What is suitable office attire?

[Yellowbowlbanana]

I start a new job next week. My previous job had a very restrictive dress so I've lost my perception of what's normal. The new job has a smart/casual dress code with suits for some parts. I think it's no jeans. Are the following considered acceptable for the office:

Sandals with an open toe?
Bare legs with dresses/skirts or does it need to be tights?
Sleeveless tops?
Smart trainers (Veja type things)?

Thanks

It very much depends on the individual office.

I’d stay on the conservative side for the first day, then just have a look around and see what others are wearing/have a look at the dress code.

In my previous office trainers were only allowed on dress down Fridays. But I think a lot of places are fine with them these days. Open toed sandals were fine but they had to have a strap - no flip flops/heeled mules/etc. Bare legs were fine. Leggings were fine if worn with a long line shirt/jumper/etc. Sleeveless was fine but spaghetti straps/no straps was not.

Funnily enough I've been thinking about the exact same points this week, probably due to the warmer weather and bring back in the office more regularly.

I really think it's down to individual environments/employers, though. Our dress code varies across the organisation but in our office it's reasonably formal, but women still wear bare legs, which I think is absolutely fine, personally. I occasionally wear open-toed sandals but hardly anyone else does!

I also wear sleeveless tops (thank you Michelle Obama) but only smart office-blouse type ones - not vests or anything like that.

A colleague who doesn't usually work in my office came in this week in 7/8 tailored pants, a geo-print blouse (Cos/Kin type) and clean smart white leather trainers, and I thought she looked perfectly appropriate. I think as I've got older though I've become more immune to office pressure - I think grown-ups should be trusted to wear what they feel comfortable in, tbh, but I know that would seem put of place in a City corporate office, for example.

I'd say no to sandals with open toe (h&s risk apparently, plus some people find it a bit grim seeing toes all over the place )

Bare legs and sleeveless tops should be fine.

Probably a no to the trainers, that's normally a blanket policy whether they're smart or not!

As a general rule of thumb though, wear clothes that are clean, tidy, modest and inoffensive.

With all due respect, @Bananarama100, people would literally only be seeing toes in one place...i.e. at the end of feet, which feels like a reasonable place to see them to me 😁

I do take the point about H&S but I feel like if people can be trusted to manage budgets, plan major strategic change, transfer money/property etc - all the usual things that happen in offices - then they should be trusted not to drop boxes of printer paper on their toes! I know there are more risks in certain types of offices, though - maybe where's there's more production storage, or on sites.

But it's an interesting point re "modest and inoffensive" - that's pretty subjective, isn't it?

haha, I'm with you @Laquila I think it's ridiculous but some offices are still that strict with nonsensical h&s!

As for people finding it grim, I'm personally not bothered by it but I do hear a lot that people don't like it in the workplace, it comes up on workplace / dress code threads on here all the time.

Modest and inoffensive is definitely subjective - so is clean and tidy to some degree. But I expect broadly speaking people can use common sense: is this cut-out dress, that shows my bum cheeks, underboob, top of my bum, and also has a swastika on it, appropriate for an office environment?

*As for people finding open toe sandals grim...

I wouldn't wear trainers unless dress down Friday.

I wouldn't wear sandals. But bare legs and sleeveless tops are fine

Wear black trouser a top and shoes first day and see what others are wearing.

@Bananarama100 - "But I expect broadly speaking people can use common sense..."

..I've been let down by thinking this before...😂

i was ready to go into the office today in a maxi shirt dress long sleeves floaty from next. and a pair of espadrilles. then i got contact traced. so am now isolating for 10 days.

i wore red chinos (7/8 ones from next) with loafers and a blouse yesterday.

sometimes i wear jeans and a nice top and a jacket.

ours is business casual. unless we have clients in the office and then its business business which means suited and booted.

Third sector operation, not many visitors at present. Our code is "smart office" We wear mainly dresses or jumpsuits, this year the trend is for longer lengths. Trousers that are nearly jeans are OK, jeans cut but not denim. No problem with open toes or trainers with dresses here either. The things I can't allow are jeans, leggings without a skirt over them ( not that anyone would wear leggings now) and anything very short or revealing. Bare legs are fine in the summer.

I was about to ditto the 'see what everyone else is wearing' until I realised where that advice would get you in our place. You can see staff swanning about in spaghetti straps, combats, trainers, jeans, thigh-skimming skirts and flippy-flappy sandals. All of which are explicitly out-lawed in our dress-code.

@exconstance My mind boggles at your and your colleagues wearing mainly jumpsuits - I love the idea of it but compared to my office it's so alien!! Also I've only ever managed to find one jumpsuit that didn't make me look like a kids TV presenter. If you have any jumpsuit inspo or recs I'd be very appreciative!

I think it's going to depend massively on both the industry & the company itself. Personally I'd play it ultra safe for the first few days & relax what I wear according to what I see others in similar roles wearing

We were always told if you can see up it, down it or through it then it's inappropriate for work (in an office context). Also no sportswear, jeans, visible underwear etc. So "sensible" weather suitable clothes should hopefully be fine.

I wouldn't wear trainers, open toed sandals or sleeveless tops for the first few days until you've sussed out what other people are wearing.

My dh struggles with this - his office is boiling but its a complete no no for him to wear shorts and a sleeveless shirt, but his female colleagues can wear sleeveless dresses and stay cooler!

I work in Local Governent although am wfh ATM. When I was in the office I wore smart casual, so closed toed sandals, smarter dresses and never sleeveless. But some colleagues are far more casual. Definitely no jeans or t shirts though.

Thank you for all the replies. I will definitely err on the side of conservative initially.

Do you think something like this would be okay with ballerina flats and a cardigan or is that a bit controversial to start off with:
gb.benetton.com/jumpsuit-in-pure-linen-black-4AGH58123_100.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwz_WGBhA1EiwAUAxIcTvvVubeSRy5xjvl-cUlOqelAfGUS0jrWwPRiQVml6GKMEL8cWUlMxoCaHQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We are a normal office but our dress code is no open toe shoes due to H&S

Oh I like that jumpsuit ! I would wear that to work (student facing job in higher education) It would need to cover your bra completely at the sides/straps and I wouldn’t want anything much in the way of visible cleavage in the V neck. You could always bring a very light jacket or cardigan to cover your shoulders if needed (a lightweight shirt might work well even, you could wear it open or close it if it becomes apparent you’ve misjudged the formality level.

Ours is smart casual
No trainers or denim or leggings
No strappy tops (sleeveless is fine)
Bare legs fine

H&S on open toes and flip-flops: too easy to get run over by office chairs, or just trip up. Too much flesh on display - not generally a problem for an ordinary office, but for very young employees, just out of school, it often had to be said (kindly but firmly!) that showing off boobs in strappy tops, or legs and bums in micro-skirts was inappropriate. This was more to prevent the equally young teenage boys from reacting unacceptably...

I feel like the dress code in my workplace (HE) is going to take a slide with people wfh more and used to wearing very casual clothes. Some people think jeans are making an effort. So much has changed the last year in terms of it being more about what you do and the value you add than what particular pair of shoes you have on. I personally think you only need to be smart casual when you are engaging with external people (as a respect thing), eg interview candidates, though then they must get a skewed view of the actual dress code! I’d also agree too much flesh on show is a bit much, just as it feels a bit too intimate for a workplace.

All of those things would be fine in my office but I wouldnt wear any in the first week of a new job.

I think jeans are making an effort

My workplace is pretty informal, but I would always dress relatively smartly when starting a new job and then look at what other people are wearing.

People in my office wear jeans, trainers, sandals & casual tshirts. Other people, particularly senior managers, tend to dress a bit more smartly. I dress pretty casually but wouldn't wear shorts, tshirts with a controversial slogan, or anything too revealing.

We have a dress down code at work at the moment but we will be asked to smarten up a bit once clients are coming back to the office. I generally dress at the casual end of business and have stuck with that so won't be dressing any smarter.

Almost invariably something will be navy or have navy in it so I have a navy blazer at work in case I need to see clients.

I do have bare legs when it's warm enough and I do wear open-toed sandals (but I always have a pedicure).