'Office attire' but not...help!

[theworldsbiggestcrocodile]

I just landed a new job in which I will be working 3 days a week from a very cool looking office in St Katherines Dock London.
The letter they sent included a bit about the necessity for 'office attire' (suit and tie for men and suitable attire for women). This suggests formal office stuff-shift dresses etc. However when I went to the office for the interview there were a few people about and none were wearing that sort of stuff. The PA who came to collect me had on a mini skirt and polo neck and flat boots. The MD was a jacket and jeans type with I think trainers...
I will pretty quickly be able to judge the aesthetic after a day or two but what on earth do I wear for day one?
I had planned on wearing a midi dress with new ankle boots from &other stories but now not so sure. Heeeelllp!

I'm struggling with workwear myself at the minute, @theworldsbiggestcrocodile, but I think your idea of a midi dress and ankle boots sounds spot-on. "Office attire" is a pretty broad description and massively open to interpretation these days. I think office wear generally is a lot more casual now.

Yes they probably just mean do not show up in sportswear type stuff, although the distinction between smart and casual is narrowing.

I’ve noticed people wearing trainers at work who wouldn’t have before the pandemic (but with dresses), I guess it’s all relative.

I would go with something quite inoffensive like a jersey dress or plain top and trousers but with a jacket over the top. That way, you can take the jacket off if you don't want to look too smart.

My very first job was in an officer where I had to wear a suit every day and I still tend to overdress a bit for the office (when I'm in it!)

Apparently work wear is dead! It was in the news last week. We’re going back in for 2days per week, people seem to be doing smart casual. Like the PA you described.

@Coffeepot72

Apparently work wear is dead! It was in the news last week. We’re going back in for 2days per week, people seem to be doing smart casual. Like the PA you described.

Not for me! No denim, no trainers, no t-shirts rule at my office, and most of us are back in the office. I love it, I mourn the days when people all wore work wear.

My CEO told me at lunch yesterday I could just wear trainers in the office if I wanted to walk in. No one would care. But he's a very kind and down to earth guy who just wants us to do well and spent the rest of our lunch chat talking about walking, cycling, good spots for open swimming etc.
Best career move I ever made coming here.

I love to dress nicely, but yes smart casual is definitely the future.

If I go to a professional office GP, solicitor, school etc., I do expect them to wear professional clothes, ie suit tie and be well groomed. I on occasions visit schools and I can’t take teachers seriously if they look shabby. Denim or trainers are not for professional offices or schools.

Denim or trainers are not for professional offices or schools.

pretty much the whole of the tech and media sectors don't have a single "professional office" in that case. Even in ibanking these days people wear jeans on days they're not client facing.

Your planned outfit sounds fine to me. I might err on the side of formal for the first day just in case and wear a plain coloured dress until I saw the lie of the land.

My best lawyer was in the office today in jeans, trainers and a hoody. I would much rather her working for me than a shite lawyer in a power suit and stilettos. I want my team to be comfortable and focussed not decorative.

Sorry, that didn't help you much op.
I think midi dress and ankle boots sounds a good plan

Through accounting, engineering and construction into that mix too @BuffySummersReportingforSanity

Dress for your day is the buzzphrase. I’m starting a new job soon & my first day outfit is going to be a Winser petrol blue pencil skirt with a white cotton tshirt & loafers.

As it likely becomes more casual, I’ve got silk shirts & wool cardigans to go with jeans, chinos and my trusty white trainers.

@Dnaltocs

If I go to a professional office GP, solicitor, school etc., I do expect them to wear professional clothes, ie suit tie and be well groomed. I on occasions visit schools and I can’t take teachers seriously if they look shabby. Denim or trainers are not for professional offices or schools.

If I am working with your child, I'm sure you would rather I was in clothes that suited our day rather than your expectations. I sit on the floor, run in the playground and completely engage in our play - I dress for my day and my experience and knowledge should not in any way be diminished by the way I dress to do my job. If I attend a meeting on a day I'm not working with children, I will dress accordingly, but never assume that because I'm covered in paint and wearing trainers that I'm not competent. I'm always wary of an Early Years teacher who doesn't turn up ready to get stuck in.

Midi dress and boots with a suit jacket or blazer is a great call. See the lie of the land.

@MaverickDanger

Through accounting, engineering and construction into that mix too *@BuffySummersReportingforSanity*

Dress for your day is the buzzphrase. I’m starting a new job soon & my first day outfit is going to be a Winser petrol blue pencil skirt with a white cotton tshirt & loafers.

As it likely becomes more casual, I’ve got silk shirts & wool cardigans to go with jeans, chinos and my trusty white trainers.

Could you let me know where you get your shirts and cardigans? I can't find good silk shirts for love nor money

I love the idea of a midi dress and boots for your first day. You can't really go wrong with that.

Things are in flux post-pandemic, but this was the expectation at my job (global fin tech firm) before covid: days where you see clients face-to-face - business formal. Non-client facing days - business "medium" (men: dress shirt and trousers and maybe a sport jacket or jumper, maybe a tie; women: nice top and skirt or trousers or a dress, maybe a jacket; engineers - whatever they damned well please); however, in summer, it relaxes a bit, polo shirts become acceptable for men and women relax things a bit too. My typical in summer is a jersey dress and ballet flats and in winter a cashmere jumper over a collared shirt or a blazer over a knit top with a pencil skirt. When I see clients I wear a skirt suit and heels.

Now, they're not being too fussed about it because they're just glad to get us back at all a few days a week, but I imagine by next year we'll be back to normal.

Could you let me know where you get your shirts and cardigans? I can't find good silk shirts for love nor money

I know you weren't asking me, but: I really miss Modern Rarity @ John Lewis. I have some beautiful silk shirts and camisoles from there Jigsaw can be decent. I've also heard good things about the very affordable silk shirts in the Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo collab on right now.

Wool cardigans new from & Other Stories and either Arket or Cos (those two are the same in my head!)

Silk shirts were second hand from Vinted. I’ve struggled to find new too. I’ve settled for a couple of silky feel ones from Mango too.

I was at a conference for my industry not that long ago. The women have definitely binned the heels, en masse. Most of us turned up in dresses and boots or trousers, nice shirt and loafers. Some of the women wore dresses and trainers. None of the women, not even high-ranking officials representing their companies and giving keynote speeches, wore suits. I think comfortable is the new power dressing.

The men were also a bit more dressed down. Some still in suits, but more khakis and blazers than normal for a conference where people are selling very expensive services. I didn't notice a single necktie, not even on the suited guys.

No denim or trainers allowed in our school either! (Obviously we wear trainers when doing PE )
I usually wear exactly what you’ve described, a midi dress, tights and ankle boots. I got some lovey ankle boots from Dune and mostly dresses from & Other Stories, Boden (not my usual style but I don’t go for anything with a pattern and it washes and wears well with no need for ironing!) Oliver Bonas, Hobbs, Ted Baker etc. They’re my go to for work wear anyway. Skirts and blouses too.
Varies hugely where I work, I seem to be on the smarter side of the spectrum, others wear long T-shirt’s and leggings with boots, men come in trousers or chinos and shirts.

No heels for me though! We have to be able to run at a moments notice