Dressing professional in a post pandemic world
Is it just me or wasn’t dressing for the office pre-pandemic so much easier? Smart-casual has changed - and it can be tricky to know what to wear on these RTO days when the suit feels too much for you.
If you love the uniform of wearing the full suit to the office (or you are in an office where it is expected to wear suits) then I invite you to experiment with colours outside the usual black or navy. A beautiful chocolate brown suit would be gorgeous if you are warm toned with darker hair, or the right kind of red suit can look incredible if you are cool toned with blue eyes!!
But for those of us who want to be comfy and smart here are my thoughts.
Let’s start with shoes - if you too are looking at rows of heels thinking how dafuq did I ever walk around the office all day in these, then know you are not alone! My new office shoes of choice would be a black loafer, heels but not as high in fun colours and a white, leather trainer. I have some loafers from Topshop that I invested in years ago and never wore! These look great with trousers and even skirts that are (just) above the knee with a cute ankle sock! I think low heels (higher than kitten but not stilettos) in fun colours are great. They add that pop of colour to an otherwise muted outfit and for me, help me feel more professional if I feel my outfit is more on the comfy side. Another great option is white leather trainers/sneakers - these look great with everything although can feel little more casual than the loafers!
Seen as we started with shoes - let’s move on to bottoms! Whereas before I would have really only worn black suit trousers or a black pencil skirt I have opened expanded these options to include jeans, trousers in other colours and different types of skirts. In particular I have a pair of light wash jeans that are ankle grazers and straight legged and I think these are perfect for the summer days in the office. I pair these with either a hot pink heels, or the white leather trousers depending on how I want to feel.
I also have a black satin skirt that is not tight and finishes above my knee that feels smart, but without being too buttoned up, and this is a great option for when I want to be a bit smarter than jeans! I pair these with the black loafers & some sparkly ankle socks or the white trainers!
Tip: the shorter the bottom the lower the heel is a great rule of thumb! So flats with shorter skirts or shorts, and pair your heels with trousers or longer skirts like a midi skirt.
Regarding the top half; I have some pretty basics. So maybe instead of a plan white t-shirt I have a ribbed white tee that has some lace around the neckline, or a high neck cream satin cowl neck top that I think looks really good with the jeans or the black skirt. Shirts are a great choice if you are not ‘blessed’ or are ‘cursed’ in the boob department. As a G cup, unless I have shirts made to measure, they are either gaping which looks terrible or they swamp me and make me look bigger than I am. So tops with some stretch are definitely my friend.
Breton stripes are always classic too, and could be worn inside a suit or can be worn with jeans with a red heel or handbag… or a pop of red lipstick for that extra French chicness!
Tip: if you are bigger boobed then any top that is not a high neck or a crew neck will look best. V-necks, cowl necks, sweetheart necklines and even square necks will all look great.
However if you do wear a higher neck then wearing a long necklace or scarf or an open cardigan or jacket will help elongate you and minimise your boob area (if that is something you want to do).
Finally I chuck on a blazer. A blazer… NOT an actual suit jacket! I don’t know why but it is easy to tell when a blazer is an actual suit jacket… you just know! So invest in a few that are versatile and can be worn with everything. I have a plain black one with slightly ruched sleeves, a cream boucle with gold buttons and a brown tarten/slightly striped one - they instantly make an outfit feel more put together and they each have an element that makes them stand out.
Tip: Take a look at your wardrobe to decide which colours will be best for you. Blazers are close to your face so the tone can be the difference between you glowing or looking washed out. I am warm toned so cream is better than white, and brown will suit me better than navy. Black is typically cool BUT it can look great on warmer tones if they are deep ie. dark brown eyes and dark brown hair.