Navigating a new dress code

I touched on some new job jitters, but I'm starting to get settled a few weeks into the gig. Though I'm in roughly the same industry as I was back in California, I have noticed some notable changes in the dress. The differences are due in part to company culture/environment and in part due to the different sartorial sensibilities of Miamians (vs. Sacramentans).

My observations so far:

In
Dresses – A popular choice around the office and a good go-to option. Hemlines are also a little more relaxed here.

Walking-friendly shoes – It's a big campus, and I learned quickly to wear comfortable shoes. Those blisters from week one are still fading.

Color – A Miami thing, perhaps? There was a lot more black and gray in Sacramento.


Out
Suits – A rarity in our office, even for VPs. I wore one for the interview and again last week (for a photoshoot), and totally looked out of place.

Jeans – We have casual Fridays, but folks rarely wear jeans. I need to get some non-jean casual pants (do these black skinnies work?).

I've spent most of this first month erring on the conservative side, and it still remains to be seen if and how my old work style will change. Some of it is just personal preference. My wont for a crisp button-up isn't echoed much in my office, but reflects my personal style, so that's something I'll likely keep. 

How much do you change your work style from one office environment to another? What regional/industry differences have you noticed?

One year ago today...

One year ago today, this is what I set my foot into for the first time: our apartment in Miami. We had just come off a 17-day road trip across the country and were finally setting eyes on the place we leased sight unseen, after hunting down banks and FedEx offices in Reno, Nevada. It would be 29 days before any of our furniture arrived, and in that first month without most of our belongings we celebrated our four-year anniversary, K started his new job, and I settled into my one-year freelance experiment.

In our first year we finally bought some real furniture (couches and a dresser to replace hand-me-down futons and rolling plastic drawers), found a group of insta-friends (magnetic happy feelings and all), and scouted out all the best cheap places to park on Miami Beach. Though K has yet to adjust to Miami summers, I am happy as a clam in this climate; in fact, I'm convinced I was made to live in Miami, and am happy to be rid of winter.

Miami feels comfortable. California is comfortable, too, but Miami is no longer a wild card. For the first time in my adult life, a move has not come with an expiration date (graduation). For all I know, this is where we'll grow old and raise children, and though that realization is totally foreign to me, it's not an unpleasant thought.

So here's to Miami, and any place you've adopted as your home. I'm ready to shed my newbie status and embrace being a local.