The old rules of dressing for work are entirely out the window. This is both good and bad. Good, because that means you’ve never had more opportunities to flex your personal style at the office. Bad, because it also means you’ve never had more opportunities to completely screw it up. Tricky right! no need to worry we are here to sort that for you.
Here’s how to get dressed for every kind of modern office, whether you’re working in a creative loft, a corporate tower, or somewhere in between.
THE CREATIVE OFFICE/SPACE
Let’s be clear, here: The fact that the strictures of office style have shifted doesn’t mean they’ve disappeared entirely. For the sake of your job—and your self-respect—you should still be dressing to send the right impression. But now everything depends on context. What kind of office is it? How do your coworkers (and boss) dress?
THE MOSTLY BUSINESS OR CASUAL OFFICE
You could also call this office, “The Office Where Guys Haven’t Entirely Forgotten That Blazers Exist.” It’s not quite a full suit-and-tie gig, but you might have client meetings or need to impress the boss with a bit of tailoring from time to time. The key is to balance the buttoned-up pieces (say, a double-breasted navy jacket and mid-gray trousers) with elements that don’t feel so fussy. A striped crewneck sweater adds a little extra visual interest, and crisp white sneakers will work for pretty much every day you don’t need proper oxfords.
THE SUITED-UP OFFICE
We tend to think of suit-and-tie corporate offices literally—as in, you need an actual necktie all the time. But if you play your cards right, you can save the accessorizing for big occasions and take it easy when you’re not taking meetings. That trim knitted polo from the business casual repertoire? Throw a perfectly tailored navy suit over it. Grab a slick-but-not-too-slick soft-sided leather briefcase, and pull on a pair of polished dress boots. Good to go.
THE HOME OFFICE (AKA YOUR COUCH)
When you’re working from your actual couch, you likely aren’t trying to impress anyone with your outfit. But you should still, you know, put on pants. And a shirt. And all the better if the shirt is one that might actually impress someone who might be doing a business zoom video call with you, you do not want to appear like a hot mess.
There will come a time when you are called upon to show up to a meeting, a lunch, or drinks looking more polished and professional than normal. Inevitably, that’ll be the day you skipped a sport coat or blazer because you had nothing big on the agenda—at least initially. Here’s the hack: Keep an easy-to-wear blazer on hand at all times. Make it navy, or gray, or maybe even black. This is your Oh-Shit Blazer.
Throw it on over your current outfit, because even a simple tee will look 97 percent more formal when it’s topped with a proper jacket. Now, go forth and impress.
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