Werk. Werk. Werk.
It has been eleven(!!) years since I worked in a proper office environment. Before I had kids I worked in a newsroom, and later in PR and tourism marketing. I clearly remember the struggles I had to dress myself as a young professional. It was particularly hard to match my casual, outside-of-work style with what I thought professionals needed to wear (black polyester pants and stilettos). I felt like when I was going to work I was putting on a costume, instead of looks that represented me.
It’s very tricky being a woman in the professional world. I wanted to look the part, being polished and pulled together, without calling too much attention to my femininity, yet not being completely masculine. In other words, I didn’t want to dress just like a man, but I didn’t want people paying attention to me for the wrong reasons. Tricky waters to navigate. If you’re a female professional in an office environment, I’d love to hear how you navigate this with your personal style.
If I could go back in time and tell early-20’s Andrea how to dress, I would urge her to search a little harder to find ways to be true to her personal aesthetic. To take the time and get the right pieces that make her heart sing a little, and not just check-the-box – black, polyester pants.
I’ve learned a little bit about how to style myself over the last decade (especially the last few years!). If I needed to reintegrate in a professional, office-based environment, I’d like to think I have a pretty good handle on how I’d dress.
1 // Classic White Top – I prefer an oxford fabric like this one. It’s constructed for everyday wear, and masculine in cloth, but feminine in cut.
2 // Polka Dots – A relaxed button up with a subtle pattern is a great way to give professional basics (like pants) some visual interest without screaming, ‘hey! look at me!’ (which is definitely my M.O.). This top would be cute with either of the bottoms pictured, and either of those shoes too! And it would look pretty darn good buttoned all the way up, under a blazer.
3 // Black Pumps – Where were these shoes when I needed them? They are just as polished as the pointy-toed, pencil-heeled shoes I wore but with the ability to walk at a normal pace. I am even racking my brain to see if they fit any ‘needs’ in my life now. Super cute, super professional, super smart.
4 // Platform Oxfords – These make an impactful statement, and say ‘hey, I’m stylish’ but don’t take over in a meeting. They would look amazing with both wide leg and slim fit pants.
5 // Gold Hoop Earrings – I stumbled across these the other day when I was looking up t-shirts on Reformation’s site, and I realized I was spending more time eyeing the model’s earrings than the T-shirts. They are small (1″) yet thick, so they make a really nice, simple statement. The bonus for me: they are hollow, and lightweight with stud closures, so they don’t wiggle (much).
6 // The Blazer – This is another one of those items that I reaaaaaaly wish I could justify in my real life, but it just doesn’t make sense. But man, they look good on other people when I see them. This herringbone one is particularly attractive.
7 // Black Pants – These are the grown up version of those black polyester pants. These are chic, impactful and ultra functional. All the shirts featured here would work beautifully with these. (Even this cute reversible one, that I ran out of space for.) In a nutshell, Kamm pants make all things look good. At the office too. (And yes they will get comfortable. Buy the right size and give them time.)
8 // The Tapered Pant – I have seen these pants on enough people to know they are really flattering. The loose, but close cropped fit is a fresh option to choose over thigh-hugging work pants. These would be cute with just about everything pictured here. Think: polka dots and black pumps, or blush top and platform shoes, or mix those two up.
9 // High Neck Blouse – I love the color of this top, along with the texture from the pleats at the top. It feels like it would be a good option for when I would tire of button ups. I also really like blouses with big neck ties!
10 // Burgundy Satchel – I love the idea of a non-black bag for work (for life too). This one can be trapeze style, or rectangular if you fashion the inner snaps. FYI, it’s not available till next month though.
And of course I would wear some of my favorite jumpsuits and dresses that are currently hanging in my closet. I think options like tencel and cupro make great work-friendly, easy-care fabric options for clothes. And I’d definitely wear my leather jacket with everything.
Sometimes I miss the challenge of styling myself for a professional environment and sometimes I don’t. I’d love to hear what you wear to work!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and was debating about sending you questions. You beat me to the punch. I fit into the young (pseudo)professional category, meaning that I don’t work in an office but have meetings and events that I need to dress professionally for. I also have an ultra-casual lifestyle/home life; I live in the woods, at a summer camp, and like clothes that can take me from the couch to town to a walk around the grounds, that can also fit my meetings…. so basically a very tricky aspirational wardrobe. I’ve been thinking about how to dress professionally, but also like myself. Thanks for the wisdom and inspiration! I especially love the blazer!
Ahhh, I’m so glad I could help Katie! That sounds like quite the two worlds you need to dress for! I think good fabrics and good garment construction will go a long way in helping you meet your two goals.
Cute mood board! I could see myself wearing things like this if I worked in a more formal office setting — I do still keep my “professional” standards in the back of my closet as a just-in-case measure, and they’re mostly secondhand skirts and oxfords I found I at consignment boutiques. The litterless blog posted a great guide to secondhand office wear: https://www.litterless.com/journal/secondhand-wardrobe-workwear-office-clothing
On a separate, polite (i.e. non accusatory) note, I wonder if perhaps “female professional” would be better worded as “professional woman”? It sounds like you’re reflecting on the challenges of navigating gender presentation in the workplace (a very tricky thing indeed), and “woman” is a gender identity whereas “female” is a sex — not all female humans present or identify as women or particularly feminine, a squares-vs.-rectangles kind of thing, you know? For instance, my close friend is a woman who works in a professional office environment and navigates her personal style by wearing an amazing selection of light, structured jackets like those from Elizabeth Suzann, Eileen Fisher, or Ali Golden.
Hi Jess, thank you for this excellent perspective! Sometimes I forget to contemplate anything other than my own. I will change the copy to reflect the more accurate terminology you suggested! Excited to check out that post you linked, love her site!
That burgundy satchel is gorgeous! Thanks for putting this together. I teach college classes as a grad student and frequently wear Kamm pants with Equipment silk button-downs tucked in. I need to re-evaluate the silk blouses, though, now that I have a messy toddler!
Oh that sounds super cute!!! Yes, I hear you, silk is fussy! I am kind of interested in the cupro fabric Everlane is using! I had a cupro dress once, and it was pretty easy to machine wash. Toddlers ARE messy!
I am struggling with this exact thing right now. I have been working in a very casual environment with the occasional meeting to dress up for for the past few years. I am starting a new job in 3 weeks and they are very corporate/business casual (I worked at the same place 3 years ago and totally fell into the polyester pants and stretchy buttons downs category). This time around, I don’t want to give up who I am and how I’ve changed personally, as well as my style. I have been gathering inspiration from couple of people on instagram and think I have a pretty good idea of how to dress ‘professionally’ yet keep my own flare…I am thinking cotton canvas pants, wide legs, and oversized linen/raw silk shirts with some more fitted tops sprinkled in. Oh and lots of dresses (I just ordered the Everlane Wrap dress!). I am trying to make this experience a fun challenge instead of stressing out about it – I know there has to be tons of people in the same situation as me! Thanks for putting this post together :)
Congratulations on the new job Christina! OMG, yep, guilty of stretchy button downs too! It sounds like you’re on the track to building a wardrobe that reflects your style in the office, rather than conforming, excited for you!!
I have the same divide between what I like, personally (quite casual), and what I want or need for work (business casual to suits).
Suiting: lately I like Banana Republic black wool suiting. It’s lined and breathes and is affordable.
I really like Everlane “Day” shoes — I have 2 pr heels (black, oxblood) and black flats. Pairing the oxblood with the black suiting is more my style as it’s a little playful/unexpected.
I wear structured shirts, trousers, and flats on non-suits days.
At home I wear softer shirts and jeans or shorts. I always love a cardigan!
My palette and style gets more classic for dressy things (black/navy/white/oxblood/cognac ).
My palette and style gets more…Boho isn’t quite right… Beach-Scandinavian-Anthropologie-ish? Personally. (Cognac gray slate sage black white…maybe a pop of
mustard or vermilion).
I’m 40. :)
What do you do Rebecca that you wear suits to work? I’m always curious about other people’s professions! I love the idea of mixing in oxblood with your professional wardrobe, keeps things interesting! Thanks for sharing what you wear!
I guess a uniform at work makes it easier to get dressed but there’s no stylin’ scrubs and I actually miss work wear sometimes!! And painted nails. And jewellery…
I feel like I always wanted the opposite of what I had! When I had a uniform, I missed my clothes. When I worked in an office, I got tired of stressing about clothes. Never satisfied! ><
So true! I recently got an office job after working in customer service, and I now have to put together a business casual wardrobe and ditch the uniform. I’ve been stressing about it A LOT more than I would care to admit. But at least there are some guidelines that I can follow re: what is/isn’t appropriate. The worst was when I worked in an “[almost] anything goes” start-up at the beginning of my career–I always felt overdressed and uncomfortable or underdressed and self-conscious.
also re blazers, I have many that I wear casual styled out of work, they are awesome with jeans and t’s, over dresses, as a light coat in transitional weather. I have 2 linen for summer and 3 wool for fall/ winter. All bought second hand as I didn’t know if it was a an item that would work in my causal wardrobe but it really does.
Good to know! I always end up shying away from them because my shoulders are kind of broad. But every once in a blue moon, I’ll find one that looks good. I should probably try them more often!
Thank you for this! There aren’t many bloggers in the space who have traditional office/corporate jobs, and it can be a struggle to find inspiration for business casual wear. I appreciate the curation of pieces that are dressy and professional but still interesting (so much of what I find on Pinterest/online is dark skinny jeans + blazers).
Side note–I’m so glad that I’ve learned more about ethical fashion, sustainability, and quality in general from the sustainable fashion space. If I go into a department store now (and, I admit I went recently to see what there was for more affordable office wear, since I haven’t had much luck thrifting), I leave without buying anything. Most everything is terrible quality, and if it is decent (and sometimes even when it isn’t), it costs just as much as a sustainably and ethically made item. (To give you an example, Brooks Brothers wanted $300 for a pair of UNLINED dress pants. Insanity!) I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll just re-mix the clothes I do have until I find something I like secondhand or save up for the $$$ stuff.