"Business professional" for the clueless

[JohnnyAndTheTaxDemand]

Please help! I've been unexpectedly seconded to a company that's got a very different vibe to what I'm used to. I'm meeting my new boss in person in a couple of weeks and have been told the dress code is "business professional". I think I'm sorted for my top half - a short sleeved navy silk top. Or I have a shirt from joules that I think would be ok. But I'm stumped about bottom half - my only smart trousers are black which I feel won't work with navy.

I'm 5'3, size 12-14, hourglass with a bit of a post-pregnancy tum. Very pale colouring. Limited grasp of fashion or style.

Please help a clueless ex-academic who never wanted to be corporate and generally lives in jeans 😂

Thanks! I feel pretty secure in terms of the role itself as I'm taking my existing expertise into a new environment that needs it. It's just a much more formal environment than the one I've always worked in and I get the sense that they're quite conscious of the image they project. Everywhere I've worked before was purely about output and if anything people were inclined to take you less seriously if you dressed too corporate!

Mint Velvet do excellent work trousers. Also, they do quite nice blouses that can be tucked in to elevate your look. Or Me+Em do great cotton silk tops if budget allows

No one seems to have mentioned Cos? Surely that’s exactly what you want - serious, stylish, contemporary - at High St prices?

https://www.cos.com/en-gb/women/trousers?page=2

Link to trousers, but obviously they do everything. You’ll have to ignore the out of office for the hols summer styling.

My go to for this is a wardrobe of navy, cream/white, grey and black. I have a variety of tops, blouses, jackets trousers and cardigans in those colours and just mix and match. In the winter I wear suede ankle boots, in summer I wear loafers or wedges as I can’t wear pumps.

OP, can you add a long silk (or silk-like) scarf in colours that will relieve the black and navy a bit? Something subtle not gaudy with a cream background perhaps?