To be annoyed about needing work clothes

No need for any more clothes just rotate through what you have.

You could have reasonable variety with two sets of bottoms, either trousers or skirts, and four tops. Pick fairly unmemorable bottoms, plain neutral colours with more colourful tops that go with both bottoms.

So for example

Week 1 - Day 1 - Black trousers with Top A. Day 2 - Grey trousers with Top B.

Week 2 - Day 1 - Black trousers with Top C. Day 2 - Grey trousers with Top D.

Week 3 - Day 1 - Black trousers with Top B. Day 2 - Grey trousers with Top A

Week 4 - Day 1 - Black trousers with Top D. Day 2 - Grey trousers with Top C.

That's four weeks without repeating an outfit. You probably have more than this that you can use in your wardrobe already.

I am in the office 5 days week, with minimal opportunity to work from home. I am senior leadership, and very visible, so I am expected to look smart. Between Vinted and Hobbs, I cope!

You don’t need to buy new clothes. You can buy from Vinted.

I think this is relative. If you have a capsule wardrobe that you can mix and match then what you have is plenty for 2 days a week in the office.

I love clothes and given I don't like to go out much (bit of a homebody), then going to work or work related events is the only time I get to dress up a bit and be complimented, so what you have wouldn't always be enough for me.

But I do go through phases of rotating the same few trousers and tops as well.

Don't be bloody ridiculous OP. No-one has to buy new clothes every week!

With a couple of dresses, skirts, trousers and various tops you just mix them up. I don't see why your work wardrobe should cost more than a couple of hundred quid a year, and probably a lot less than that.

Just wear what you have - it sounds like plenty

I used to wear the same black trousers every day with a few tops that I rotated

When you took the job was it all home based?

You seem to have sufficient clothing to address your work needs already.

Haha.

You can't be annoyed you have to look presentable at work one extra day a week.

If you really don't want to spend any money, wash the outfit overnight.

I'm sure you can stretch to a second top though - just wear the same two outfits every week if you must.

men will show up to work in the same pants and shirt over and over and no one will bat an eye. Women can and should do the same.

if You work 2 days a week, you need 2 outfits. Possibly more to adjust for weather.

@Limonjelly if you've got a few of each item, and you're still only going in 2 days, why do you need more clothes? You've got more outfits than the number of days...

Loads of stuff on vinted is perfect for work, you'd get an outfit for less than £10.
But really you're making a fuss about nothing, if you've got a couple of decent outfits - does it really matter if you were them on repeat?!

I suspect the real issue is that you're pissed off you're having to give up wfh twice a week!!

Presumably you don’t have a home working contact and the truth is that you’ve been allowed to stay at home instead of attend the office daily for the last few years. Annoying yes, but I don’t see you can claim to be forced to do it.

What you have already sounds more than enough. Add a few accessories if you want the outfits to look a bit different.

But it sounds like you've got st least 4 or 6 weeks worth of different combinations?
I show my face at work 2/3 times a week - I have one pair of very good trousers and several blouses/sweaters/cardis/camisoles put aside for work. There are other second-choice trousers for an emergency. One pair of good shoes for winter, one for summer.
If there's an important meeting then I have a couple of blazers I put to use.
I always have a good work bag.

3 pairs of trousers, 3 jackets, 4 tops, 2 dresses - four days a week. No problem. I basically wear the same outfit once each fortnight. It’s fine, and I’m not spending what I don’t need to spend.

Why isn't 2 pairs of trousers and a few tops enough for 2 days a week?

Presumably you used to go in 5 days a week? Has your contract changed since preCovid times?

You don't need huge amounts of clothes if it's only two days though.
A good suit, two or three decent blouses/tops, maybe a dress if you like those, decent shoes/boots, a back up smart trouser/skirt/jacket for when your main suit is getting cleaned, tights/socks (depending on if trousers or skirt).
You can pick up lots of good office wear second hand these days.
Surely when you got an office job you realised that, at some point, you'd be expected to go into the office?

If they are as neutral as possible nobody will ever notice them standing out enough to realise you wear them on a loop. Perhaps just change up the colour of a top here and there?

I wear same skirt different tops. Next week same tops with trousers.
Capsule wardrobe of one pair of trousers, one skirt, two tops. But also everyone just wears jeans and jumpers to my office now (law) unless they have client meetings. I don't. I treat my skirts and tops like a uniform.

I wear the same stuff on repeat. No one cares.

Why do you need to buy new clothes? It sounds like you have enough to have a few week rotation and no-one else will care what you wear if it fits in. With 2pairs of trousers and a few dresses you might want some more tops to fit different seasons, stay to to date but that would be all. (And that is want not need).

Sounds like you have enough to me.
As long as you are smart nobody gives a shit what you wear - honestly. In my lifetime of working in offices I can hand on heart say I can't recall a coworker outfit. Not one. I certainly can't recall if someone wore the same shirt weekly.

I do two days in the office and it sounds like you have just as many work clothes as me. Our place is smart/casual but admittedly some people are a lot more casual since 2020. I pretty much just alternative two pairs of trousers with different tops per week, then throw in a dress from time to time. Also now sometimes wear a tshirt with a blazer or a smarter jumper with smarter trousers to change things up.

You sound like you have plenty of clothes to see you through unless you work in fashion or similar.

Men wear the same suits with different shirts there's no reason you can't do similar, or but clothes that can function for work and home.

I feel a bit like this too. I also feel like since covid, the rules around what people wear for work have changed I just don’t know what to wear any more, especially on my feet. Wore black jeans, smart trainers, black polo and wool coat one day last week, that didn’t seem quite right, wore a dress, tights and heeled ankle boots the other day and that felt pretty dated.