Office wear for the ladies and gents

Hello:)

I had a few requests to write about what to wear to the office… and I have been mulling over this blog post for quite a while. This is a tricky one 😉 Nowadays officewear is not necessarily formal as it used to be in the past so it can get a little bit complicated, however I believe there are certain principles which always apply. Read on and let me know whether you agree 🙂 By the way this post is for females and males …😊

First things first, read your office dress code. All offices typically have one, so read through it and follow the rules, that is a must. Some places require a more formal dress code whilst others, such as gaming companies allow for a more relaxed attire. Understand what image the company you work for wants to portray and go with it.

Let’s start off with some basic principles…. irrespective of whether the dress code is formal or not, in my view the following are no nos :

Ladies

Low cut blouses

• Transparent tops with underwear showing

• Mini skirts

• Midriff tops

Gents

• Low cut loose trousers with underwear showing (rapper style;)

• White socks with black shoes…🤦‍♀️

• Socks and sandals

• Tank tops

Formal office dress code

If the company/firm you work for goes for a more formal attire, here are a few tips to make your outfits more exciting and cool. I ll start off with the ladies 🙂

You do not have to wear suits… stiff suits are actually not that in anymore unless you go for a male type suit with either a waist coat or a tie and brogues with hair neatly pulled back and you have a cool and polished look!

Invest in basics, such as black and cream trousers, with which you can match different coloured shirts or blouses. Another must is having a couple of blazers, there are soooo many different styles. Go for a a navy or white for the summer and black and camel for the winter months. You can mix and match with shift dresses, skirts and pants… easy does it 😉

Make sure you own a pair of nude pumps, with heels or flats that’s up to you… but they always come in handy. If you want to jazz up your outfit buy a pair of bright coloured shoes and pair up with a back dress… cool!

Bag and shoes need not match…. I promise you this is passé. They need to blend together but not be “the set” piece 🙂 black shoes paired with a burgundy handbag which has black handles… and voila different, stylish and smart.

I love adding scarves or brooches to my outfits. You can wear these in so many different ways, but I will dedicate a separate blog post to that and how you can add some fun to your outfits.

Non-formal dress code

If you can go to work in jeans and t-shirts, go for it. Personally I prefer a t shirt neatly tucked in the jeans or a polo shirt paired to a denim skirt and smart trainers to go with them.

T-shirt dresses are also a good investment for the summer months, paired up with flat sandals and a big tote bag. You can find these dresses in different colours and if you have a pair of silver flat sandals, these are considered to be a neutral colour so go for it!

Gents

Formal wear

So they say men have it easy, no? Just wear a suit. Yes, however there are different accessories and ways of pairing suits so read on…:)

Find out whether you need to wear a tie at your place of work. If not, today you can wear the pocket square handkerchief… very in. If you must wear a tie, today there are so many different styles and colours that you can make these fun!

Waistcoats look cool and smart, however these do not suit everyone. Do get an honest opinion, from someone you trust. Also, you do not need a three piece suit, the waistcoat does not need to match your jacket and trousers, it can be of a different colour, clearly it needs to blend in however!

Shoes and belts need to match in formal attire, that is a rule I won’t budge on 😉 Personally I like brown shoes with blue suits, which is the more Italian style. Black is acceptable but not my favourite 😉

You want to go real smart, wear cuff links with your shirt… there are formal ones or some fun ones. Go by your mood and jazz up your suit 😉

During the summer months opt for light coloured suits, they still look very smart and provide you with a change to your everyday blues and greys which are very popular with suits.

Non-formal attire

Invest in casual pants in navy, cream and grey and mix and match with different t-shirts, polo shirts or shirts. Loose trousers are no longer in, so go for the straight leg type or if you are a little bit more adventurous you can opt for skinny trousers (again these don’t suit everyone…)

If wearing the polo shirt or t-shirt from the inside you can wear a thin belt and in this case if you are pairing it up with casual shoes such as deck shoes, moccasins or trainers – the belt and shoes need not be the same colour but clearly need to match 😉

In the winter months you can wear jeans and sweaters, together with Chelsea boots or trainers. If you are daring, go for some different colours for the sweaters, maybe a couple of bright ones to brighten up the damp and grey season…!

I hope you enjoyed this post, just a few ideas to make your office wear a little more exciting 🙂

Let me know what you think…!

Take care

Yan

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