Are you going back to the office? Many of my clients are. And whether you’ve returned to your 9 to 5 grind at corporate HQ or you’re on a hybrid schedule of office/work from home, getting dressed to go back to work might feel like something foreign. And I don’t blame you if it does.
After all – you just spent the last year in sweatpants or leggings or some other version of comfy at home clothes. And now, getting dressed to actually see other people in real life feels kind of daunting. Because comfort was the name of the game at home – but it wasn’t necessarily your work style before the pandemic.
But I have news for you. Your work clothes can be stylish AND office-appropriate AND comfortable at the same time. You don’t have to trade comfort for appropriateness. And you don’t have to trade an easy-feeling style for what makes sense for your workplace. All it takes is some simple swaps to shift your office style into one that feels completely comfortable, totally stylish and 100% intentional.
So, here are 5 simple swaps you can make in your wardrobe for a more comfortable office style. And feel free to copy the outfits – these are all looks I created for clients so they can feel confident yet comfortable at work. And you can, too!
STRUCTURED BLAZER ➡️ SWEATER/KNIT BLAZER
If you work in a business professional industry (or you used to), you may have a collection of structured blazers. And what I mean by a ‘structured blazer’ is anything that feels somewhat stiff or constricting – you might think of them as blazers that look like half of a suit. And while structured blazers are amazingly versatile pieces, they don’t exactly exude comfort.
So, how about swapping your structured blazer for a sweater/knit blazer? The construction of both is similar, but what’s key is that a sweater or knit blazer is made of a much more comfortable material. As the names imply, a sweater blazer feels like a sweater. And a knit blazer typically feels like sweatshirt material. So, you get all the style points of wearing a tailored blazer, but with the ease of a sweater or hoodie!
4 different looks with 4 different sweater blazers - yet they’re all completely professional and comfortable at the same time.
You can find knit blazers in different silhouettes and with varied degrees of structure. The two on the left are built more like a traditional blazer, while the two on the right are lighter weight and longer lengths.
SILKY BLOUSES ➡️ ELEVATED T’S/LIGHTWEIGHT SWEATERS
Silky blouses may have been a mainstay in your pre-pandemic work wardrobe. But when you’re looking for something a bit more relaxed, it’s all about easier fabrics. And there’s nothing easier than a knit t-shirt or a lightweight sweater. So, let’s chat about both.
The most important thing to remember when using a t-shirt as a layering piece for work is to keep it elevated. And what elevates a t-shirt to something beyond basic are a few things – color, print, shape and detail. These things shift it beyond a simple underlayer into a top that adds style points to your look. Click here for examples of elevated t-shirts and a few outfit ideas.
When you’re wearing a sweater as a layer, the rules are straightforward. Keep it lightweight. Use it as an opportunity to add color or print or texture. And if you think you might take your jacket off, ensure it’s something you’re confident wearing alone in front of your co-workers.
If you have any challenges with finding blouses that fit, an elevated t-shirt or lightweight sweater may be a better option. It moves with you and stretches where you need it.
‘REAL’ PANTS ➡️ ELASTIC/DRAWSTRING WAIST PANTS
The most controversial pandemic style topic (at least I think so) is pants. Because when you’re on Zoom calls all day, no one knows what you’re wearing on the bottom. So, you can show up to work meetings in a mullet outfit – professional on top (blouse, sweater, elevated t-shirt) and super comfy on the bottom (leggings, joggers, pajama pants). But now that you’re going into the office, how can you align comfort with feeling appropriate at work?
The answer is easy – swap your ‘real’ pants (i.e. pants with a structured waistband) for elastic or drawstring waist pants. The pandemic has brought a bunch of these options into stores – so you can find styles that look just like dressier pants, but with the ease of a comfortable waist.
This client wanted me to create office-appropriate looks with her black elastic waist pants. So, all these outfits are the same pants, just outfitted different ways!
STRUCTURED DRESSES ➡️ KNIT/SWEATER DRESSES
How do you feel about dresses? Do you love them or are you not really into them? Most of my clients are either one or the other. But if you work in a business professional environment, you probably have a few in your work wardrobe, even if you just save them for conferences or high profile presentations.
The good thing is that there’s no reason to avoid dresses as your regular office attire – on high visibility days or not. Because there are dresses that totally fit within the realm of super comfortable and super stylish at the same time. And just like with blazers, it’s all about the fabric. Knit and sweater dresses are much easier to wear than structured woven dresses – so you get the ‘one and done’ ease of a dress outfit combined with something that’s comfortable to wear all day. Read this to see my favorite kind of dress (and why I call it a ‘blank slate’).
Knit and sweater dresses are great options to try if you don’t wear dresses a lot. And they’re also an ideal piece to transition between seasons - just switch from heels or flats to tights and booties.
‘WORK’ SHOES ➡️ COMFORTABLE SHOES
The most obvious shift to make your work outfits more comfortable is with your shoes. Many of my clients have sworn off heels (outside of the dressiest occasions), while others are fully embracing sneakers as their new go-to.
But I think your shoe swap depends on a few things. What you wore to work before the pandemic, what you find most comfortable and the image you want to project. So, you may be swapping heels for flats. Or stilettos for stacked heels. Or structured flats for softer versions. Or you may go straight to sleek sneaker styles. My main advice is to make intentional choices that make sense with the rest of your outfit. And if you’re ready to try printed shoes, check out these outfits.
Comfort is always key with shoes, but specifically now if you’ve spent the last 1.5 years in slippers. So, test your shoes for a few hours around the house before you commit to wearing them for 8+ hours at work.
Which style swaps will you make when you go back to the office? Let me know in the comments! And if you’re still working from home for the foreseeable future, check out my list of work from home wardrobe essentials.
If we’re not already friends on social media, let’s fix that. Follow me here on Instagram and here on Facebook for style inspiration and a little behind the scenes of what I do (and if you’re on Pinterest, check me out there, too!).