Building a new work (office) wardrobe

[Notcontent]

I work in a professional office environment. Way back it used to be all suits, pencil skirts, etc. then things started becoming a bit more casual but I was still wearing pencil style skirts and shift dresses. Then Covid came and our office dress became completely casual except for client meetings, so often I wore jeans.

Now suddenly everyone is dressing a bit smarter and also I am going to lots of meetings. I have suddenly realised that I don’t actually have much that fits the smarter category. I have quite a few dresses but they are of the floral etc category that everyone was wearing.

I am looking for ideas. I am short and skinny (but not young) do that makes things difficult.

so far have ordered some black wool trousers from Baukjen (will need to take up). I do have a couple of blazers but need some shirts/blouses.

What do you think of this dress:
https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E470885-000/00?colorDisplayCode=32&sizeDisplayCode=004

If you are short and slim it could swamp you. Also that high neck would be very hot in an office.

I like that dress OP but think its quite casual. I feel your pain btw really struggling with 'smart' tops myself.

I’m average height and a size 12 but my office capsule is jumpsuits in the summer and John Lewis cashmere crew necks in winter with wide legged trousers and brogues. Came to this based on what was practical given local weather, my cycle commute and what I felt good wearing.

Hmm, you are right about the dress I think.

my go to winter outfit always involves a nice sweater but trying to move away from that to something a bit smarter…

it’s hard.

I think Uniqlo offers great styling models for the contemporary workplace - but unfortunately there are significant compromises at that price point.

The dress you link is mostly acrylic and polyester - so I doubt you’ll actually be too warm in it - but it might still be uncomfortably sweaty.

The trio of:

& Other Stories
Cos
Arket

are where I’d suggest anyone starts if looking for modern smart casual workwear - depending on your own style and budget.

Massimo Dutti doesn’t really do work dresses but their separates are highly stylish.

Community Clothing is more casual - irreproachable ethics and some great quality, so their non-leisure pieces can be mixed with other brands.

Obviously you can spend a helluva lot more …

I quite like Hobbs for dresses OP but I get them from Vinted as quite spendy, maybe a bit too formal though?

Thanks everyone. I am happy to spend z bit more for the right things so will keep looking.

Hobbs is a bit odd. I feel like they are a bit frozen in time. I was just looking at this shift dress as it’s pure wool. But it’s the kind of thing I was wearing 20 years ago. If this dress was longer and maybe slightly A line it would look a lot more modern.

www.hobbs.com/product/margot-wool-dress/0224-5727-1049L00-PINK-MULTI.html#cgid=clothing-dresses&is=true&sz=60&start=0&isSecondPage=false&pid=0224-5727-1049L00-PINK-MULTI&pos=27

I like that dress but yes know what you mean its a very specific look!

Hobbs is usually nice quality but you are right that a lot of what they offer looks pretty old fashioned now.

I like the Uniqlo dress. Jumper dresses and boots are my go to for work in the winter. My office is in a Grade 1 building and cold though!

I feel your pain. Pre-covid I wore Boden or similar smartish dresses with court shoes for day to day in the office. That seems very passé now. I'm switching to trousers but unless you go cropped you end up with rising damp in the wet autumn we are having.

@eurochick i have noticed quite a few women at work doing the formal trousers and top combination - I think precisely because the dresses that are “current” look either too casual or too much like a special occasion.

I'm currently building myself a capsule wardrobe based around this kind of look.....

I wear a lot of scamp and dude, Oliver Bonas and asos dresses with a blazer and ankle boots.

I am wearing more vintage for the same reason. Silk vintage jaegar shirt or similar updated with trousers and a jacket in a modern cut.

The thing that is getting the most use this season is a navy thick cord jacket in a short 80s blouson kind of shape. It modernises anything.

I have a few slim wool dresses from asos and never fully dressed, whcih I wear with ankle boots. Also a few M&S dresses (takes careful sorting and avoiding all the prairie tiered ones)

otherwise I wear cropped smart trousers with a crew neck merino wool jumper (usually M&S mens) with brogues or chunky court shoes. Optional nice necklace

I have this dress in both the black and the dark grey and I love it. I wore the black one to a conference a couple of weeks ago and styled it with a silver chain necklace, silver bangles and black high-heeled boots. The dress is very figure flattering as it skims over any lumps and bumps and is soft and comfy to wear - I felt cosy rather than too hot and the neck can easily be rolled down. It's the sort of dress that can look smart or more casual, depending how you accessorise it. I love it and if they did it in a dark forest green and/or this season's burgundy, I'd happily buy a couple more! I'm 5'5" tall, size 10/12 and definitely not young, but I'd say the dress is pretty ageless and would suit a wide variety of age ranges and figures. I'd certainly recommend it!

Invisible dresses are so very now …

Disappointed - I thought this was going to be about some flat-pack assembly nightmare! 😂

I found an M&S silhouette of trousers that works for me and I have 2 navy and 2 black pairs, and a similar style but heavier pair (so feel more suit-like) from Hobbs.

I started with a LandsEnd style of long sleeved top, and got a whole bunch in navy, black, white, red, pine green, turquoise etc. But over time, I prefer M&S boatneck style with 3/4 sleeves and I needed to replace tops, I've been swooping those in instead(and a couple of the same neckline but sleeveless for summer). And a couple of Hobbs silk tops for variety. And for winter, I have some plain round neck jumpers that can be on their own for more casual days or under a jacket for more formal days but warmer than the tops.

I have 2 Hobbs wool jackets (cobalt blue and purple), an emerald green one, a navy Boucle, a black boucle, a navy/burgundy mix boule, and 2 linen from M&S for summer (pink and navy). Add in a good handful of various silk and wool scarves and some statement jewellery (necklaces or brooches for the jackets).

So I pick a base colour (black or navy), a jacket and then a top that works with those colours. Very similar "uniform" daily, but different colours and variety of how they mix together, and some variety in my jacket shapes and materials. And add an accessory some days but have a few options.

I have a relatively good choice of options without having a massive wardrobe. And change flat shoes in summer for boots in winter.

Could you wear a knitted co-ord? I've got a couple of knitted skirts with matching jumpers that look good with long boots.

I also wear ankle grazer trousers with a v neck shell top and blazer. Brogues, sock boots or pointed flats.

Thanks all - some great suggestions! I will order a few things and try on.

Today my Baukjen trousers arrived and they look really nice quality but sadly they are too big for me. More like a size 10 than the size 8 they are meant to be.

It’s good to have classics that you can dress up with heels, blazer and a great necklace for example or boots or casual shoes otherwise with maybe a cardy.

i feel your pain. I was suited and booted for many years and then it’s all causal now or ‘dress for your day’. I prefer to dress on the smarter side as it’s still work after all.

Monochrome can be good too.

Find an accessory that works for you - shoes, belts, necklaces, scarfs and then get classic things at Next or M&S and make the outfit your own.

Do you like any of these dresses? Some are a bit bouffy or booby for the office, but many look sensible. They released the corduroy pinafores at the weekend, which strike me as ideal for the not-too-dressed-up workplace.

Nobody's Child sizes are M&S style - ie, big - so you'd need their small or petite.

https://www.nobodyschild.com/collections/dresses?utm_source=NMPi&utm_medium=cpc&named_tags.product-type=day+dresses

Could you link to it please? Or maybe it's just on the app the link isn't showing. Thank you.

I’m on the mobile site and can’t see it.

Work: mostly smart jogger style trousers with boat neck tops an shirts, with blazer or trench coat. Winter: same but with thick waterproof parka from Seasalt. Formal work: soft tailoring (stretch suit) with smart trainers and a shell top. Occasionally: dresses with boots trainers or loafers. I don't wear heels. Bags are giant cross body affairs or rucksacks, to carry laptop, 3 phones and assorted junk, adaptors, plugs, headsets.