I tried dressing up while working from home for a week, and I'd rather live in leggings

My office has a casual dress code, so I often wore jeans when I was going in every day. I also put on makeup, something I haven't done much since I've been staying home.

As I walked to the kitchen to make my morning cup of tea, I felt a little more energized. Putting on actual shoes made me feel like I was ready to start walking to the subway.

My roommate also took notice of my outfit.

"Oh! You're dressed," she said. Success.

Sitting at my desk on Tuesday, I longed to change into something more comfortable, but powered through. The benefit of feeling professional was definitely offset by the knowledge of cozier clothes just a few steps away in my dresser.

I also attended a virtual meeting with my team, where the top half of my outfit was barely visible and the bottom half wasn't in the frame at all. This made me further question if getting dressed up for remote work was really worth it.

When I worked in an office, I attended the building's lunchtime yoga class offerings twice a week. A physical therapist recommended regular yoga to help with pain I'd been experiencing, plus the mental break made me feel more focused when I returned to my desk. I used to keep workout clothes in my filing cabinet to change into for the class, then change back into office attire afterwards.

The building's yoga classes have now gone virtual, so I've tried to keep up this routine during lockdown. As an added bonus, I'd been wearing leggings and T-shirts all day anyway, so I didn't have to change into workout gear.

Wearing regular clothes for this experiment meant I had to take extra time before the class to switch outfits. It felt like I was just creating more laundry.

I've been looking for items of clothing that are as comfortable as leggings but feel professional. I ordered these linen pants from Target and decided to give them a try.

The verdict: I really enjoyed working in them. As much as I love jeans, these loose pants were much less constricting while still looking office-ready.

Fashion expert Clinton Kelly writes in "Oh No She Didn't: The Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them" that shoes always set the tone of an outfit. My sweater and loose jeans were more on the casual side, but more formal shoes helped elevate the whole look. I instantly felt a little fancier. This was also one of my most productive days of the week. Coincidence?

I have no problem walking around in loungewear, but I did enjoy walking down the street in an outfit I'd put a little more thought into.

I usually dress up every Friday night and Saturday to attend religious services for Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. My synagogue hasn't met for months now, but wearing nicer clothes helps me still feel connected to the practice. I figured I'd wear something formal earlier in the day to round out my week of professional attire.

"Wow, you're really dressed today," my roommate said.

There were a few advantages to dressing up for work that I enjoyed. I felt a glimmer of my old routine when I put on office attire, and felt more put together on walks outside. However, my outfits weren't visible over video chat, and changing in and out of exercise clothes was a bit of a hassle. I might still wear work clothes from time to time, but I'm definitely ready to live in leggings again.

• Read more:
• Here's how I'm making the most of my Rent the Runway subscription while I work from home
• I've finally started taking a lunch break, and it's the best habit I'm going to keep when the office reopens
• How to work out during a self-quarantine, from free yoga classes to Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodyweight routine
• Working from home is harder than it looks — here are 13 ways to keep yourself sane if you work remotely