chong at the Seattle Times identified this question as the first question women ask when starting their engineering Careers.

When a young physicist asks me what to wear to work, she’s not asking for fall-fashion trends.
She’s actually asking: “How do I fit in at my office, where everyone else is a man?” The fact that women are still asking these questions exposes a deep sense of not belonging.

I agree. Women do not know how to fit into an implied dress code when the only examples are men.

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Additionally, fashion is often used to glamorize careers. Secretaries and flight attendants, as roles for women are glamorized through fashion. Engineering has no such benefit. It’s hard to look forward to the glamorous life of an engineer and imagine wearing only polo shirts and steel toed boots.

Part of recruiting women to engineering is letting them know what it will look like.

I’m not saying we need a “legally blonde” for engineering, although I am sure it did wonders for the lawyering profession. My interest in this topic started when I heard a podcast entitled “What do Lady Lawyers wear” in an episode of What Mom Never Told You. I found it particularly interesting because it made me realize that this feeling I have of dress code uncertainty went further than just me.

I am intrinsically interested in the topic because I am just starting out my engineering career. I want to dress the part. A significant part of my life is spent in the clothes I wear at work and I want to feel well dressed and at at the bare minimum, appropriate. Its also difficult to follow the saying " dress for the job you want" when all the senior positions are staffed with men.

THE GENERAL CONSENSUS
Here are some of the answers I have found to "What do female Engineers Wear" around the internet:

From Engineer Girl:

" Engineers who work in offices may wear business suits every day, others may dress more casually - even blue jeans occasionally! Engineers who work in manufacturing plants or on construction sites may wear hard hats and steel-toed boots. Some engineers wear special clothes to protect them from dirt or hazardous chemicals. "

From the Comments of Fashion Abecedaire article "It’s OK for female engineers to like fashion"

Great article! Im a woman engineer, my new job will require steel toe boots. I'm looking everywhere for cute steel toe boots! I have to find a way to dress where I feel good about myself and doesn't immediately cause my all male colleagues to question my abilities. It is a tight rope, but I am hopeful in the next 20 years we will see more women and with that have more options. At this point, I'd take a company polo that fit. -- Dory

Here is a upsetting answer from Ninianes Blog.

Many female engineers have told me, "I purposefully dress more sloppily than I naturally would, to be more respected as a coder."

Here are some answers from the Yahoo Answer question "How is a female engineer supposed to dress?"

" ... wears work pants. Formal wear like you would wear in an interview.
For a shirt, she wears a nice silk button shirt. NO cleavage shown. Her pants are a little tight in the upper part and her boss told her to dress with larger pants because it was distracting all of the male workers in the plant. " - C7S

" Engineer wearing cute clothes? lol. Sorry honey not there... be professional (you should look professional in business jobs as well... it's more adequate for the situation. but that's just my take.) " - Miles

" Look professional...NOT cute. Why do you need to be cute to drive a train? LOL "-- Cracked

[ This one from yahoo answers made me laugh ]

"Dress like a professional yo..

If you don't want to be judged incorrectly then dress in a Professional manner..

Your in college now im zm sure you know people DO judge you on your appearance

Don't give off a negative vibe or an i don't care i am a slut vibe..

This is why women shouldn't work, she worried about what to wear instead of doing her job Right..just like the women in the wnba. "

I found several things upsetting about the answers I have found. Not only do men answering see the word professional as the complete opposite of cute, but women see professional as being the opposite of feminine.

That is not the kind of attitude we should have if women are actually a valuable and intrinsic part of the work force.

In the end, the question is too vague

There are so many types of engineers. Not only are there many fields of study with their own traditions and cultures, but there are also classifications within each field. There is a huge difference between a mechanical field engineer and a chemical lab engineer. I used to work in a chemical engineering laboratory and it differed wildly from the biochemical laboratory I worked in in terms of the dress code. (The biochemical lab was much more lax).

MY ANSWER
But speaking from my experience as a technician turned laboratory engineer turned project/process engineer, here are my lab/office wardrobe staples.

What do Female Engineers Wear? by maria-zimmerman featuring anchor jewelry

Pants
I can not get away with wearing skirts, shorts, or dresses at work. Some days are entirely office days, but I never know when I have to crawl in or around a chamber to make a last minute repair. Its a shame, but really, pants are the most functional option. As an engineer, I value practicality above all else.

- Khaki Pants
The men in my office LOVE khaki Pants. They are a step up from jeans without sacrificing comfort. Its too bad that womens pants don't take advantage of the anti wrinkle technology so prevalent in mens clothing.

- A nice pair of jeans.
I work at a small company so I can get away with wearing jeans at work. I understand that this is not the case at most engineering facilities. I have a pair of Lucky Jeans that I wear 2/5 days a week.

- Wide Leg Jeans
I have a pair of wide leg jeans that don't look like denim material. They are a bit dressier than my normal jeans and its nice having a more retro shape to break up my skinny jeans and close cut khaki silhouette every other day of the week.

Tops
- Silk blouses
Silk is a magical fabric. It feels awesome against my skin. Its light and airy so its perfect on days where I have to layer on a lab coat. Its a fabric only fussy when you have to wash it. I own so many silk shirts that I have a dedicated hand wash pile. I am partial to Daniel Rainn brand blouses

- Polo Shirts
Polo shirts are hard to pull off for me. I am busty and polo shirts are not so forgiving of this fact. They are the uniform of choice at my office and easy to wear on repair days, so I have found a precious few that fit nicely. I am thinking about getting them tailored so to they fall nicely in the front.

- Cotton Button Up Shirts
Button up tops look very professional and quite flattering with the right bra. I have a few of perfectly fitting button up tops but I find that I do not wear them as often as I like. They can be constricting around the shoulders, which is especially annoying when working on fine dexterity tasks. Also, my buttons always pop off.

- Cotton Plaid shirts
Plaid may be too casual for most, but I think its a perfect fabric and print for a male dominated office. Plaid is the only printed top I have for work, actually. It is breathable, good looking, and comfortable for a long work day.

Shoes
- Oxfords/Brogues
I am unable to wear heels or anything that shows my toes at work. I frequently have to lift heavy things while going up and down steps, and having my squashables out in the open are a no-no. I like oxfords because they are comfortable, have a low heel, cover my toes, and still look professional in an office setting. I am particular to Earthies Treviso Wingtip Oxfords

Accessories
- Leather Briefcase
I shopped at the Coach Mens Collection for mine. On days when I really have to carry alot, I use a Coach Diaper Bag.

- Leather Belt
I think a belt can class up an outfit. My stylish male coworkers have the type of belts that are black one side and brown on the other. That kind of economy doesn't exist for women's clothing. Regardless, I found my belt the single most common thing I wear to work.

- Metal Watch
I own an Omega Constellation that I have been wearing for 13 years. Its a nice watch, a dress watch if you will. Since I am not the type of person that saves my nice things for the perfect occasion, I have worn this watch to hell and back. I wore this watch while scrubbing Chromium Oxide off of vacuum sources. It still has the original face despite the fact that I have accidentally rubbed it against abrasive hardware. I love the fact that the watch will last me forever.

- Stud Earrings
Dangly earrings won't cut it. Not only does it seem a little too feminine for my style aesthetics, but they pose a real danger around moving equipment. Also, dangly earrings look a bit silly when tucked into a hair cap. The spike earrings have a little bit of attitude and make me feel a little bit more stylish for the everyday.

- Thick Rimmed Black glasses.
I have to wear glasses for about 25% of my tasks (to include driving). These thick glasses are reminisent to the 1950's era nasa engineers that I glamorize. I got lucky that Zooey Deschanel made these cute again

Since working as an engineer my style has gotten pretty masculine. I favor unfussy practical clothing in my off time as well. I am not sure if that has to do with a change in mindset since becoming a working engineer, or if its a more direct influence of interacting socially with an order of magnitude more men.

That is my 2 cents. What do you wear to work? Are you in a male dominated field? Has working with men changed your style perspective?