A week in work outfits with HoMie’s Head of Impact, Ellen Jacobsen

“I feel naked without a handful of rings.”

Working in a creative role, it can be difficult to know how to dress for the day. Instead of having a set uniform of crisp white shirts and tailored black pants (as much as I love both), an ever-changing schedule means every morning requires a set of questions. Am I running around, or just sitting at my desk? Do I need to dress specifically for a project? And most importantly, will I be in the background of someone’s TikTok?

This week, Ellen Jacobsen, HoMie‘s Head of Impact, takes us through her week in work outfits. Working for the thriving Melbourne-based clothing label and social enterprise, Ellen’s work week can see her in the warehouse, attending an important meeting and working closely with the young people HoMie supports, among a variety of other things.

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Her style is memorable in all the right ways; funnily enough, years ago Ellen used to catch the same bus as me (this was before I met her in person through my job at FJ) and each time the bus pulled up at her stop, I was always taken with her grungy, oversized and expertly layered outfits. She has a look that’s all her own and the more you look at her outfits, the more you’ll notice details you might have missed the first time around. Below, she shares a week of her work outfits.

Monday

Our HoMie office is in a big old warehouse in Collingwood, so it gets COLD! The star of the show here is a basketball vest by my friend’s brand Smile and Wave. As Sam says on her website, she’s “proud to say this label is a female POC-run fashion label from Narrm, Australia.” Support the local girlies! I’ve layered the basketball vest over a HoMie staple hoodie and paired [it] with some Carhartt jeans I stole from HoMie Co-Founder Marcus. I don’t really subscribe to ‘less is more’ so I chucked on a diamante denim cap that a friend picked up for me from a service station.

Tuesday

I feel super lucky to be able to dress for comfort at work. This is HoMie’s first ever knit we released this winter and it sold out so quickly! It’s so soft and cosy, it feels like a big blanket. The pants are Tommy Hilfiger from Swop and I’ve been thrashing them. The shoes are your classic Doc Mary Jane that I pretty much wear every day and never get sick of. No day looks the same at HoMie and I’m always running around, so comfy is key!

Wednesday

This is about as corporate adjacent as it gets for me. I had a big meeting today so I chucked on a men’s oversized button-up shirt from the op shop and layered a Reborn vest over the top. The vest is made from repurposed long-sleeved HoMie T-shirts that we couldn’t sell. I love the ruffles and interesting shapes; our design team is so talented. [I’m wearing] vintage baggy nylon pants (again from Swop) and incredible statement pearl earrings from local jeweller Sacreflux who makes the most beautiful jewellery. I feel naked without a handful of rings and love to wear all my fancy jewellery as much as I can, especially with casual outfits.

Thursday

Running a social enterprise is busy, which means I do my hair once a week (if lucky) and the other days I just chuck on a hat – this one is Reborn. If I’m not wearing HoMie I’m in a local brand or vintage, and today’s hoodie is the Cocoon hoodie from Die Horny [a label that’s] focused on zero waste. You can’t quite see it here, but it features a ruched textured hood and back embroidery. It’s a special piece and always gets a lot of comments. [My] boots [are] from Vintage Sole and kilt [is] from a country op shop in Taree where I grew up.

Friday

My role as Head of Impact at HoMie means I work closely with the young people we support. It’s so fun to work in a youth-focused space where everyone can show up as themselves and pull a look. This long sleeve is a HoMie throwback, [it’s] about six years old. As part of the founding team I’ve been working on HoMie for about eight years now, so I love to bring out some of the older designs and reminisce about how much we’ve grown over the years. I love a band tee so I’ve worn this HoMie long sleeve to death. The pinstripe skirt is from Goodbyes and the lace slip is stolen from my mum’s nighty stash.

You can keep up with HoMie here.