Most people don’t imagine a doctor’s office as a place of high fashion, yet the past few years have seen many parts of healthcare professionals’ uniforms crossover into the fashion limelight. Doctors and nurses are on their feet all day, and need clothing that is comfortable, clean and easy to wear. While their outfits might not be traditionally stylish, it is this benefit of ease that has won so many over to their camp.
So what items that can be called ‘medical’ style inspirations and why are they catching on? Here is our rundown of some of the fashion trends that the medical profession has inspired and why they’re great for ordinary people too!
1. Crocs
Love them or hate them, Crocs are some of the comfiest shoes that money can buy and it is no wonder that it was nurses who first lauded the no-fuss clogs. During long shifts of standing, walking and running, the comfy clog was simply the best choice for healthcare professionals (even though many got into trouble for wearing open-top styles). Crocs wears took pride in the fact that their shoes are a bit ugly, but still opt for them again and again because of how they feel to wear.
Crocs may have fallen out of the public eye, but they’re still cheap and cheerful shoes for you to wear whether you’re trudging across a hospital or trudging across campus. Now that the trend has died down, it’s an excellent time to pick up a bargain pair.
2. Scrubs
Scrubs mightn’t seem like an obvious fashion choice, yet there are many people who opt to wear nurse or surgical scrubs as lounge or sleepwear. The best part about scrubs is that they’re not all just typical ‘surgical greens’ – many of them are patterned, pretty and great fashion looks for lounging around your house on a Sunday.
The most famous adherents to scrubs outside of hospitals are backpackers, who often love the easy-to-clean and lightweight clothing simply because it’s great for both carrying and walking around in. Scrub pants in particular are very popular with travelers due to their loose fit. So next time you’re going on holiday, remember you don’t need to be a traveling nurse or doctor to throw on a pair of scrubs as you travel.
3. Bright whites
In the days of old, doctors and nurses worse bright whites like the classic doctors coat and ensure that they looked ultra-clean and any dirt was easy to spot. While white was abandoned in surgeries due to the glare hurting surgeons eyes, it’s a trend that was clicked up where doctors left it. Bright whites have become a staple of both our summer and winter wear for precisely the same reason: it looks clean and crisp. While white dresses and coats have an old-time medical look, they’re still a modern fashion choice in our wardrobes.
All in all, fashion inspiration can be taken from anywhere and anyone – including people whose jobs are inspirational in different kinds of ways. Next time you’re unlucky enough to have a trip to the doctor or hospital, take a quick look around and see if there’s a trend waiting to be discovered.
This is a guest post by Kate Simmons. An occasional guest poster on vintage dresses and full time fashionista. Kate currently represents Travel Nurse across America, a great resource to find out more information about travel nursing.
