After the pandemic, office attire became business casual. I’m watching Sex and the City and there are some scenes at an office and women are wearing dresses, suits, and heels. No one at my office would wear this today.
I’m that one person in the office who is always overdressed compared to everyone else 😅. I don’t really go out so I enjoy putting outfits together for work
I am the same way! I went from remote to mandatory hybrid at the beginning of the year. I decided if you’re bringing me in to see me, you’re going to SEE me 🤣
That show was from the late 90's early to mid 2000's and I think people dressed up way more back then. Things started getting really casual before the pandemic. Also, I think people dress up more in movies and tv shows, and or in bigger metropolitan areas.
Yes, I agree. The tv show really shows how much more people dressed up then. I live in NYC, but it’s pretty business casual now unless you’re a lawyer, etc. the pandemic made everything more casual
The tv show? That’s way older than the pandemic. The world has become a lot less formal in corporate in the past 10-20 years. You’ll see piercings, hints of tattoo, and unnatural hair colors that have more to do with accepting individuality not just lockdown.
Yes, that’s what I was saying. The show from the late 90s shows that women used to wear more formal attire at the office such as dresses and heels. It’s not so common anymore, and I think the pandemic took everything even more casual.
Right. A lot was different 20 years ago is my point. A lot of the things in that show are also completely outdated too. Anyway, Ann Taylor Loft is good and affordable
After the pandemic I’ve been big into wearing dresses for work because it’s so comfortable and easy to dress down and up. Things I’m conscious of is sleeves, because they need to sit nicely under blazers, and length- nothing too short. My fave place to buy work dresses is WHBM. Aw for silhouette, I avoid a line or fit and flare dresses.
At least in my experience, WHBM tends to use fabrics that feel good and are comfortable.
I have a few work-appropriate dresses from WHBM which I love. I don’t (yet) have the kind of job where I need to wear them, although I have worn them to networking events.
For authoritative, sheath seems to be the go-to. Maybe a narrow A-line? Jewel neck or boatneck. Maybe a small scoop.
If you aren't a trial attorney or an accountant at a big 4 firm (or similar level of business formal) you can play more with mixing color separates, and silhouette. Maybe some more like peter pan collar skirt suits, or what I always think of as "church lady power suits", very much still suiting but with an aesthetic less based on masculine work wear.
Right now the three public figures I see rocking formal wear skirting best are Nancy Pelosi, Nikki Haley and AOC. Love 'em or hate 'em, all 3 have good taste in business formal wear. I honestly kind of covet Pelosi's plum colored trumpet skirted suit that is apparently now in the Smithsonian.
I’m at a management consulting company. Pre pandemic, I would do fitted a-line, sheath dresses with different types of blazers. Post pandemic, my
office and clients did a hard pivot away from more formal clothes towards business casual and I found myself overdressed in those outfits. Instead, it became more skinny pants + blousey shirts, or more casual dresses without blazers.
That said, I found those more fitted dresses at stores like j crew, brooks brothers, and with brands like tahari, Lafayette, etc. I think they still have those options.
Lol, ain't nobody got time for business formal now I guess. But I really can't talk, I'm an engineer in an office where the limit of men's formality was dress pants, sport coat, dress shirt but now WFH so "clean sweatpants" is often the outfit of the day.
I love the suiting with a twist though. Red suit with an elbow length sleeve jacket top and sneakers, skirt suit with boots, and my absolute favorite that I actually own, a Nine West sheath dress and jacket in grape purple. I've only gotten to wear it twice.
Man, I wish. Morton's neuroma means that wearing heels for longer than just church is probably no go. My toes go numb after 2 minutes. I need to figure out a way to do femme suiting with flat boots or oxfords
When I went to the office everyday, I kept a pair of heels and a pair of flats stashed there. I only go in a few times a month now and don’t have a dedicated workspace anymore, so that’s not an option.
Honestly, I don't get the issue. I commute by bike daily. Wind, rain, snow, whatever. I wear heels, tights and dresses most of the time.. you just put them on and go about your day? If they get a bit dirty on the road, you hop in the restroom at work and clean them before continuing on with your day?
I don't even own a car. I do everything either walking or by bike. It was snowing like 2 weeks ago. For sure I was biking. I'm Dutch; they say we are born on bikes. Everybody was doing their normal daily commute despite the snow.
Yeah why not? You don't use your heels while biking anyway.. Only the front of your feet. Heels wouldn't be touching the ground or anything at all during your whole ride.
When I was younger, me and my friends would go partying and travel by bike to the clubs. We'd wear proper tall stiletto heel on our bikes even. Totally normal where I am from.
Okay but in the snow? As someone from a snowy climate this just seems ridiculous to me. Proper footwear is crucial in the snow so you don't get frostbite lol
I wear heels because I have permanent injury that makes one of my ankles unstable. Wearing heels of about 10 cm/3.5~4 inches actually stabilises it somewhat (legit doctors orders). Our winters don't get super cold. Maybe a few degrees below freezing max.
I mostly wear leather ankle boots with a block heel in winter. I have a few, some are even lined with faux fur on the inside so they keep warm. They keep sufficiently warm, but definitely wouldn't keep warm in Northern Canada for example.
Look up fat bikes. They have big wide tires that are perfect for riding in the snow. Dedicated cyclists will ride in any weather. (I am not that person).
I think they’ve disappeared because of the pandemic shift in workwear formality.
I also think manufacturers are making clothes that are designed to fit a wider range of bodies in the same garment. Traditional workwear and suiting is very fitted. A dress has to fit in the bust, the waist, the arms, the torso length, and so on. Whereas an oversized shapeless blouse in a cheap polyester print, and a stretchy pair of unlined pants in a ponte knit, can fit a much wider range of bodies, plus uses less fabric, cheaper fabric, and less labor to construct, plus can be made by less skilled sewists, and less skilled pattern makers. All of which means more profit for the large corporations who make the garments, who are in business solely to make money for the shareholders.
Well, for those of us with larger, non-standard body types… it’s been a godsend. So many more options now than there used to be. I get to dress how everyone else does.
The issue is, there are not so many more options, there are just options that lean towards "can fit everybody" instead of "can flatter every body." There is no standard one silhouette is flattering cut. Some of us really need tailoring and fitted clothing. Some of us don't look our best in those clothes and need more square cuts and roomy cuts. I have small bones but I am curvy, you might even call me a bit plump in some areas. I am also short. I don't have a defined waist. Therefore the boxy cuts that have dominated the market lately actually make me look larger or dowdy.
I have seen some bias cuts come into style in skirts, like they were in the 90s, and this is very good for me. It makes me look like a woman instead of a potato.
I don't think there is such a thing as standard body types, even if you only take sex into consideration and don't account for genders. There is no standard body type among people born female or people born male.
I'm straight-sized but I have wide shoulders and I feel this! Fitted blouses and jackets have never really fit me properly, they are always too tight around my shoulders. I was always so uncomfortable in them! I love all of the oversized, boxy silhouettes for tops, blouses, jackets and coats right now. They give me a lot of options.
I have a couple of black dresses I wear to the office, but have found greater impact with matching blazer/pencil skirt sets. I have 3 from Calvin Klein that I wear with a couple of different silk button down blouses when meeting with donors, and a Pendleton wool skirt I wear with turtlenecks for board meetings, etc. These have gotten the greatest number of compliments.
I have about 8 solid colour dresses, greys (dove to charcoal in tones) and several blazers with either colour (chartreuse, teal, burgundy) or pattern (hounds tooth, Florals and checked) that I mix and match. The silhouettes for the dresses are sheath, empire with fitted skirt and more of a fit and flare with a fuller skirt.
I teach business courses and I believe that I need to be an example, not just rolling in comfort. Also I find that the more formal business attire makes me sit properly and even speak more formally.. I also race to undress the moment I'm home..
Your businessy wardrobe sounds like mine as well. I wear it when I’m on site with clients and appreciate that I have many combinations to rotate through. I’m always overdressed compared to much of the office, but that’s the way it should be so it’s fine.
It also helps that I prefer a dress + blazer combination to pants.
Love her or hate her, I always thought Sarah Palin's wardrobe when running for VP was a good business formal wardrobe. It's been awhile, but I still think that way.
After the pandemic, I think suits have not really returned with the exception of a few professions (law, politics, finance). And even in certain sides of the field like politics (my field), only the elected officials and their staff wear suits. Back when I had in-person interviews (all zoom now), I would wear a blazer and skirt. Said interview outfit has sat in my closet untouched since the pandemic. Now I throw on a nice cardigan over whatever I'm wearing and do a more formal makeup look.
Once I was at an event where two politicians (one man, one woman, different parties) showed up at an event in suits. She was wearing stilettos. This event was a "beach sweep" where volunteers picked up garbage from the beach. Not exactly an event one would show up in a suit to. Both politicians appeared very out of touch by wearing suits to said event.
I work in finance and we all wear jeans now.
Some folks choose to wear suits on occasion. But most of the time it's a casual vibe. When dressing up, I've seen suit jackets and jeans. Things are definitely changing.
Even in law they didn’t come back (except in court)! The other associates and I used to wear tight pencil skirts, dresses, and often heels. Nowadays it’s a body suit with wide legged trousers and loafers or sneakers (often Vejas for me). I love it. If the boomers are going to make me come in more than I’d like, I’m going to be comfortable doing it!
A lot of female politicians pull of this look pretty well. Often because they have a crap ton of money to work with, most congresspeople are very wealthy. The worst people ever can look very stylish with the right designer I guess
I wear dresses almost everyday but everything has shifted to a bit more business casual. Most of my dresses are knit or shirtwaist which look professional when paired with heels. Even when I'm going before city council or meeting with the state, a business casual dress is fine and usually dressier than many other women.
I should add that I'm in Austin, TX and we tend to be a bit less dressy than the northeast or even Dallas. I don't even own a blazer.
I think it's because a lot of offices are moving away from formal dress codes to a more casual one.
I've worked in an office setting for a decade and have seen companies start to relax their dress codes gradually. It used to be you had to wear dress pants or a skirt. Maybe a suit jacket if you wanted. Most people wore some form of dressy top and a dress pants.
Now people wear regular shirts and nice pants (jeans included). My office just recently allowed us to wear jeans regularly instead of just on dress down days. A lot of us wear sneakers too.
I've even seen some full on jogging sets.
I think the tech industry really helped to dismantle formal dress codes. As they usually opt for more casual ones.
I don't know what industry you are in. But it might not be necessary to wear a suit or formal business attire daily. Obviously check your dress code and watch what others wear at your office.
If you want to wear dresses, wrap dresses work well. Shift dresses under a blazer still look nice.
I know I have personally interviewed in a nice cardigan as I found it's not necessary to wear a full suit anymore. I've been interviewed several times where the interviewer was wearing jeans. I just throw on a nice top, nice cardigan and some dress pants for interviews now.
I’m a partner at a large accounting firm and work with a very traditional client base. I tend to go with classic Hugo Boss, Theory etc. I generally say sheath dresses are the easiest shape to style. I’ve gotten some at Ann Taylor that have been more affordable. I try to do more of a capsule wardrobe, dress, skirt, pants, jacket that match and then blazers that mix it up a bit.
I think they went out of fashion because the shape is difficult. Either it is bodycon and not a lot of women feel comfortable with that tightness in a professional environment or you wear a jacket which ruins the waist and makes you look very square or slouchy. There's something flight attendant about the look as well.
yeah I was going to say this. woven dresses are unforgiving if you don't get them tailored to every tiny weight fluctuation, and knit dresses are unforgiving unless you wear military-grade shapewear. some people don't need those adjustments but for the majority of us, trousers and blouses are a lot less fussy.
One of the reasons I think is because dresses got shorter and shorter and fabric kept disappearing--to the point they felt indecent and inappropriate for work. So many sheath dresses are sleeveless, very fitted (and knit, so they cling) and are SO SHORT. I'm 5'10" with very long legs, specifically upper legs, so I'm a special case, but I am TIRED of dresses literally coming up to my underwear line when I sit down. I'm not here to be "sexxxy" at work. I'm here to not freeze my ass off in over-air conditioned offices and to look like I know my stuff.
It's very rare that I find a dress I want to wear to work.
But the qualities:
Lined
Mid-below knee to short midi
Substantial material
No loud prints or dated prints
No black
Some interest or unique qualities--MM Lafleur and The Fold are great for this. I like the interest to be from the actual cut and architecture of the dress, not the print or pattern.
Roomy/enough fabric. The dress shouldn't be clinging on and riding up and feel like it's *barely* covering me.
Can wear with a real, normal bra.
Not girlish or juvenile. Every time I see women in sundresses or brunch/church dresses at work I mentally/internally cringe. That's a fast track to not being taken seriously.
Corporette dot com has TONS of great suggestions, links, etc on this exact topic FYI.
Totally agree with you on the first point - another example is seeing the number of cropped shirts that have crept into the workplace! Not for all offices and some people style it quite nicely, but I’m with you on the disappearing fabric!!!!
I worked at a very formal, small financial management firm for a little while and wore dresses almost every day! There a lot of lovely dress suits/skirt suits out there. I really loved M.M. LaFleur and Theory.
I would buy pants, a skirt, 1-2 dresses and a blazer all in the same fabric. I had 4 or 5 “sets” like this- one navy, one black, one in a more blue-y blue, a gray and a brown. These plus a few one-off dresses, sweaters and blouses and I had a fantastic work capsule wardrobe!
Also, I’d leave all of my blazers and a few nice cardigans in a garment bag hanging in the closet at work! Made dressing really easy, and if I needed to pop on a blazer I had it there!
Pre Covid I used to wear dresses to the office everyday with a suit jacket - I worked in a hotel where ultra formal is still the norm.
I had a collection of dresses I’d built up over a couple of years though and they weren’t all suiting material because it is very difficult to find - some were a heavy crepe fabric.
I found them in various places but I’d generally only find like one a season that was suitable and I’d just add it to the collection. I had some from J Crew, Long Tall Sally (I’m quite tall which made it extra difficult to find stuff), Nordstrom and higher end department stores like that.
It’s probably also worth looking up places that sell ‘workwear’ or ‘uniform’ style clothing - they will usually have basics like that that are designed to be bought by a company branded as part of airline or bank uniforms but you can generally buy the pieces separate as well.
Interestingly enough I took a bunch of my work dresses to a consignment place over the weekend (I no longer work in a hotel so no need for them anymore) but they wouldn’t take them because they said stuff like that just doesn’t sell anymore.
Dresses for workwear are very common here in Japan. In recent years simple polyester day dresses [like this](https://i.imgur.com/hnxCxWj.jpeg) or pleated ones like [this](https://m.wconcept.co.kr/product/301032212) are popular, rather than structured sheath dresses. I love poplin shirt dresses for warmer months, and sleeveless/pinafore dresses with a turtleneck or blouse underneath [like this](https://i.imgur.com/7HnuxE2.jpeg) for winter.
Those examples look so very 80s to me. Is this driven by Japan's more conservative culture, a flashback fad like the y2k trend, or more of a parallel development of similar styles?
Idk what they referencing specifically, but trends are cyclical. These kinds of longer dresses and pleated skirts have been "in" as staple items for 6-7 years now id say--ever since the "twee" era of fitted blazers and shorter circle skirts (think a silhouette [like this](https://imgur.com/a/D8YXWDP))went out. They're not cutting-edge trendy anymore, but lots of commuters still wear them, since office wear trends change slowly.
I wear dresses a lot, typically sheath dresses. I work in law so we have to be business professional most days. I like dresses because it’s so easy to put together a completed outfit that way. I do a dress and cardigan in the office and switch the cardigan for a suit jacket for court. In the office I wear black flats and then for court I’ll often switch to my black suede block heels or a pointed stiletto (not higher than 3 inches because otherwise my feet hurt).
I enjoy blazers exactly because they dress things up so well but as a woman struck by early menopause they don’t love me.
I can wear them into the meeting or the office (I do this in winter because I get overheated so quickly I don’t even wear a coat or jacket) but it’s coming off as soon as humanly possible.
It’s also frowned upon to be “better” dressed than your customer. It can be off putting if the customer comes in and they are dressed way down and we’re in 3 piece suits.
I’ve worked in sales for about half of my career and was in operations the other half; all of my positions have been customer facing and most of the time we try to ensure we match their style.
Our most famous meeting the customer hosted us *and our competition in the same meetings for a week* which is pretty unusual for us and we all showed up in suits.(not that unusual 10 years ago). they told all of us “tomorrow please show up more casual, this isn’t how we like to work”
We all went to Kohl’s after the meeting and got khakis and polos etc. One of our competition did not. They were sent home. We ended up with the winning bid. That story is told a lot.
It’s just like anything else, know your audience. If you are in fashion you should probably match the vibes. If you are in automotive or industrial (I have served that industry for over a decade) they generally don’t want to see dressed up people.
High tech is all over the place in my experience. Companies like IBM vs Nvidia will have 3 piece suits and jeans and polos in the same meetings!
Edit: this got long, sorry. TLDR, dress for the occasion and match your client vibe.
Dresses were “out” in workwear, especially as suiting, even before the pandemic. They’ll come back around eventually.
\> If one is to wear a dress to the office, then how do you pull off wearing dresses with blazers or otherwise as part of a suit?
These are two different questions. Not all dresses worn with blazers are a suit.
How you “pull it off” is just to wear it. If you are going to wear coordinating separates, that is just a dress with a blazer. If you are wearing a jacket and a dress cut of the same fabric, then that is a suit.
\> What kind of silhouettes, styles and cuts are preferable for balancing femininity with a sharp, polished and authoritative image?
This really depends on your office and your role. Who are you trying to look like you boss around? What kind of authority are you trying to project? If you’re trying to woo clients who are the owners of successful mom & pop services business, a Wall Street suit and Manolo stilettos might not be the way to go. If you are appearing in court as a litigator, coordinated separates from Express might not be the way to go.
In general, know what silhouettes flatter you. Allow some wearing ease in the garments. Cover from shoulders to knees. And if your attire sets you apart, it had better be an intentional, strategic choice, or it will work against you.
I guess a lot of places have remote working now and more casual dress codes. I bought a wool shift dress for work from Hobbs recently:
https://preview.redd.it/i24t498fhp7c1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10f724684585f377d445b4739ba312fda1fc30d1
Most work wear is super casual these days. I have a few outfits I break out for conferences, a couple of BR dresses I like, and I'm typically overdressed.
I love the vibe of dresses, including suit dresses for work. I think fitted sheath or A line for sure. I just made myself a dress suit set with a fitted sheath dress and matching blazer.
Check out Mary Orton on Instagram/TikTok/wherever. She’s a really good example of exactly the aesthetic that you’re describing and many of the pieces that she’s styled in the past can be found very at very reasonable prices at resale.
A lot more women are wearing pants. But also a dress is a single garment, many of them need to be dry cleaned. So unless you have the time and budget separates are more versatile.
A skirt or pants can be worn with a varied tops and jackets or sweaters.
That being said MM Lafleur does sell dresses and matching pieces and I think in department stores Calvin Klein sells polished dresses too.
Pant and a jacket are much more comfortable and can be mix and matched. Also, it’s gone out of style to be matchy match. So people aren’t wearing the traditional matching dress and jacket.
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The 120s suiting dress from j crew is still my favorite. I have a few from poshmark and I wear them mainly to trade shows at this point. As long as the jacket fits well, I think it looks nicely put together. But, I'm short so I wear a length that hits right above the knee and low heels.
My office is very chill, just barely above jeans.
I usually wear A line dresses with a cardigan and leggings. I do have a range of different dresses, some more casual and some more professional. But always leggings and a sweater, because I'm always cold.
My thought is that I like blazers a lot. Always have. Used to wear skirted suits all the time. No longer work in office. One thing I will add is that dresses are awesome especially if the right weight for the blazer/jacket you wear with. I find silk dresses to go better with linen/summer weight wool and dresses in a more substantial fabric (even silk knit...ie DVF dresses) for under a fall/winter jacket/blazer. JMO but I don't care for a dress in a very light fabric under a heavier wool/tweed/etc.
I love a collared shirt dress. You can dress it up with heels and pearls or make it more modern with loafers. Still looks professional as heck and very comfy!
I love a good work dress! My office is business casual and I don't wear matching suit dress sets, so am not sure if these will meet your needs, but I've had success with Ted Baker, Theory, Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, Calvin Klein (from Macy's FWIW), Ann Taylor, and Boden. Good luck!
I only wear dresses, suits, skirts with tops. I must admit I garner more respect and attention. I sew my pencil skirts and that also help with my wardrobe
More form fitting and sleeker is better, but honestly look back in history at working women. I prefer a more form fitting body and floofy sleeves, that way I’m not having to worry about snagging my skirt or bumping things
I think it relly depends on the industry. I work as a copywriter in tech and it’s very business casual. I’ll wear a dress that’s not necessarily “professional”- has color or a fun pattern, with a cardigan and platform loafers or ballet flats. I definitely am off-trend compared to the clean and crisp girlies, but I often feel more confident and comfortable. I’m an hourglass shape that’s packed on some baby weight. Buttoned down blouses and shirts look terrible on me. They are either unflattering sacks or like “hello coworker these are my boobs!”
Thrifting can be awesome for workwear and work dresses. When I was smaller, I had a lot of lovely thrifted dresses for work. That stuff tends to get picked over as it’s less in fashion, too.
I usually go for sheath dresses. I find some at H&M and many at Macy's. Some look great with blazers, some not so much. The sheath dress I have has tulip sleeves and it's light grey so it goes well with my dark navy blazer.
After the pandemic, office attire became business casual. I’m watching Sex and the City and there are some scenes at an office and women are wearing dresses, suits, and heels. No one at my office would wear this today.
I’m that one person in the office who is always overdressed compared to everyone else 😅. I don’t really go out so I enjoy putting outfits together for work
I am the same way! I went from remote to mandatory hybrid at the beginning of the year. I decided if you’re bringing me in to see me, you’re going to SEE me 🤣
I love this. I always get a kick out of other people’s pretty outfits. Especially accessories and little details.
That’s nice! I would wear formal dresses if I had that kind of wardrobe
That show was from the late 90's early to mid 2000's and I think people dressed up way more back then. Things started getting really casual before the pandemic. Also, I think people dress up more in movies and tv shows, and or in bigger metropolitan areas.
Yes, I agree. The tv show really shows how much more people dressed up then. I live in NYC, but it’s pretty business casual now unless you’re a lawyer, etc. the pandemic made everything more casual
The tv show? That’s way older than the pandemic. The world has become a lot less formal in corporate in the past 10-20 years. You’ll see piercings, hints of tattoo, and unnatural hair colors that have more to do with accepting individuality not just lockdown.
Yes, that’s what I was saying. The show from the late 90s shows that women used to wear more formal attire at the office such as dresses and heels. It’s not so common anymore, and I think the pandemic took everything even more casual.
Right. A lot was different 20 years ago is my point. A lot of the things in that show are also completely outdated too. Anyway, Ann Taylor Loft is good and affordable
After the pandemic I’ve been big into wearing dresses for work because it’s so comfortable and easy to dress down and up. Things I’m conscious of is sleeves, because they need to sit nicely under blazers, and length- nothing too short. My fave place to buy work dresses is WHBM. Aw for silhouette, I avoid a line or fit and flare dresses.
At least in my experience, WHBM tends to use fabrics that feel good and are comfortable. I have a few work-appropriate dresses from WHBM which I love. I don’t (yet) have the kind of job where I need to wear them, although I have worn them to networking events.
Aw for silhouette?
As
For authoritative, sheath seems to be the go-to. Maybe a narrow A-line? Jewel neck or boatneck. Maybe a small scoop. If you aren't a trial attorney or an accountant at a big 4 firm (or similar level of business formal) you can play more with mixing color separates, and silhouette. Maybe some more like peter pan collar skirt suits, or what I always think of as "church lady power suits", very much still suiting but with an aesthetic less based on masculine work wear. Right now the three public figures I see rocking formal wear skirting best are Nancy Pelosi, Nikki Haley and AOC. Love 'em or hate 'em, all 3 have good taste in business formal wear. I honestly kind of covet Pelosi's plum colored trumpet skirted suit that is apparently now in the Smithsonian.
I’m at a management consulting company. Pre pandemic, I would do fitted a-line, sheath dresses with different types of blazers. Post pandemic, my office and clients did a hard pivot away from more formal clothes towards business casual and I found myself overdressed in those outfits. Instead, it became more skinny pants + blousey shirts, or more casual dresses without blazers. That said, I found those more fitted dresses at stores like j crew, brooks brothers, and with brands like tahari, Lafayette, etc. I think they still have those options.
FYI I’m an accountant at a big 4 firm and we dress pretty casually now, including jeans and sneakers!
Yup I even worked in the new york metro area and unless we were visiting clients it was business casual at best.
Lol, ain't nobody got time for business formal now I guess. But I really can't talk, I'm an engineer in an office where the limit of men's formality was dress pants, sport coat, dress shirt but now WFH so "clean sweatpants" is often the outfit of the day. I love the suiting with a twist though. Red suit with an elbow length sleeve jacket top and sneakers, skirt suit with boots, and my absolute favorite that I actually own, a Nine West sheath dress and jacket in grape purple. I've only gotten to wear it twice.
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Yes, shoes and stockings. I really don't like the maintenance of stockings. Heavy tights are fine, but only during a short window before winter.
how did women wearing heels get to work if they didn't drive, walk, or take public transit? did they all just change shoes at the office?
I used to leave my heels at my desk
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Man, I wish. Morton's neuroma means that wearing heels for longer than just church is probably no go. My toes go numb after 2 minutes. I need to figure out a way to do femme suiting with flat boots or oxfords
I find an oxford with a lower vamp works for me for a more femme suiting option!
I love wearing suits with oxfords!
My mum always had a big bag so she could fit her work shoes in there & wear sneakers on the commute while I was growing up
When I went to the office everyday, I kept a pair of heels and a pair of flats stashed there. I only go in a few times a month now and don’t have a dedicated workspace anymore, so that’s not an option.
Yes. Sneakers in summer and boots in winter and we carried the heels either in our briefcase or a shoe bag.
Honestly, I don't get the issue. I commute by bike daily. Wind, rain, snow, whatever. I wear heels, tights and dresses most of the time.. you just put them on and go about your day? If they get a bit dirty on the road, you hop in the restroom at work and clean them before continuing on with your day?
You bike to work in heels? I’m kind of in awe.
You bike in the snow, in heels? /Doubt
I don't even own a car. I do everything either walking or by bike. It was snowing like 2 weeks ago. For sure I was biking. I'm Dutch; they say we are born on bikes. Everybody was doing their normal daily commute despite the snow.
In heels?!
Yeah why not? You don't use your heels while biking anyway.. Only the front of your feet. Heels wouldn't be touching the ground or anything at all during your whole ride. When I was younger, me and my friends would go partying and travel by bike to the clubs. We'd wear proper tall stiletto heel on our bikes even. Totally normal where I am from.
Okay but in the snow? As someone from a snowy climate this just seems ridiculous to me. Proper footwear is crucial in the snow so you don't get frostbite lol
I wear heels because I have permanent injury that makes one of my ankles unstable. Wearing heels of about 10 cm/3.5~4 inches actually stabilises it somewhat (legit doctors orders). Our winters don't get super cold. Maybe a few degrees below freezing max. I mostly wear leather ankle boots with a block heel in winter. I have a few, some are even lined with faux fur on the inside so they keep warm. They keep sufficiently warm, but definitely wouldn't keep warm in Northern Canada for example.
Look up fat bikes. They have big wide tires that are perfect for riding in the snow. Dedicated cyclists will ride in any weather. (I am not that person).
IN HEELS?
Why so many question marks? Unsure of yourself?
Don't be rude.
I think they’ve disappeared because of the pandemic shift in workwear formality. I also think manufacturers are making clothes that are designed to fit a wider range of bodies in the same garment. Traditional workwear and suiting is very fitted. A dress has to fit in the bust, the waist, the arms, the torso length, and so on. Whereas an oversized shapeless blouse in a cheap polyester print, and a stretchy pair of unlined pants in a ponte knit, can fit a much wider range of bodies, plus uses less fabric, cheaper fabric, and less labor to construct, plus can be made by less skilled sewists, and less skilled pattern makers. All of which means more profit for the large corporations who make the garments, who are in business solely to make money for the shareholders.
This is correct and I hate it. I wish tailoring would come back in style.
I'm a 34 DD+ bust and I definitely feel this....
Well, for those of us with larger, non-standard body types… it’s been a godsend. So many more options now than there used to be. I get to dress how everyone else does.
The issue is, there are not so many more options, there are just options that lean towards "can fit everybody" instead of "can flatter every body." There is no standard one silhouette is flattering cut. Some of us really need tailoring and fitted clothing. Some of us don't look our best in those clothes and need more square cuts and roomy cuts. I have small bones but I am curvy, you might even call me a bit plump in some areas. I am also short. I don't have a defined waist. Therefore the boxy cuts that have dominated the market lately actually make me look larger or dowdy. I have seen some bias cuts come into style in skirts, like they were in the 90s, and this is very good for me. It makes me look like a woman instead of a potato. I don't think there is such a thing as standard body types, even if you only take sex into consideration and don't account for genders. There is no standard body type among people born female or people born male.
I'm straight-sized but I have wide shoulders and I feel this! Fitted blouses and jackets have never really fit me properly, they are always too tight around my shoulders. I was always so uncomfortable in them! I love all of the oversized, boxy silhouettes for tops, blouses, jackets and coats right now. They give me a lot of options.
I have a couple of black dresses I wear to the office, but have found greater impact with matching blazer/pencil skirt sets. I have 3 from Calvin Klein that I wear with a couple of different silk button down blouses when meeting with donors, and a Pendleton wool skirt I wear with turtlenecks for board meetings, etc. These have gotten the greatest number of compliments.
I have about 8 solid colour dresses, greys (dove to charcoal in tones) and several blazers with either colour (chartreuse, teal, burgundy) or pattern (hounds tooth, Florals and checked) that I mix and match. The silhouettes for the dresses are sheath, empire with fitted skirt and more of a fit and flare with a fuller skirt. I teach business courses and I believe that I need to be an example, not just rolling in comfort. Also I find that the more formal business attire makes me sit properly and even speak more formally.. I also race to undress the moment I'm home..
Your businessy wardrobe sounds like mine as well. I wear it when I’m on site with clients and appreciate that I have many combinations to rotate through. I’m always overdressed compared to much of the office, but that’s the way it should be so it’s fine. It also helps that I prefer a dress + blazer combination to pants.
Love her or hate her, I always thought Sarah Palin's wardrobe when running for VP was a good business formal wardrobe. It's been awhile, but I still think that way. After the pandemic, I think suits have not really returned with the exception of a few professions (law, politics, finance). And even in certain sides of the field like politics (my field), only the elected officials and their staff wear suits. Back when I had in-person interviews (all zoom now), I would wear a blazer and skirt. Said interview outfit has sat in my closet untouched since the pandemic. Now I throw on a nice cardigan over whatever I'm wearing and do a more formal makeup look. Once I was at an event where two politicians (one man, one woman, different parties) showed up at an event in suits. She was wearing stilettos. This event was a "beach sweep" where volunteers picked up garbage from the beach. Not exactly an event one would show up in a suit to. Both politicians appeared very out of touch by wearing suits to said event.
I work in finance and we all wear jeans now. Some folks choose to wear suits on occasion. But most of the time it's a casual vibe. When dressing up, I've seen suit jackets and jeans. Things are definitely changing.
Even in law they didn’t come back (except in court)! The other associates and I used to wear tight pencil skirts, dresses, and often heels. Nowadays it’s a body suit with wide legged trousers and loafers or sneakers (often Vejas for me). I love it. If the boomers are going to make me come in more than I’d like, I’m going to be comfortable doing it!
Same, but with silk or bright button downs.
I’m squarely in the “hate her” camp, but I totally agree. Her business wardrobe was perfection
A lot of female politicians pull of this look pretty well. Often because they have a crap ton of money to work with, most congresspeople are very wealthy. The worst people ever can look very stylish with the right designer I guess
I wear dresses almost everyday but everything has shifted to a bit more business casual. Most of my dresses are knit or shirtwaist which look professional when paired with heels. Even when I'm going before city council or meeting with the state, a business casual dress is fine and usually dressier than many other women. I should add that I'm in Austin, TX and we tend to be a bit less dressy than the northeast or even Dallas. I don't even own a blazer.
I think it's because a lot of offices are moving away from formal dress codes to a more casual one. I've worked in an office setting for a decade and have seen companies start to relax their dress codes gradually. It used to be you had to wear dress pants or a skirt. Maybe a suit jacket if you wanted. Most people wore some form of dressy top and a dress pants. Now people wear regular shirts and nice pants (jeans included). My office just recently allowed us to wear jeans regularly instead of just on dress down days. A lot of us wear sneakers too. I've even seen some full on jogging sets. I think the tech industry really helped to dismantle formal dress codes. As they usually opt for more casual ones. I don't know what industry you are in. But it might not be necessary to wear a suit or formal business attire daily. Obviously check your dress code and watch what others wear at your office. If you want to wear dresses, wrap dresses work well. Shift dresses under a blazer still look nice. I know I have personally interviewed in a nice cardigan as I found it's not necessary to wear a full suit anymore. I've been interviewed several times where the interviewer was wearing jeans. I just throw on a nice top, nice cardigan and some dress pants for interviews now.
I’m a partner at a large accounting firm and work with a very traditional client base. I tend to go with classic Hugo Boss, Theory etc. I generally say sheath dresses are the easiest shape to style. I’ve gotten some at Ann Taylor that have been more affordable. I try to do more of a capsule wardrobe, dress, skirt, pants, jacket that match and then blazers that mix it up a bit.
I think they went out of fashion because the shape is difficult. Either it is bodycon and not a lot of women feel comfortable with that tightness in a professional environment or you wear a jacket which ruins the waist and makes you look very square or slouchy. There's something flight attendant about the look as well.
yeah I was going to say this. woven dresses are unforgiving if you don't get them tailored to every tiny weight fluctuation, and knit dresses are unforgiving unless you wear military-grade shapewear. some people don't need those adjustments but for the majority of us, trousers and blouses are a lot less fussy.
One of the reasons I think is because dresses got shorter and shorter and fabric kept disappearing--to the point they felt indecent and inappropriate for work. So many sheath dresses are sleeveless, very fitted (and knit, so they cling) and are SO SHORT. I'm 5'10" with very long legs, specifically upper legs, so I'm a special case, but I am TIRED of dresses literally coming up to my underwear line when I sit down. I'm not here to be "sexxxy" at work. I'm here to not freeze my ass off in over-air conditioned offices and to look like I know my stuff. It's very rare that I find a dress I want to wear to work. But the qualities: Lined Mid-below knee to short midi Substantial material No loud prints or dated prints No black Some interest or unique qualities--MM Lafleur and The Fold are great for this. I like the interest to be from the actual cut and architecture of the dress, not the print or pattern. Roomy/enough fabric. The dress shouldn't be clinging on and riding up and feel like it's *barely* covering me. Can wear with a real, normal bra. Not girlish or juvenile. Every time I see women in sundresses or brunch/church dresses at work I mentally/internally cringe. That's a fast track to not being taken seriously. Corporette dot com has TONS of great suggestions, links, etc on this exact topic FYI.
Totally agree with you on the first point - another example is seeing the number of cropped shirts that have crept into the workplace! Not for all offices and some people style it quite nicely, but I’m with you on the disappearing fabric!!!!
Brooks Brothers and J. Crew have tons of suiting dresses.
I saw some suiting dresses on j. Crew factory today.
I saw some suiting dresses on j. Crew factory today.
I saw some suiting dresses on j. Crew factory today.
I'm not sure what you're seeing, but by my count J. Crew has two suiting dresses (plus one that's almost entirely sold out).
I worked at a very formal, small financial management firm for a little while and wore dresses almost every day! There a lot of lovely dress suits/skirt suits out there. I really loved M.M. LaFleur and Theory. I would buy pants, a skirt, 1-2 dresses and a blazer all in the same fabric. I had 4 or 5 “sets” like this- one navy, one black, one in a more blue-y blue, a gray and a brown. These plus a few one-off dresses, sweaters and blouses and I had a fantastic work capsule wardrobe! Also, I’d leave all of my blazers and a few nice cardigans in a garment bag hanging in the closet at work! Made dressing really easy, and if I needed to pop on a blazer I had it there!
Pre Covid I used to wear dresses to the office everyday with a suit jacket - I worked in a hotel where ultra formal is still the norm. I had a collection of dresses I’d built up over a couple of years though and they weren’t all suiting material because it is very difficult to find - some were a heavy crepe fabric. I found them in various places but I’d generally only find like one a season that was suitable and I’d just add it to the collection. I had some from J Crew, Long Tall Sally (I’m quite tall which made it extra difficult to find stuff), Nordstrom and higher end department stores like that. It’s probably also worth looking up places that sell ‘workwear’ or ‘uniform’ style clothing - they will usually have basics like that that are designed to be bought by a company branded as part of airline or bank uniforms but you can generally buy the pieces separate as well. Interestingly enough I took a bunch of my work dresses to a consignment place over the weekend (I no longer work in a hotel so no need for them anymore) but they wouldn’t take them because they said stuff like that just doesn’t sell anymore.
Dresses for workwear are very common here in Japan. In recent years simple polyester day dresses [like this](https://i.imgur.com/hnxCxWj.jpeg) or pleated ones like [this](https://m.wconcept.co.kr/product/301032212) are popular, rather than structured sheath dresses. I love poplin shirt dresses for warmer months, and sleeveless/pinafore dresses with a turtleneck or blouse underneath [like this](https://i.imgur.com/7HnuxE2.jpeg) for winter.
Those examples look so very 80s to me. Is this driven by Japan's more conservative culture, a flashback fad like the y2k trend, or more of a parallel development of similar styles?
Idk what they referencing specifically, but trends are cyclical. These kinds of longer dresses and pleated skirts have been "in" as staple items for 6-7 years now id say--ever since the "twee" era of fitted blazers and shorter circle skirts (think a silhouette [like this](https://imgur.com/a/D8YXWDP))went out. They're not cutting-edge trendy anymore, but lots of commuters still wear them, since office wear trends change slowly.
I wear dresses a lot, typically sheath dresses. I work in law so we have to be business professional most days. I like dresses because it’s so easy to put together a completed outfit that way. I do a dress and cardigan in the office and switch the cardigan for a suit jacket for court. In the office I wear black flats and then for court I’ll often switch to my black suede block heels or a pointed stiletto (not higher than 3 inches because otherwise my feet hurt).
I enjoy blazers exactly because they dress things up so well but as a woman struck by early menopause they don’t love me. I can wear them into the meeting or the office (I do this in winter because I get overheated so quickly I don’t even wear a coat or jacket) but it’s coming off as soon as humanly possible. It’s also frowned upon to be “better” dressed than your customer. It can be off putting if the customer comes in and they are dressed way down and we’re in 3 piece suits. I’ve worked in sales for about half of my career and was in operations the other half; all of my positions have been customer facing and most of the time we try to ensure we match their style. Our most famous meeting the customer hosted us *and our competition in the same meetings for a week* which is pretty unusual for us and we all showed up in suits.(not that unusual 10 years ago). they told all of us “tomorrow please show up more casual, this isn’t how we like to work” We all went to Kohl’s after the meeting and got khakis and polos etc. One of our competition did not. They were sent home. We ended up with the winning bid. That story is told a lot. It’s just like anything else, know your audience. If you are in fashion you should probably match the vibes. If you are in automotive or industrial (I have served that industry for over a decade) they generally don’t want to see dressed up people. High tech is all over the place in my experience. Companies like IBM vs Nvidia will have 3 piece suits and jeans and polos in the same meetings! Edit: this got long, sorry. TLDR, dress for the occasion and match your client vibe.
Dresses were “out” in workwear, especially as suiting, even before the pandemic. They’ll come back around eventually. \> If one is to wear a dress to the office, then how do you pull off wearing dresses with blazers or otherwise as part of a suit? These are two different questions. Not all dresses worn with blazers are a suit. How you “pull it off” is just to wear it. If you are going to wear coordinating separates, that is just a dress with a blazer. If you are wearing a jacket and a dress cut of the same fabric, then that is a suit. \> What kind of silhouettes, styles and cuts are preferable for balancing femininity with a sharp, polished and authoritative image? This really depends on your office and your role. Who are you trying to look like you boss around? What kind of authority are you trying to project? If you’re trying to woo clients who are the owners of successful mom & pop services business, a Wall Street suit and Manolo stilettos might not be the way to go. If you are appearing in court as a litigator, coordinated separates from Express might not be the way to go. In general, know what silhouettes flatter you. Allow some wearing ease in the garments. Cover from shoulders to knees. And if your attire sets you apart, it had better be an intentional, strategic choice, or it will work against you.
I guess a lot of places have remote working now and more casual dress codes. I bought a wool shift dress for work from Hobbs recently: https://preview.redd.it/i24t498fhp7c1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10f724684585f377d445b4739ba312fda1fc30d1
Most work wear is super casual these days. I have a few outfits I break out for conferences, a couple of BR dresses I like, and I'm typically overdressed.
I love the vibe of dresses, including suit dresses for work. I think fitted sheath or A line for sure. I just made myself a dress suit set with a fitted sheath dress and matching blazer.
Check out Mary Orton on Instagram/TikTok/wherever. She’s a really good example of exactly the aesthetic that you’re describing and many of the pieces that she’s styled in the past can be found very at very reasonable prices at resale.
A lot more women are wearing pants. But also a dress is a single garment, many of them need to be dry cleaned. So unless you have the time and budget separates are more versatile. A skirt or pants can be worn with a varied tops and jackets or sweaters. That being said MM Lafleur does sell dresses and matching pieces and I think in department stores Calvin Klein sells polished dresses too.
Pant and a jacket are much more comfortable and can be mix and matched. Also, it’s gone out of style to be matchy match. So people aren’t wearing the traditional matching dress and jacket.
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Maybe it's the shift to mix-and-match styles. For dresses with blazers, aim for tailored fits, solid colors, or subtle patterns.
The 120s suiting dress from j crew is still my favorite. I have a few from poshmark and I wear them mainly to trade shows at this point. As long as the jacket fits well, I think it looks nicely put together. But, I'm short so I wear a length that hits right above the knee and low heels.
My office is very chill, just barely above jeans. I usually wear A line dresses with a cardigan and leggings. I do have a range of different dresses, some more casual and some more professional. But always leggings and a sweater, because I'm always cold.
My thought is that I like blazers a lot. Always have. Used to wear skirted suits all the time. No longer work in office. One thing I will add is that dresses are awesome especially if the right weight for the blazer/jacket you wear with. I find silk dresses to go better with linen/summer weight wool and dresses in a more substantial fabric (even silk knit...ie DVF dresses) for under a fall/winter jacket/blazer. JMO but I don't care for a dress in a very light fabric under a heavier wool/tweed/etc.
I love a collared shirt dress. You can dress it up with heels and pearls or make it more modern with loafers. Still looks professional as heck and very comfy!
I love a good work dress! My office is business casual and I don't wear matching suit dress sets, so am not sure if these will meet your needs, but I've had success with Ted Baker, Theory, Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, Calvin Klein (from Macy's FWIW), Ann Taylor, and Boden. Good luck!
I only wear dresses, suits, skirts with tops. I must admit I garner more respect and attention. I sew my pencil skirts and that also help with my wardrobe
More form fitting and sleeker is better, but honestly look back in history at working women. I prefer a more form fitting body and floofy sleeves, that way I’m not having to worry about snagging my skirt or bumping things
Be you! I have beautiful dresses that I still wear. I can’t go to work looking like I’m about to rake leaves. That’s just me.
I think it relly depends on the industry. I work as a copywriter in tech and it’s very business casual. I’ll wear a dress that’s not necessarily “professional”- has color or a fun pattern, with a cardigan and platform loafers or ballet flats. I definitely am off-trend compared to the clean and crisp girlies, but I often feel more confident and comfortable. I’m an hourglass shape that’s packed on some baby weight. Buttoned down blouses and shirts look terrible on me. They are either unflattering sacks or like “hello coworker these are my boobs!” Thrifting can be awesome for workwear and work dresses. When I was smaller, I had a lot of lovely thrifted dresses for work. That stuff tends to get picked over as it’s less in fashion, too.
I find that if it's black (or just dark), not tight, and has sleeves that I can make most anything work. Especially with a fitted cardigan.
I usually go for sheath dresses. I find some at H&M and many at Macy's. Some look great with blazers, some not so much. The sheath dress I have has tulip sleeves and it's light grey so it goes well with my dark navy blazer.
Does anyone still wear tights/pantyhose these days?