With many of us returning to the office, it is true that some of us might not have worn work attire for a couple of years. Even on Zoom meetings, wearing a smart shirt with your pyjama shorts would never have been clocked! This means a wardrobe refresh might be long overdue. Here are six top tips for updating your office wear.
- Go for quality over quantity
Firstly, remember that your wardrobe does not have to be huge. You can create an effective capsule wardrobe with just a few key pieces that you can mix and match with one another. However, one thing that is essential with a capsule wardrobe is to ensure that everything is of a high quality.
Grab yourself a few high quality shirts for men made from cotton or linen. Then, invest in at least one suit – either black or grey works best, and perhaps some lighter chinos for the warmer summer months. And voila!
- Keep it neutral
Try to stick to white, cream, black and grey for your core pieces – even some pastels or navy might work too. This allows you to effectively mix and match between all your pieces. Even if you practically wear the same outfit two days in a row, you will be able to throw on a different blazer or coat to utterly transform the look.
- Add pops of colour
Though your core wardrobe should be neutral, this doesn’t mean you need to eliminate colour altogether. There are many ways to introduce colour into your outfits, including ties, shirts, and even patterns.
For example, if you have opted for a grey trouser, how about choosing a pair with a subtle coloured check. You can then pull out this colour as your accessory colour, choosing a matching tie, hairband, necklace, cufflinks, and even socks. You don’t have to go too bright – a small pop of colour is as effective as any.
- Don’t forget shoes
Your shoes are another way to add a pop of colour to your outfit. If you are a shoe lover, experiment with different coloured shoes, such as brogues, loafers, or high heels particularly. However, if you like your wardrobe to be less cluttered, simply invest in a couple of pairs of black, brown or nude shoes that will go with every outfit.
- Layer up
For women, build up your basic base layers with some blouses and vests. You can then get some cardigans, jumpers, blazers, and waistcoats to layer over your base layer to refresh the look every time.
For men, get yourself some smart t-shirts and shirts. Then, layer upon this with cardigans, jumpers, sweater vests, blazers, waistcoats, or whatever takes your fancy. This will take a simple tee from casual to smart casual in no time.
- Accessorise
When done right, accessories can be a real statement piece. Whether it is a belt, tie, cufflinks, watch, handbag, laptop bag, satchel, tie clip, or so on, take the opportunity to inject some personality into your outfit. If you love a pair of novelty socks – go for it! If your vibe is more professional and sophisticated, you might even opt for a pocket square.
And there you have it – six simple rules for refreshing your office attire, for both men and women alike, giving you that helping hand to acclimatising back into office life.
