Workwear inspiration!

[Laquila]

Gaaaaaaah. I am currently wearing the same few outfits in rotation - black Gap bi-stretch ankle skinnies with a drapey cream blouse, subtle animal-print trousers with a black top, navy pencil skirt with a coral blouse. I and SO SICK of them! It's a bloody good thing I only work part-time...)

What the buggery bollocks, to quote Edina Monsoon, are stylish people wearing for smartish offices these days?? I had no trouble finding stuff I liked back when I was 23, but then I had no bloody children and all the time in the world to go shopping. I'm 5ft7ish, size 12, 32FF, pale with messy blonde hair and I generally wear black, navy, cream and grey with the odd accent colour (steady.) Any guidance much appreciated, and actual links even more so.

I also wear almost entirely grey/navy/cream with a bit of coral.

These days my entire work wardrobe comes from jigsaw, Ted Baker and Reiss.

I wear almost all black/grey/cream/navy too, with some dark green thrown in. I get nearly all my work gear off asos as it's just so easy to get stuff delivered and return it if need be. Ted Baker/Whistles etc for stuff for important external events and stuff.

I used to be all about separates too but I favour dresses at the minute because I'm no good at putting outfits together. Have a look at workwear dresses on asos with your filters applied, there's SO much choice.

What's asis quality like? I am needing dresses for work.

I love the sound of your outfits! I find this time of year hard to dress for work - feels a bit wrong for opaques but too cold for bare legs.

It's pretty good and I think their own brand stuff looks more expensive than it is. I also try to order any branded stuff through them if I can because their service is great.

I've found Asos own-brand dresses good quality for the money, particularly the crepe ones. They're fairly heavy weight and hang really well.

Thanks all - much appreciated. To Asos I go! I've had nice quality (and surprisingly cheap) maternity and nursing dresses from there before but haven't had the heart/patience to trawl through everything on there for work stuff. But I will!

I'm also in the lookout for a good pair of skinny/slightly tapered, mid to high-waisted black trousers, ideally with side pockets and some stretch. Maybe a ponte type fabric that doesn't crease? (The moon on a stick, I hear you say??!...)

So today I've bought the attached silk shirt and silk-mix tops, three more pairs of bi-stretch ankle pants in cobalt, navy and grey, and some Gap suede flats! I don't yet know f anything fits, so am not counting my chickens just yet.

I look best in pencil skirts/dresses and work in a v corporate office so mostly live in vintage (1950s) tailored skirt suits; cream blouse/shirt and grey/maroon/navy pencil skirt and heels; Baukjen pencil dresses and tailored blazers from Reiss. If I don't want to wear heels then I wear brogues instead.

Where do you get nice, lined, not-too-shirt pencil skirts from, Gah? (Good name!)

I'm a couple of inches taller but about the same build and wear similar things to you.

&otherstories does great shirts. I also have a fair bit of Warehouse and Zara in my work wardrobe. I also agree that ASOS is a go to.

I bought some awesome cropped wide leg trousers from Topshop that go with everything, absolutely love them.

I have some trousers v similar to what you are looking for from Zara. They normally have a version in.

I tend to wear plain black pencil skirt but have a variety of tops from TKMaxx. At least I am not wearing the same tops as everyone else from Next and Dorothy Perkins!

Often vintage (50s skirts were a great length, there are tons of them on etsy) or I love Vivien of Holloway - I have a ton of their midi pencil skirts :) so flattering! Particularly the flannel ones.

(And thank you! It describes how I feel at least once every day when faced with my to-do list/noisy neighbours/misplacing of the house keys :) :) )

What footwear do you wear with wide leg trousers, Red?

My problem with current fashions is that i can't find many things that go with each other. I wear a lot of Cos tops with black skinny trousers or jeans but I can't find a good spring jacket (not coat) that would go with this, ditto shoes. I look awful in brogues and ballerinas and hate loafers. So I am really stuck as to how to complete my outfits.

I also see a lot of navy tops that i like but can't find good gray trousers anywhere, for instance. The navy and black combo looks too dark on me. Then, when i finally do see gray trousers, their cut is all wrong and they don't go with my spring trench coat. Can't combine anything, and I go round in circles like this for weeks.

Op &other stories have a few silk shirts in just now, various colours and sizes.

I can't wear heels due to a dodgy ankle, Singapore, so it's flats.
Normally black pointy flats with these trousers The photos/styling don't do them justice.

I agree with the current fashions - gingham, embroidery and weird sleeves just isn't me. I have a new spring blush trench coat to lift all of the black/navy, but have mainly been wearing orange tops from Warehouse to add in a bit of colour.

Not sure if you've checked ASOS, Singapore - apologies if you have, but did a quick search on cigarette trousers in grey here.

This will probably fall into my bag at some point.

Last post for now I promise

OP, I'm pretty sure that these are the black trousers I mean from Zara.

Ooooh thanks everyone! I feel like we understand each other 😃

Red I do like those trews - how's the sizing? I'm quite drawn to the pink actually! And thank you for reminding me about cropped wife leg trousers - I've seen a lovely pair in Next that I might try, although they were a bit more cotton/chino fabric than normal workwear.

ANd I just clicked on your last link - LOVE that blouse!! What will you wear it with?

Singapore what kind of jacket are you after, ideally? And shoe-wise, do you mean for the office? Otherwise Superga go with everything! I'm in the market for some suede block heel courts in black or navy - I wasn't convinced when they first appeared, but I think they look much more modern now than slimmer heels.

I'm going to get the pink I think. Just need to see if I can get away with them in my fairly conservative department within Big 4

Sizing wise, a 12 is usually spot on for me in Zara - I'm a 12 in places like Topshop and Warehouse and a 10/12 in places like Next and M&S, if that helps. I have a good 10 inch difference between my waist and hips, but Zara bottoms tend to fit quite well.

I like mannish looks, so probably wear that leaf blouse loosely tucked into high waisted Zara tapered trousers and pointy flats. Warehouse also have a gorgeous bright orange print silky looking blouse - if I hadn't bought the same print on a tshirt, it would be mine.

Red thanks for those links, i actually hadn't checked Asos for trousers, but the gray cigarette pair looks just the ticket!

Laquila, I was hoping to find a jacket that is not a trench coat type spring coat as i have that already, but more of a boxy, swing type jacket that will go with jeans and skinnies too. Alas, the only ones i like are navy, and all my trousers and jeans are black, and it just doesn't work on me.

Shoe wise, actually I live in trainers and Toms as my workplace is very casual, so anything goes. I'm trying to find the holy grail of the casual, transitional weather shoe (that isn't brogues). As a result, i love Toms which I have on various colours for different outfits. I realise this isn't particularly stylish though

I've got one similar to this which is what I would call boxy and a swing type jacket. Not sure if it fits the bill.

They also have this one if you do like it.