Ready to Roll

The cotton khaki blazer is essential. It covers up tattooed arms if needed but is also light enough that you won’t be sweltering in the field. Plus, you get all those pockets, without the indignity of wearing a vest. No one should wear a vest. A vest is terribly undignified. Photo: Mike Bruce/GuardianWitness

Blending in

In Bangladesh, the kameez with a salwar and scarf is one of the most comfortable outfits, especially when the weather is very hot. This traditional outfit is easy to carry and easy to work in. Photo: Foyez Tasmia/GuardianWitness

The problem of shoes

Working in Asia means getting used to wearing slippers every day in the field. It’s customary to remove your shoes when visiting houses, temples, or when going to your own field office, so laced shoes aren’t an option. Photo: Dwight Jason Ronan/GuardianWitness

Many pockets make light work

My approach to fashion is: find the optimum solution and then check if you like it. In my case, this means NGO visibility and trousers with pockets (for your mobile phone, radio, small notebook, pens, cigarettes and lighter, ID card, money, sun/prescription glasses, keys, phone charger, snacks). They must be clothes you can wash easily and that respect the local culture. Photo: Francesco Guiducci/GuardianWitness

Embassy protocol

I was wearing nice slacks and sandals for my visit to the embassy but was turned away. Closed-toe shoes and a long skirt were the order of the day. This outfit was all I had in the truck. Not what I call embassy-appropriate but the security guard let me in. Photo: Angela Boss/GuardianWitness

Business casual

My years-old worn-in Abercrombie and Fitch hoodie served me well day and night in Nyahururu, Kenya, while my media communications teaching partner from Dakar swears by the light cotton comfort of his Senegalese Dashiki. Photo: Josh LaPorte/GuardianWitness

Western style

While on mission, I am not on safari or on a promotional tour for my organisation (so I refuse the sleeveless vest with the big logo). I prefer clothing that is practical and elegant at the same time. My dress here has been dyed in the traditional Bogolan technique. I love the mixture of tradition and modernity. Photo: Elisa Forg/GuardianWitness

Jane Goodall meets Angelina Jolie

Every aid worker needs a pair of gumboots you can run through the swamp in, just in time to make the evacuation helicopter. Photo: ID516313/GuardianWitness

Bow ties at the ready

While working in Dakar during the Ebola epidemic, I was meeting people from the private sector, banks, and senior government folks. They were in full suits and ties all the time, so I had to up my game. A seersucker is just right for the climate and meant I could wear a jacket and not die of heatstroke. The bow tie rolls up small and can be tied in a pinch if the president shows up unexpectedly. Photo: Emerson Tan/GuardianWitness

Giddy up cowboy

Cowboy boots are as essential in the field as granola bars and hand sanitiser. Mud, muck, and the ubiquitous animal dung cease to be obstacles. Let’s face it, field or not, aid workers dress terribly. It’s time to up your game. Being a humanitarian doesn’t mean you have to be dowdy. You need not necessarily sacrifice taste. Photo: Mike Bruce/GuardianWitness