Bit of background: I work in the legal profession as a fee earner. When I first started my job as a trainee, my boss (a man in his 50s) told me and the other trainees that we should "aim to dress as a client expects us to". I guess that's open to interpretation but I think he meant being smart and, for a man, wearing a suit and jacket to meetings etc. We don't have client meetings that often, but pre-Covid, I'd always come into the office in a shift dress or pencil skirt and blouse, flat shoes, but have a jacket to put on if a client meeting arose.
Fast forward to now after Covid, I am qualified, hardly anyone comes into the office regularly, and when they do, it's pretty casual (but they're more senior than me).
My question: I'm completely stuck about what to wear. I feel overdressed in a shift dress, but underdressed in a summery floral dress (which is what I'd wear casually). I'm quite short with bigger hips, and I find work trousers don't really suit me and make me look quite square and dumpy. Also I find shoe styles have changed since I last went shopping so I'm out of the loop on that one. It's not helped by the fact that I had a son in 2021 and am pregnant again, so don't really want to invest in any expensive pieces when I need maternity wear.
Argh help! If you work in a similar environment, have standards changed since before the pandemic? What do you wear as a staple outfit? Thanks!