To be annoyed about needing work clothes

[Limonjelly]

We're being forced to go back to the office 2 days a week now (have been going 1 day a week for the past year but apparently that's not enough now). Apart from the time, cost and pointlessness of travelling to the office to sit at a desk for 8 hours, the thing that really annoys me about this is clothing.

I've barely bought any new clothes since lockdown and have saved so much money. It saves me time on deciding what to wear. It's better for the environment too. But people in my 'professional' London office tend to dress quite smart casual and I'll need to wear 2 different work outfits every week now. I don't want to, and can't afford to keep spending money on new clothes. I have 2 pairs of work trousers and a few tops/jumpers that I alternate. And a couple of dresses.

How many outfits do you have for work? How often do you wear the same thing?

Does it matter if you wear the same thing every week?

One outfit for Monday one for Tuesday. Sorted.

I don't wear smart clothes for work so I don't have this dilemma but I feel your frustration.

I don't think you need to buy any new clothes, it looks like you have plenty - just keep wearing what you already have.

You really don’t need to keep buying new clothes. Some mix and match separates and a couple of dresses should be fine.

Just wear the same clothes. As long as they are office worthy and clean it doesn't matter.

A suit of some sort and 2 blouses. Sorted.

What u have sounds plenty

When I had this, I had 1 outfit - 5 shirts (identical) and 2 pairs of trousers (identical) and one jacket. No-one cared.

My youngest has just announced that he 'wants to be like spongebob' - I'm to buy him a multi pack of black t-shirts, and he'll wear the same style of joggers to school every day (we already have the trousers), so he doesn't ever have to think about what he's wearing.

Just wear the same clothes each week, honestly no-one will notice - sounds like you have plenty already. As long as they are clean and suitable. Charity shops seem to have a lot of nice tops etc, if you do want a bit more choice. We were travelling and went to work in Australia for a few months, I did temp work and had to buy some office clothes, I bought exactly 5 outfits and wore them every week for months. No one cared.

Same skirt both days, different top.
Same trousers both days, different top.

Same shoes both days.

But different underwear, goes without saying.

Zero effort.

It's better for the environment too.

So alternate two outfits, that's also better for the environment.

I dont see how you can begrudge something that you clearly agreed to before and have benefited from until now.

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.

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 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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!!