"No dress code" in corporate office

[ohgawdno]

I work in a traditional corporate environment that is trying to be down with the cool kids and now it's decided we no longer have a dress code (unless we are client facing). The only rules are to dress without offending people.

This sounds great in theory, but to be honest I have a good quality work wardrobe that I've built up over fifteen years. Someone stopped me in the street yesterday to compliment a dress I was wearing, which was one I bought for my first ever office job and it's still going strong. I don't consider myself a fashionista at all but I've learnt to buy clothes that fit within my specific guidelines for work - it must be just above knee length, short sleeved but not sleeveless (caters for layering in all seasons), black or navy only, and must be structured but not tight, and made with decent weight material. I also preferred dresses because it's one thing to wash rather than two, and only machine washable!

Now I'm faced with this dilemma that all my non-work clothes are too casual (in my opinion) for the office, and my work wardrobe is now too formal.

Has anyone any ideas of where to start looking to buy clothes suitable for this predicament? And what sort of clothes to wear in the first place? I'm guessing chinos will be popular (I don't own any) and maybe good quality tops.

A few years ago I worked in the City for a European bank with no dress code. There was no such thing as too casual.

I usually just wore jeans etc but there were plenty of sweat pants worn, esp by the younger men. Shorts and flip flops in summer.

In your shoes I'd not be buying anything new and just wear what I fancied each morning

Surely if theres no dress code it means you can continue wearing what you currently do?

I personally wear black skinny jeans for work and love wearing 3/4 blouses with them. I like to wear heeled ankle boots with them but it also works with brogues, flats etc.

On fridays I wear skinny jeans with a white or grey t shirt with a denim or leather jacket

I work in offices with creatives where most people wear jeans. I look shit in jeans, so wear fitted formal black trousers with long silk shirts and heels. Much smarter than the tee shirts and trainers kidz but its what I feel comfortable in. No one seems to mind.

Yes I can wear what I currently do and probably will to an extent but I know people will take the piss out of me wearing formal attire now.

And I think it probably will lean towards people wearing jeans and T-shirt's but I still think it is nice to look well put together. There's a few women in my office who wear great outfits already - tailored trousers and nice coloured blouses. But it's the sort of style that I don't naturally have!

Why can't you just carry on wearing your usual work wardrobe? We have no dress code and people wear anything and everything from suits to jeans. What I wear varies from day to day according to my mood - sometimes dress and heels, sometimes jeans and trainers. I can't see any need to go out and buy a ton of chinos - unless you particularly like them.

@milliefiori do you wear real silk tops? I love real silk and have a few casual silk dresses that I love to wear on weekends. But I really struggle to find real silk - everything is polyester now

Just wear what you normally wear if you are happy. No one else's business. Maybe when time to purchase something new you might choose a less formal dress. Or do mon- Thursday in regular office clothes but more informal on Friday.

@emsyj37 I probably can wear my existing wardrobe but I don't want to obviously stick out compared to everyone else in their jeans. To be fair the whole office was gossiping about it today so I'm assuming everyone is going to wait and see what the rest of the office does before buying new clothes..

I’ve worked in place with this. Realistically most people just wore office clothes but there were other (usually younger) people turning up in jeans and T-shirts. Tone very honest I don’t think anyone cares what other people wear.

Yep carry on wearing your beautiful wardrobe- maybe dress it down with a cardigan instead of a jacket etc.
We've had this for a while & it's a real mix of jeans & trainers vs formal wear.

Down dress what you have- more comfortable shoes, more relaxed jacket etc. Just try a bit less.

Our office (financial services) introduced Dress for your Day last year and some people have gone very casual, some slightly more/more trendy and a significant number dress just as smartly as before. It divides somewhat but by no means exclusively along function and seniority lines.

We have very little in the way of a dress code, so I just wear what I think will fit what I am doing that day. If I am in the office and presenting to higher level managers or conducting interviews, I dress business formal, which sounds a lot like your usual work wardrobe.

If I am traveling or going to talk to front line staff who have to wear PPE, I wear smart casual (usually dark, good quality jeans, nice top or blouse, loafers, blazer). If I am just seeing my team and we are not meeting any "outsiders" I might wear jeans, trainer and t-shirt or a casual dress with Dr Martens or Chelsea boots.

Although the dress code doesn't forbid it, I wouldn't wear sportswear, ripped jeans, shorts, flip flops or strappy tops because I wouldn't feel professional in them, but some of my peers do.

In terms of brands, I wear a lot of La Redoute, Boden, Other Stories, Hush, H&M

Mix what you have, so with trousers, wear a t-shirt or something more casual, and with a nice top wear casual trousers. Team dresses with cardigans rather than jackets. This breaks it up, and gives an in between look. You can have fun experimenting!

When my last office switched almost all the men continued to wear their shirts and trousers and some even carried on with a suit jacket. Some of the younger guys wore jeans. The women almost all carried on wearing dresses, or smart trousers and tops, though we'd wear less formal woolly dresses in winter and sleeveless wasn't an issue in the heatwave.

It was interesting when people from overseas offices visited as they would all be quite casual, it just didn't take where I was.
Except for shoes, loads switched to trainers.

I'd be inclined to keep wearing what you have and like and then maybe just tweak it, for example, if you'd normally wear a dress with heels, you could get some really nice, slightly more fashiony ankle boots or brogues or something like that. You could get some unusual jewellery. Just because other people are wearing jeans doesn't mean you can't stick to what you like. It might be fun to go in the opposite direction to everyone else and wear extremely fancy stuff, like ornate frilly chiffon blouses, velvet skirts etc

What about things like t-shirts but with your usual tailored trousers or skirts, tuck the t-shirt in and wear flats like converse or non-branded equivalent?

Similarly converse/pumps with your dresses.

With your smarter blouses you could wear jeans?

WE have men in shorts and random T-shirt’s through to suits. WOmen in jeans and dms through to smart fitted dresses and heels. Be you.

If I were you I'd just keep on wearing your usual office gear.

I work in an office with no dress code, and am way too smartly dressed for it, but
(a) I hate wearing the same clothes to work and in my own time - I like to keep things separate;
(b) my smart clothes would never be worn if I didn't wear them to work; and
(c) if you ever want to go for a job interview before or after work, it's really noticeable if you've been wearing jeans & a t shirt for months and then suddenly rock up in a smart dress & jacket!

I work for a bank. No dress code in our large head office site. It isn't London, where everyone's a bit smarter, but I would feel normal in a smart dress or jeans. On a bad day I wear a hoody. Some of the younger staff wear ripped jeans which I can't say I particularly like but nobody seems to mind. Just wear what you feel most productive and comfy in!

I've worked in no dress code places for years. The only time we hit too casual was when the QA guy tried to wear just shorts and nothing else.

Jeans and a top was more than sufficient. I usually just wore a t-shirt, shorts and sandals.

Work from home now so it's just shorts and sandals

This sounds great in theory, but to be honest I have a good quality work wardrobe that I've built up over fifteen years.

OP you can still wear your work wardrobe. You can wear whatever you want when there is no dress code.

WE have men in shorts and random T-shirt’s through to suits. WOmen in jeans and dms through to smart fitted dresses and heels. Be you.

Yes!! 😃

What do you wear on your feet with dresses? Maybe start wearing trainers or ankle boots if you're normally a shoes person?

We have no dresscode and many people are super casual, down to shorts and crocs. A full suit would look odd, but I mix and match - pencil skirt with casual top, jacket with jeans etc. And often get compliments that it's nice to see some well dressed people around.

I work in a law firm like this. I would say some people a very casual (me) but actually after the initial excitement wore off, everyone smartened up.

You might not be meeting clients, but you don’t want the boss to think you are a scuff...