Twitter may be besieged with controversies over inaccurate news, hate speech and harassment, but its Manhattan offices on West 17th Street are a study in sunny civility.
On a recent Thursday, the 400 so-called tweeps who work there were dining on Indian food in the bright cafeteria, with its Big Buck Hunter arcade game and Ping-Pong table. Others were pecking away on their sticker-covered laptops. And with the average age hovering around 30, there seems to be less and less separating street clothes from office wear.
Evan RomeroCreditNathan Bajar for The New York Times
Evan Romero
Age: 30
Occupation: lead partner manager
How do you dress for work?
I have influences from the different places I’ve lived: born and raised in Miami; went out to San Francisco for five years; then New York.
You don’t look so much Miami.
I have the black V-neck below the sweatshirt. Also I’d say my Air Force 1’s are Miami. Though they’re also a bit New York. Black. Like the jeans.
What about the sweatshirt?
The sweatshirt is comfort. It’s a hoodie from Outdoor Voices. I could wear it after work, at work.
With an Apple Watch.
Honestly, I have a watch my father gave me, a Breitling, which I love. But I’ve been using my Apple Watch for the fitness aspect.
You look fit.
I’m able to track my family and see how they’re doing. We get competitive.
Holyn Kanake
Age: 24
Occupation: strategy and operations associate
Those sleeves! Are you about to fly away?
Literally. I’m a huge fan of an all-black look. There’s so much you can do with it. And this has a lot of personality and is sheer and very witchy.
What draws you to witchy things?
Alexander McQueen loved to design for very powerful women, who can be seen as bold or dangerous. And that defines a lot of the things that attract me. But I’m not a witch.
Tell me about your black jeans.
I’m not actually a huge jean fan. I don’t own that many. But you need a pair of black jeans. It can be the foundation of a great outfit. Like the way you need a little black dress.
What’s the attraction to an all-black outfit?
Monochrome you can either do very well or it can be very boring. To be able to communicate your identity through a black palette is pretty incredible.
Joanna Geary
Age: 38
Occupation: director of curation
Tell me about your hair color.
I like the idea that if you’re going to have to be a grown-up, making grown-up decisions, you can also have some fun with things like bright pink hair.
Vintage belt?
Vintage. I have a mild obsession with ouroboros — the snake is eating itself but also birthing itself. The idea of self-criticism and self-improvement.
You’re wearing a lot of black.
I wear a lot of black. Always. I used to wear a lot of color. As the hair got brighter, the clothes got darker.
Has your style changed since you began dressing maternity?
I’ve been trying really hard to make sure it hasn’t. I’m lucky that many of my clothes have the benefit of Lycra.
EJ Samson
Age: 37
Occupation: content strategy lead
So many stickers on your laptop.
When I got here, I noticed a lot of tweeps like to trick out their laptops.
Excuse me, did you say “tweeps”?
Yes. That’s what we call Twitter employees.
Your T-shirt is what I would call “high visibility.”
The T-shirt and pants are both Polo, a nod to my previous job at Ralph Lauren. The pants I love because they’re kind of absurd.
I don’t think they’re absurd. Wide-leg pants are very much in style.
For me, they’re pleated, they’re baggy, and they’re not hemmed, so it’s everything guys were told not to do to their pants. Hopefully it’s so wrong that it’s right.
You’re wearing beaded bracelets like you’re at summer camp.
This spike is Giles and Brother. I got it for my partner on our 10th anniversary. But I just did that as a ploy. I wear it more than he does.
Xiomara Davila
Age: 28
Occupation: account manager
I like your overalls.
Jeans are so stiff. I got this at a thrift shop in Cranford, New Jersey.
Aren’t you worried, with a sweater under your overalls, that you’ll overheat?
I’m hot right now.
Your earring goes the length of your ear.
It’s actually not an extra piercing or anything, it’s just a hook to the top of my ear.
Clearly Twitter is a tattoo-friendly office.
This is the Millennium Falcon. One of my cousins passed away two years ago, and he was the biggest Star Wars nerd I can think of. When he passed, my whole family got different Star Wars tattoos.
That’s a lovely story. May the force be with you.
You too.
Stewart Cornelius
Age: 32
Occupation: agency development lead
Strong bracelet game.
I got the black one from Curated Basics, at Artists and Fleas on 10th Avenue. My parents are from West Africa, so I’m into leathers and this bracelet is an homage to my mom, with the coordinates of where we buried her.
That’s really sweet. Your ring is huge.
I went to Morehouse College. I’m really proud that I’m the second person in my family to go to a four-year college.
Comme des Garçons T-shirt, but with a cardigan.
It’s a little New Age-y, but also it gets a little cold in the office. I like Comme des’ aesthetic. It’s a little creepy and a little fun. I don’t wear a lot of colors so I really have to experiment with patterns.
Who makes your watch?
Mondaine. This is not super-expensive. Understated. I’m a big watch person, because of my grandfather. He liked the complication of it and the statement. My mom always wore watches. I can’t leave the house without a watch on my wrist. I feel lost. I’m a prisoner of time.
Daney Rivera
Age: 27
Occupation: I.T. support engineer
Are you one of those mean I.T. people?
I try to make it as welcoming as possible. I try not to be a jerk.
Are those gauges in your ear?
I used to have way bigger gauges. They got really gross and smelly, but I’ve slimmed them down.
Why clear glasses?
To be totally honest, a year had gone by and I hadn’t used my insurance. I got $200 off, so I went crazy. They’re Nike.
Like everyone else here, you’re wearing black jeans.
Every day. They’re slimming. In fact, I just donated the rest of my blue jeans.
The shoes. You’re basically a Nike commercial.
I wear Adidas, too. I got these for myself for my birthday. They’re custom Air Max. They say “Game Over” on the back. I’m a super-gamer.
Mike Park
Age: 42
Occupation: Vice president of publisher products
You’re in shades of gray.
I’m graying, I have a very gray beard, and my wife wears gray and we dress our son in gray. I don’t know why.
You sound like the world’s most depressing family.
It’s just happened. We’ve just adopted gray as our color.
How do you decide what to wear each morning?
I have two pairs of jeans: black and gray. And then always a button-down, where you can actually button down the collar.
Where is the shirt from?
Uniqlo. It’s a little bit baggier than I prefer, but it’s comfortable.
You mentioned that your doctor made you wear those shoes.
I had a stress fracture. The doctor literally just wrote down the name of a shoe: Hoka One One Bondi 6. He said, “Wear this for six weeks and you’ll get better.” They looked like Yeezys or something.
