Wearing a uniform doesn’t demand that you sacrifice or abandon good style. Not only do you not have to sacrifice it, but you should be embracing it more than ever! Boasting flattering shapes and styles, never-ending color and pattern options, unique ways to accessorize and simple ways to amplify, your scrubs can be a symbol of your profession as much as they become a symbol of your style.
Finding and wearing the best pair of scrubs for your body and style is important for a lot of reasons, but if for no other reason, it’s important to remember that when you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you do good. So where’s a good place to start?
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9 Style Hacks to Look Good in Scrubs
Make Sure You’re Wearing the Right Size
It’s easy for a nurse to be wearing scrubs in the wrong size and not even know it. Yes, your scrubs should be comfortable — but they shouldn’t be baggy or look big and cozy enough to be pajamas. They also shouldn’t be as fitted as the tight weekend clothes in your closet. When you find this balance and slip into a well-fitting scrubs uniform, you’ll feel it — and if you feel it, you’ll almost always look it, too!
Create a Shape/Silhouette
Even though there aren’t unlimited styles of scrubs, there is a style perfect for every body shape. It’s easy to find unisex scrubs, scrubs for women and scrubs for men that are universally flattering across the board. If you’re having a hard time creating the silhouette you envision, though, consider trying different styles of scrub tops and bottoms to help.
- Enhancing an Hourglass Figure: Look for scrubs that follow your natural curves, without being overly tight. Consider modern fit scrubs that offer more stretch, scoop necks and darting in the tops and a low rise in your bottoms.
- Enhancing an Apple-Shaped Figure: In order to elongate your legs and create the balance you’re probably after, embrace v-neck scrub tops with features like chest pockets and side panels and skinnier styles of scrub pants.
- Enhancing a Triangle-Shaped Figure: Look to scrub tops that broaden your shoulders in order to create balance. If you’re looking to amplify this even further, consider utilizing subtle details like chest pockets and collars.
- Enhancing an Inverted Triangle-Shaped Figure: Aim for mock-wrap scrub tops and v-shaped necklines for your tops, and combine them with a skinnier style of scrub bottoms for the balance you likely desire.
- Enhancing an Athletic Figure: With sharper curves and a generally slimmer build, athletic figures are versatile, but should consider cargo and jogger-style scrub bottoms and details like zippers, collars and layers in their outfits.
Read: How Much Do Scrub Nurses Make?
Pick Appropriate Fabrics
Choosing and wearing the proper fabrics is important for a lot of reasons — and one of them is style! You’ll want to embrace the fabrics best suited to your role and environment, but when it comes to looking good, consider that cotton hangs nicely on the body, and when blended with fabrics like polyester, it will retain its shape and color well, resist stains and won’t pose much threat of wrinkles. Spandex polyester blends are also popular for these reasons, though they offer a silkier look and feel. The fabric you want will depend on the look you want, but ultimately, these retention and resistance characteristics are the key when you’re trying to achieve a professional appearance.
Choose Flattering Colors
Choosing flattering colors for your skin tone and complementary colors between pieces are both important when you aspire to look your best. A simple way to figure out what colors work best with your complexion is to try holding pieces against your face. If the color you’ve chosen brings out a bright, glowing tone in your skin, you can bet it’s a good one for you! Once you’ve found your best colors, it will be time to try combining them in new ways. Whether it be navy blue pants with a light blue top or pink pants with a pink and yellow patterned top, there are no wrong answers. For maximum effect, though, do consider balancing tricks like keeping your darker color on the bottom and combining a patterned piece with a solid color.
Play with Patterns
Most scrub uniforms come in a set or pairing, but even if you’re only after one piece, buying full sets will leave you with a versatile work wardrobe of patterned and colored pieces that you can easily mix and match as individuals. Having a closet color palette is always a good idea, too, as it will help to ensure that even when separated, all of the sets you’ve purchased will match up effortlessly!
Read: Advanced Practice Career Options for Nurses
Invest in Good Feeling and Looking Footwear
As a medical professional, you can guarantee long shifts on your feet, which is why quality shoes are essential. But as a medical professional who aims to look as good as they move, style is as essential as quality. Luckily, finding functional and fashionable nursing shoes for women and men in this position doesn’t have to be complicated.
Add Accessories
Accessories are often overlooked or disregarded by healthcare professionals, thanks to the rules surrounding them and seemingly limiting options, but there’s a lot of worthwhile ways to accessorize as a nurse or professional — and even unique accessories made specifically for these roles! Watches, small stud earrings, hair accessories, lanyards and badge reels are all feasible, highly functional and incredibly fashionable options.
Read: Applying for a Job as a Registered Nurse
Tie It All Together with Neatly Tied Back Hair
With limited makeup and body mods, your hair is likely going to be the best way for you to accentuate and emphasize your face and smile. Along with this, patients prefer nurses who are willing to put time and effort toward improving their appearance, and your hair is likely going to have a major impact on their perception of this! So keep it clean, pay it some attention (and spare yourself some frustration) by tying it back and use it wisely.
Wear Them with a Smile
Fashion is all about having fun and feeling good, which are two things that shouldn’t be overly complicated. If quirky patterns and bold colors are fun for you, then embrace them! If certain cuts and styles make you feel good, then go for them! With the right style hacks and a good attitude to carry them, there are almost no wrong answers.
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