Office work wear? Any affordable recommendation?

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I'm going back to work soon. I haven't worked in years so have NOTHING to wear.

I have a smart dress, jacket for interviews but I think the dress is too smart for day to day wear, people seemed to be less dressed up when I went in.

I have a couple of tea type dresses I could wear and would be fine but that's it. I don't even own a pair of trousers, only jeans and leggings.

So what would you recommend for a smart casual office? And where would you recommend to shop? I'm on a budget so nothing expensive. I feel like a fish out of water when it comes to dressing for work!

What has made so much difference to my work wardrobe has been getting a couple of pairs of navy 'work trousers'. Straight leg, basically crease-proof, dry quickly, about £20 a pair from Debenhams' workwear range. Dress them up with a nice blouse or sweater, down with a Breton top/other long sleeved tee. Lots of possible combinations.

I also find a pinafore dress in a neutral colour very useful. Next can be good, H&M maybe.

Uniqlo!

Don't buy anything which needs dry cleaning! Plain black trousers which can be washed and dried overnight with different tops -depends on things like air conditioning and how smart you want to be.

What is your style? Height/weight/body shape?

I have a uniform which I rotate between with different colours and textures. I normally wear one of three types of outfits:

High waisted trousers with tucked in top
Pencil/ruched skirt with tucked in top and blazer
Plain shift or jersey dress

I have 4 pairs of shoes - leopard print flats, black flats, long boots and ankle boots.

I'd recommend buying enough outfits to get through 2 weeks, then reassess what people wear day to day, before spending money on things that won't work.

My go to shops are Asos, Topshop, Warehouse and Zara - the latter two have brilliant trousers if you happen to be an hourglass.

I'm not sure I can pull off a pinafore dress, I like them but they will make me look young even though I'm mid 30s and too much like a school girl/secretary/librarian. Without totally outing myself, I have a certain look and some clothes I can't pull off without totally reinforcing this look. Which is annoying because there are things I like that I just won't buy.

Yes, air conditioning needs to be considered. I'm usually freezing so need to consider how warm/cold the office will be. Layers are going to be important I think. It's a brand new building so assuming it will have air conditioning and 99% of the population are usually warmer than me .

Tescos 6 quid black trousers do the trick. Non iron and dry quickly.

case I'm 5'7 and 9st 4lbs, slim but have curves. Usual look is skinny jeans and a nice top with flat shoes, tea dresses, or leggings and tunic jumpers with ankle boots.

We did have a Zara where I live, it was a good shop, then it shut down.

Matalan does a good range of affordable office wear.

Have a look at Gap bistretch trousers if you like your regular look but instead of jeans.

It sounds like you could have the basis for a decent work wardrobe already with a few tweaks.

I live in super stretchy pencil skirts from M&S that last for years of washing and wearing. I wear these with leggings and boots or shoes, and patterned tops and blouses.

H&M have some good, inexpensive dresses sometimes, but definitely try on an array of sizes as their sizing is poor.

M&S, Matalan, Debenhams, Primark, Dorothy Perkins, George at Asda, Tu (Sainsbury's), and TK Maxx are all really good for workwear. I used to buy my skirts, tops, blouses and dresses in these shops for work. I don't wear trousers, so I wouldn't have a clue about those I'm afraid.

Jaeger are in administration and are offering really good discounts on their clothes. Maybe you could have a look online and see if the reductions are helpful for you. I think they do good trousers if you're after trousers.

The sales are on at the moment pretty much everywhere too, so I hope you can find some bargains!

For me, I'd buy 2 or 3 pencil skirts in black and navy, 2 or 3 printed blouses, 2 knee length dresses (both plain, or one patterned) and 1 or 2 plain tops or blouses. I'd then dress up my outfits with statement necklaces/pendants or scarves for variation.

I live in jersey dresses at work. Get a few in neutral colours on eBay (look for white company or Boden and they'll last years) and dress up or down with jackets, jewellery, scarves, cardigans, sandals etc.

Wish I'd discovered them years ago. So easy and also really comfortable to wear despite looking fairly smart.

Thanks. Will have to have a good look around at these suggestions. I'm quite excited about buying work clothes, which is a bit sad . I like dresses so will look for them first I think.

You might find you can get away with black skinny jeans. A staple work outfit for me is black skinnies with a blouse and ankle boots. I also like wide, cropped trousers with brogues and a striped top. A surprisingly excellent buy for me was the Hush ruched skirt, which I have worn so much I bought a second one because it started to look a bit washed out - I wear it with opaque tights and fitted jumpers, or again, Breton stripes. (I'm 5ft 6 and just under 19 stone.)

Just under TEN stone, not 19 stone. God!

Uniqlo uniqlo uniqlo

I wear their trousers and shirts in varying colours in rotation

Slim cropped ankle trousers in black and grey
Silk touch blouses in black, navy, white and pale blue
Cotton Oxford shirts in a variety of neutral colours
Merino wool sweaters in black, grey and navy
Merino cardigans in black and grey
Leggings trousers in black, grey and navy
Cashmere polo neck in black (and grey)

Plus Supima cotton and heat tech base layers

Everything in my wardrobe goes with everything else, I'm not a big skirt wearer but they do nice ones - I personally think uniqlo are stronger for trousers and tops. Merino wool and cashmere in particular.

I live in black, grey, white and navy, but as a work wear capsule wardrobe, I find a core palette of basics means I can mix and match

They're great value for money and wash like a dream

What I mean is, pick a couple of basics in neutral colours and you can get a LOT of mileage out of them

Don't buy the whole wardrobe!!

I get stuff from Zara generally x

Dresses and skirts plus tops from eBay that way my want for next and m&s can be forfilled but on a small budget.