What do you people who work in slightly more 'traditional' offices wear?

[Themasterandmargaritas]

I have a new job and I haven't worked in an office for a long time. What staples do you buy and where from?

I buy work stuff from next farily often and you are oh so wrong, orf

;)

Oh well, I haven't been in Next for donkey's years, but last time I went it was all nylon pinstripe, with a bit of grey nylon pinstripe thrown in for light relief. With pink shirts.

I can carry off nylon very well

janeite and pointy

I'm nearly 45 but I still feel the teenage desire to rebel even if it's only by wearing red suits or pink dresses. I probably need to grow up a bit.

my big rebellion at high school was to wear a red jumper when I moved to a school wioth a strict unifrom policy.

That was probably the big rebellion of my life.

Lots of knee length pencil skirts (I know,boring) from Hobbs or my most lovely is from Paul Smith black label

erm

I like fitted shirts (zara) ! and jumpers (gap?) and smart fitted jersey tops (kew)

lk bennett have some gorgeous silky tops..

and I wear ballet flats but occasionally heels

Also for summer, cropped trousers are good (got some black ones in mango)

I wore nail varnish at school sometimes. Ooooh, I was trouble with a very small "t"...

I did put red food colouring in my hair too but it just came out all over my school shirt. My mother wasn't amused.

I just bleached my hair with freshly squuezed lemon juice until it went brittle and sticky and then graduated onto sun-in

'And if I seem a little strange, well - that's because I am'

Can't stand Next though - sorry Pointy. Everything is in sweat-inducing man-made fibres which is really not good in classrooms that can easily reach 40 degrees.

Have just discovered the M&S 100% cotton cropped cardigans which are mega-cheap and v useful as a layer to cover arms without making me too warm.

Next out, Jaeger out, cheap tesco shirts out, black out.

Oh, perhaps this is where I should point out I live in the Tropics.

I've got to have colour.

What happens with shoes? Are flats a no no unless they are with, say, wide legged trousers?

Flats are fine in the Tropics. It would be a cruel and unnatural punishment to make you wear heels all the time...

Men's suit shops (eg TM Lewin, Thomas Pink) do fabulous women's shirts - makes you realise how badly put together women's clothes generally are. I always wait for the sale though!

Ooh congrats on your new job TMAM. Am a city solicitor - I wear suits most days (am a trousers girl -prob not ideal for where you are though). Pencil skirts and blouses/tops would work well in that climate I imagine. Oasis are good for suit stuff - and Zara too.

And FWIW the office rules in our office in london for womenswear are (i) no bare legs, (ii) no flip flops, (iii) no short short skirts, (iv) bare arms are ok as long as the neck line is not obscene. (v) no jeans.

dinky - do they actually give you these rules or are they unwritten? fascinating!

I wear jeans most days as do most of my colleagues. No one's ever turned up in sweatpants, but pretty much anything else goes. I'd be stuffed if I had to get another job outside of music biz. But I would like to put a little more effort into what I wear. I like wearing a dress occasionally

i ii and v are written down - iii and iv are unwritten but set in stone....

I used to work in a banking environment and the rules were the same as for dinky. In fact, when I first worked there (admittedly it was 1992) women weren't allowed to wear trousers...

BelleDame - thank god that rule disappeared well before I started work - otherwise I'd be working from home I suspect... I rare skirts so rarely in the office its a blue flag event when I do...

I am a head of dept in a fairly trad school and I like to look smart.

I wear M&S Limited smart things, Monsoon tops, Jaeger trouser suits (bought in sale and last forever), Isabella Oliver wrap dresses with camis, Lewins shirts. I try to wear a jacket, if not a cardi. I like to cover my arms at least to the elbow.

Hiya Pluto - how's Al doing?

I think things are generally abit more relaxed outside of "the city" environment - bear in mind the clients I work with almost exclusively wear suits throughout the week

Hi there Dinky - All's good with the big man Still not walking but thriving and chatting.

And your chaps?

Danny is an absolute monkey - but complete with dark hair, pretty features and big blue eyes so gets away with it with much cooing all round - walking lots, talking a bit (mostly squealing and pointing, generally at food) and a big fan of dancing.. He has all his dad's best moves

Thanks Dinks.

And for all your contributions. I'll see if I can get a couple of nice shirts, some plain skirts, a couple of dresses and a pair of trews. Eek it's not what I was planning to shop for this summer.

I'm a solicitor so work in a fairly trad environment. I think dresses would be a good option TMAM - I find that they are cooler than skirts/tops and easier to wear. Nothing worse than a sweaty crotch in a trouser suit. When I say dresses think Audrey Hepburn rather than Miss Jean Brodie. Usually mine are fairly structured and you can wear with heels and flats. And since you are a SIZE 8 you'll look fab. Oh yes, if you buy sleeveless you can wear them like that when it's hot and put a thin shirt/sweater underneath if it gets cold - does it ever get chilly in Nairobi?