Anyone else still enjoy dressing smartly for the office?

[DuchessOf]

My job has been increasing our in-office days over the past year and I now go in four days a week. I go into an office to sit in a cubicle and take online meetings, as my team works across the country.

I've realized how much joy I get from actually wearing (and using) my "nice" things. Especially my workwear!

I feel like fashion has become so casual that sometimes I wonder if I'm the odd one out for actually enjoying workwear. I love a suit. I love tailored trousers, a good blouse, proper shoes, a proper wool coat. I've even veered dangerously close to Margaret Thatcher with my pussy blow blouses. All of this was collected over the years and most of it was bought on eBay and Vinted. I have some H&M suits that have been with me for 10+ years. So I'm definitely not spending a fortune sourcing this stuff.

Now on my work from home days, I'm usually in leggings and a basic top - maybe a jumper or a white cotton blouse. So this isn't some "oh my goodness, we've all become slobs" rant. But I do sometimes feel a little sad that we've collectively decided that comfort and looking smart are somehow opposites.

Anyone else still love dressing for work or has everyone else fully embraced the comfy casual look?

Oh I love dressing smartly for work. I have midi pencil skirts, silk blouses, tailored trouser suits in rust, teal, cream, high neck shirts, cufflinks, sharp-shouldered blazers.

I work in FS so we are on the smarter side still. I am probably a tad smarter than many others even then, but I do quite a bit of media etc.

My one post-Covid concession: I now very rarely wear heels. In fact, I cannot remember the last time.

I do still enjoy dressing smartly for office days, but I too have stopped wearing heels since COVID.

Casual styles are also definitely more acceptable now so I make the most of it and sometimes wear jeans at work but I always style them up a bit. My current favourite look is dark jeans, a cream lace blouse, dark oversized blazer and tan accessories

I enjoy it too but favour a more structural look. Not a fan of pencil skirts or pussy bow blouses or heels as they don’t suit me, but I like the classic look with an interesting/different cut.

My workplace does not have a dress code and quite frankly, I wish it did! I think people need to remember they are at work and not elsewhere. Last week in the office a woman was wearing a cropped top showing a fabuIously toned midriff. Another lad always wears frayed denim shorts and a band t-shirt. Neither are appropriate for the office imo but I conscious this is a me problem and not an issue for them.
I will err on the smarter side of casual for the office because it gives me pleasure like the OP.

I have never had to dress formally for work and I would hate it to be honest. I still like getting dressed for work though.

I really enjoy dressing up for work. I don’t suit pencil skirts and blouses, but I love elegant, sculptural shapes and I’m a sucker for a well cut blazer.

Our office dress code is ‘business casual’ and some people are definitely on the casual side, but I enjoy clothes and having a reason to be smarter.

Now that I have retired I miss dressing up for days in the office.

I remember being excited after lockdown when we starred going back in and buying some new trousers and shoes.

I like having the choice. Some days I’m super smart, some days much much more casual. Depends on my mood. I work for myself though so I call the sartorial shots!

Im never scruffy though, even when casual.

I’ve never gone back to heels though which makes me sad in part because I LOVED my heels. But there you go. Times change.

I can’t quite understand why you don’t wear clothes you like when you wfh

I mean I am utterly focussed on comfort and practicality and the idea of a maggie thatcher bow rather turns my stomach - but I don’t insist you wear basics indoors

I do wear clothes I like when I work from home, but I wear the more casual clothes that I like. I wouldn’t feel right wearing my smarter outfits to work from home, but I don’t wear leggings and hoodies either.

I like it more smart casual, suits are so
old fashioned now .

Sometimes I dress smartly for work but we have no dress code beyond dressing respectfully (to paraphrase our dress code, keep your arse and your chest covered, both men and women!). If im in external meetings I will ‘dress up’ but some days when im just cracking on in the office im in jeans and trainers. It’s nice to have the choice, I don’t do smart as in pencil skirts or suits, but I will wear tailored trousers and blazers, nice knitwear and shirts. That’s smart enough for me! Never heels though.

I'm so confused by this comment.

I like all my clothing - at home and in the office.

The focus on "comfort" and "practicality" amuses me. It's all subjective. A pussy cat bow blouse to me isn't uncomfortable or unpractical. I don't work tending sheep on the Outer Hebrides, so it's perfectly comfortable and practical for my work.

I still dress smartly for work. Maybe not every day but even when I’m more casual I make a bit of an effort. I’ve even started wearing heels again.

I really like getting dressed to go to work but we have very limited office space and I have a long commute so only go in twice a week. On those days I get dressed nicely but also when I work from home and have a morning with no meetings, I'll often get dressed well and go and work in the library or a coffee shop. I have never really mixed work and home clothes.

Nothing to do with clothes, OP, but couldn't you work from home all the time, if you're just in meetings all the time?

I love dressing for work. Comfort is important to me and I’m on my feet a lot so I’m not in heels but generally nice trousers, loafers, a good shirt. Sometimes a blazer. Or a nice skirt with point toe flats. When I work from home I usually go with jeans and a shirt. I feel better when I’m dressed.

I spend a lot of time thinking about workwear.

For example current rotation has been wide leg cropped culottes, ballet flats, collarless blouse in nice fabric with a work appropriate pattern, tucked in with belt, nice necklaces etc. I now buy two of the same item as good quality workwear is hard to find and I know what really suits me as I had my colours done.

I think it comes from the fact that, left to my own devices I could wear primark leggings and a tshirt, so I have purposely trained myself to try to be more stylish.

I also miss the days when a 'slim silhouette' was not considered boring. I refuse to wear dropped shoulders end of. I have also been eyeing up the pussybow, I used to wear a vintage one in light pink all the time, also had a polka one - I think it is often the case that if it suits you then you can wear it and make it look modern. For example, maybe I would go for a denim looking pussy bow blouse in a quality tencel/lyocell.

I work in corporate law and enjoy wearing my smart workwear for the office! In particular I have an extensive jewellery collection which I love to rotate, but I also love a good blazer. I feel I need to up my shoe game though - I’ve noticed more and more heels coming back in among my senior female colleagues whereas I’m in loafers.

I wear business casual on my in office days (no jeans or trainers) - trousers, loafers and nice top (no heels since Covid). More recently though I have begun to wear suits to help denote seniority. I’m in a male dominated environment and I’m younger than many at my level so I was finding that I was sometimes being mistaken for being more junior than I am. So depending on what’s in my diary, it will be business casual or a suit.

Yes me! Love it.

I went for a job interview recently where they told me how casual their dress code was like it was a plus point. I knew I was in the wrong place!

I wear dresses, skirts, blazers, jackets and heels to work every day. It makes me happy

Yes, love it. And I don’t care if I’m more dressed up than some other people since Covid. I enjoy it and look smart!

I like to be comfortable at work. I don’t wear leggings or joggers but will wear jeans and trainers and some kind of top. Sometimes a smarter one sometimes a band t shirt depending on how I feel. It’s also freezing in our office so a fleecy jacket from h and m or a cardigan and very occasionally a hoody.

It's corporate nonsense. Now the office I go to does have teams who work together in-person. But it's all about fairness so I'm lumped in with them despite no need for me to go into the office.

I've always had a penchant for slim cut, as boring as that is. I tried the oversized blazer trend for a minute - looked like I had raided my mum's closet and was playing dress up.

It's so funny you mention polka dots. I do have some polka dot blouses which are probably seen as boring or untrendy. Whatever! I feel confident in them. Polka dots are timeless.