If you have a senior corp job - what do you wear to the office?

[7Worfs]

I finally need to start making an appearance in the office after years of WFH. I’m completely lost as to what to wear.
Old style (pre-babies, size 8 with the waist of a wasp):
Tailored Hugo Boss skirts
TM Lewin shirts
LK Bennett heels

The above is no longer me - I’m a flabby size 12, would look ridiculous in a tight skirt, TM Lewin have discontinued the styles of shirt I liked, and I am so out of heels habit.

What on earth do I wear now? Nothing looks good on my current shape, I’m working on it, but I need a professional and put-together look now…

Forgot to add - there’s no dress code as such, and I am not comfortable in free flowing dresses - I need to feel something around my waist.

My go-to is skinny black trousers, a smarty but plain top and then a blazer or jacket. I think matching suits look a bit dated but I get a lot of wear out of separates. In the summer, I'll wear trainers most of the time and then kitten heels if I need to look a bit more smart. Nice ankle boots in autumn/winter. Caveat: I'm not in a mega corporate role myself but I interact a lot with senior industry (FS) and government stakeholders.

I have recently had the same issue, read a few threads on here and realised I was horribly out of touch with current fashion. I’ve just bought these trousers from mint velvet, and while expensive, they hide my very flabby belly and go really well with lots of styles of tops. I felt very well dressed on my first day in my new job yesterday.
https://mintvelvet.com/products/pocket-detail-pleat-wide-trous

Most days I wear:

Well-fitted cotton t-shirt
Slightly cropped trousers
Trainers
Suit blazer / tweed jacket

When accompanying the senior partners to client meetings I swap the trainers for pointed flats (the junior partners don’t care about trainers).

@mynameiscalypso Agreed, separates is the way to go. Any particular brands you’d recommend?

@Mumoftwoboysaged4and5 My word, those are modern! Are they not very flappy and a tripping hazard? 😬

@Usernamen what brands do you usually go for?

@7Worfs A lot of my stuff comes from Mango at the moment which has the happy advantage of being fairly price conscious. I haven't liked Reiss much recently but there were a few things that caught my eye in the new collection.

I definitely wouldn’t have bought them from the picture alone, the sales assistant actually suggested them when I told her I was clueless 🤣

They look much more tailored and less flappy than in the picture. You can also get them in short rather than regular to ensure you don’t trip. I wear mine with chunky heels and a blue cotton shirt tucked in.

Mango used to be my favourite brand for regular (non-work) clothes when I lived around Europe! I haven’t seen them much here, I’ll look online.

Reiss used to catch my eye, but every time I’ve tried them they just didn’t fit right.

Try Massimo Dutti. Lots of nice office clothes there at the mo... quite reasonable price and good quality

I work in consulting and deal with clients who are varying degrees of smart. And am also a fairly dull middle aged not very toned
shape.

At my smartest - a variety of plain dark dresses, long pleated skirts with silk tops, or wide legged trousers with same silk tops. Jackets but never as part of a suit and I'd never wear a tailored shirt. If I'm in the office and can get away with being less formal, patterned dresses, jeans with smarter t-shirts. Jewellery.

Trainers almost always fine.

I buy most of my workwear from Uniqlo and M&S and have never felt out of place.

Hobbs, Hobbs and more Hobbs.

Their dresses are so forgiving and flattering, particularly if you have a wobbly tummy like me.

@Mumoftwoboysaged4and5 yes, I think I need to try them on first

@bluejelly thank you, I’ll check them out

I love Claudie Pierlot, Whistles, COS, Gerard Darel, Maje, Reiss, Kooples and BA&SH.

I don’t think you can go wrong with a t-shirt and trousers with trainers/brogues.

I buy a mixture of Cos smart trousers and shirts, pieces from Jigsaw and some M&S thrown in. Pointed flats or loafers and boots in winter. I commute in trainers still!

Some good suggestions already. You definitely don't need heels, hardly anyone wears them these days. I wear boots in winter, smart trainers in summer. I do have smart loafers but rarely wear them.

This.

Wide legged trousers with a t shirt and good jewelry. Trainers or loafers
Can you wear jeans? A lot of corporate workplaces jeans are fine. But I'd wear with a smarter top half (shirt (cotton or silk) or a t shirt with a blazer)
A suit but in a bright colour with t shirt and trainers - definitely not a shirt
I've got a couple of good t shirt dresses/shirt dressers
In winter I'd wear skinnier trousers with boots, and shorter skirts/dresses with tights

Lots of recommendations, thank you all! 😊

You can’t go wrong with a trouser style that suits you, a plain t-shirt, a blazer and maybe a necklace.

But don’t go out and buy too much - corporate has relaxed enormously in a lot of places since lockdown. I’d get some separates that suit then see what others are wearing. I’m at a silver circle law firm and senior partners wear white trainers and dresses all the time now.

I usually wear dresses because I'm lazy to think about two separate items to wear!

Brands I like are hush and Jolie moi from John Lewis!

Winter is easy as I wear ankle boots but summer I tend to wear salt water sandals which is probably not very professional! I do swap to a ferragamo kitten heels when I have client meetings!

Retired now but in the day

Dark trouser suit sometimes changing the trousers for a skirt (a line or pleats).
I tended to wear basic black shoes.

Jeans and t shirt. Jumper if it’s cold. In the summer I wear dresses that are loose fitting and flowy to keep cool.

I wear a lot of shirt dresses, or belted swing dresses....hush, crew, whistles. With flats/ sandals in summer, and boots and blazers in winter.

As a pp said, I'm also too lazy for separates!!

Slim or tapered trousers. Silk blouses. Blazers. Pointy fiats or loafers. Good accessories - belts, watch, jewellery.

I don’t have a ‘go to’ shop. I own stuff from MaxMara, Massimo Dutti, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Mango, Zara, Cos, Hobbs, Jaeger, Reiss, M&S.

(I was a pencil skirt/dress and heels girl in my tiny-waisted, pre-kids days, too, but fashion moved on and so did my waistline )