What are people wearing to the office now and where are you shopping?

[TheLilacFinch]

I am moving jobs and will be more office based (which I wanted!!), but really struggling to know what to wear as there doesn’t seem to be much office wear in the shops anymore.

Pre Covid I was in my late 20s and my work wear was a mixture of shops but my go tos were Oasis, Warehouse, Hobbs, Jigsaw. I’ve been predominantly at home for the last 6 years and just in jeans/trainers/cardi when I have been in the office. I’ll be going to a regional office of a large accountancy firm so need to be quite smart but not overly smart if that makes sense.

I’ll definitely get some black and navy trousers for now, probably one slim leg and one wide leg. I like the look of some bits on Sezane so might do an order. I’m very happy about ballet flats being back “in” so will probably buy a couple of pairs for the summer. But I’d really love some inspiration of what people are actually wearing to the office now and where you’re all shopping!

Thanking you all in advance ☺️

I refreshed my wardrobe recently to coincide with 1) weight loss 2) similar to you being back in the office more 3) spring season

My office dress code sounds more casual than yours, so mine has been a mix of:

flared jeans with a plain fitted tee and blazer (which may have a pattern to contrast the plain tee and jeans) with trainers

wide leg trousers (got some nice beige and white pinstripe ones from New Look)

shirts which I prefer on the baggy side. Love a pinstripe shirt

mid length slip skirts with lace trim paired with a jumper for contrast (not thick jumpers this time of year)

mainly flats as I have a bit of a walk to the train station.

I do have some dresses but they're reserved for hot days.

I’m a lecturer in a creative subject, so maybe not what you’re after, but here’s what I’ve worn this week:

Monday - black Hush barrel trousers, black and white stripy &OS top, leopard print Adidas Sambas
Tuesday - black and white striped Next barrel jeans, black Arket tee, black and white Adidas Sambas
Today is my non-working day, but I totally would have worn this to work - brown Cos barrel leg trousers, white long sleeved ASOS tee, tan Birkenstock Bostons
Tomorrow I’m wearing the same Cos trousers but in beige, the same Birkenstocks, and a navy and red stripy tee from New Look
Friday I wfh

Very much variations on a theme. I do have some midi skirts I wear with t-shirts and trainers or Birkenstocks on warmer days, and on colder days I wear a lot of cardigans (I know MN hates these!) from Cos, Arket and Urban Outfitters, over crew neck white t-shirts. I always wear red lipstick, chunky gold hoops, and a gold necklace stack. (I have many of all of these.)

Teaching staff in my place really dress for their subject. Law or business lecturers are much more black trousers and smart top, definitely no trainers, art/design lecturers are in blue jeans and tees, trainers, much more casual-casual.

My current work wardrobe is wide legged trousers, bright bold colured jumper (purple, mustard, teal etc) and wallaby shoes from Clark’s (im not sure they’re still called that but I’m a 90s kid so that’s what they are to me!)
compared to a lot of my colleagues that’s quite smart (mental health nursing) as they wear trainers, black jeans, etc… can’t bring myself to accept trainers are ok for work! I used to wear lots of floral dresses with boots but I’m starting to think that looks ageing and a bit frumpy as im getting older. Also have a lot of shirts with animals on but I think they may be a bit of a peri menopausal purchase!!
oh and I buy all from vinted but go for brands like Zara, Boden

I work for a local paper so very very not-dressy but if I want to wear something other than barrel leg jeans I sometimes wear cropped wide leg trousers like these in the beige colour way:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/tuc147332499

With trainers (Puma Palermo/Speedcat or Converse) and a tucked in top (stripy or black). If it's roasting, I've got a couple of plain pleated midi skirts.

I don't own a single blouse or blazer.

I'm with you on the dresses. I did Joules midi dresses for about 5 years and now I put them on and just feel wrong in them.

Work wear has definitely changed post Covid. I’d say it’s very much dresses now and no suits. Dresses tend to be longer and not above the knee. Some wear trousers but less common than dresses

For dresses I’d try H&M, M&S, Hobbs or whistles

For footwear anything goes now which is great if you can’t cope with sky scraper heels anymore like me!

I work in a large regional office of a multi national financial firm. Mid 30s, mid seniority and not wanting to look like the grads but also not power dressing like the female directors “smart casual” dress code- techies fine with jeans and trainers, business people expected to look a bit more formal than thatZ

My go to uniform is Abercrombie and Fitch Sloan wide leg trousers and Uniqlo fine knit crew jumpers, with a smart belt (love Sezane). On cooler days I switch for a Sezane cardigan, fully buttoned. The Adidas Samba style trainer works with this look but I don’t love trainers in the office so go for a ballet flat instead.

I'd start with some Uniqlo barrel leg jersey trousers and build a coupe of outfits round them. Then you can see what people are wearing when you start. I find footwear quite tricky now, but going into summer it will be easier to wear ballet pumps and loafers

Those Hobbs tops are useful. I might get a few Boden bits but after years of spending money on work clothes I’m trying to curtail it now.

I work for one of the big 4. I usually get trousers from Zara or H&M and shirts & jumpers from Sezane.

I work for the nhs and we are “smart casual” so not suits and mega smart stuff, but still smart. I wear a lot of stuff from next, M&S, Mango and tend to wear a mix of trousers/skirts/dresses - weather dependant

We aren’t meant to wear “denim or trainers”
but people do and it’s never an issue as such nobody sags anything.

Definitely stick to only a few new bits until you can see what others are wearing, what’s acceptable and what feels right for you.

My office is smart/casual and trainers are fine but I tend to wear them for office days only and not when I’m meeting clients, for presentations, conferences etc.

I base my outfits around good quality trousers (usually wide leg, although have other shapes) worn with trainers and a fitted tee and relaxed blazer (casual); smarter top & smarter blazer and loafers (meetings); silk blouse, pointed flats (conferences or big meetings).

You may also need a couple of different styles for different types of working day.

Unless it’s changed years ago when I bought Zara workwear it was bad quality, eg a work skirt I bought the hem came down within a week of me wearing it.

Thank you all so much this has been so so helpful ❤️ I am off work tomorrow so will be doing some ordering. Trying not to get carried away but I’m just so looking forward to “getting dressed” again.

In due course I will also need to get a new smart jacket for client meetings, I wore my trusty LK Bennett navy tweed for the interviews and it was a lot tighter than it was in 2019 haha!