Recently TikTok has been up in arms about a woman who was outraged that she was asked if she wanted to change her outfit for a job interview.
TikTok commenters, as ever, were shocked that she not only wore shorts to a job interview, but that when asked if she wanted to go home and change she said no.
It seems as though the working from home period in our lives has lead us to forget what is expected of us in an office setting.
Don’t get me wrong, I think anyone and everyone should be allowed to wear whatever they want, as long as they wear something (unless the nudist colony calls to you).
However, this is not the society we operate in and no matter how much we wish we could wear shorts to the office on a searing hot day, that’s not how professionalism works unfortunately.
So, what do we actually wear to be professional yet stylish?
First of all, if you can wear it to a barbecue, it’s not office appropriate, and arguably not stylish if you’re partial to a khaki short. Minimal offence intended.
It is also important to remember that unfortunately modesty is a part of the work uniform. That is to say, you can show your knees, but crop tops and hot pants just won’t fly.
Side note: are we bringing back the hot pant? We can’t get any lower in the waist department of our trousers, so we may have to restart from the bottom. Let me know.
Anyway, lets start with the basics, a suit. whether your suit includes a skirt, slacks, suspenders or a tie, this is the blueprint for office workplace attire.
Embed from Getty ImagesA suit and some choice accessories like glasses (blue light glasses if you’re lucky enough to see for free), heels, and some visible jewellery can form an incredibly stylish and office appropriate outfit. The tie, I’m sure for women at least, is optional. But if Paris Fashion Week is showing it, I wouldn’t sniff at it either.
Even the simple act of buying your blazer a couple of sizes larger makes it an oversized style choice, rather than feeling like a stuffy, basic work uniform.
You also don’t necessarily need to be afraid of colour. Making your suit a vibrant colour can make you feel a little more like you’re wearing something fun, rather than being so serious.
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite the boldness of this look, it is still, at its core, office appropriate. You don’t have to be afraid to express your individuality in your workwear, you just need to be mildly formal.
If a full suit it still not for you, there is always the option of a blazer and comfy shirt combo.
Wearing something as basic as a turtleneck can be formal, comfortable, and chic. Just look at the street style of Berlin:
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is the perfect example of business casual. Depending on where you work, sometimes denim can be allowed as part of your office attire. If this is the case for you, then first of all congratulations on bagging a job without super strict dress codes, and second of all you can still attain the formality of an office outfit without wearing suit trousers.
Obviously, this is not an issue only women face. In fact, men have less options for diversity in their outfits. I mean, have you ever visited the men’s section of a shop? It takes a good while of sifting through 200 colours of the same, basic shirt before you find anything even a little bit interesting to look at.
Never fear, a woman is here to womansplain how you get dressed.
All of the above examples of how to make your office attire less dull also stands for men. Don’t worry boys, you are involved, don’t panic and take away our right to work or anything (you can never be too careful).
Embed from Getty ImagesWho are we to disagree with Gucci? In their Spring/Summer 2025 show there is the perfect example of a non boring yet formal suit.
Of course, this is a little more of a relaxed suit so perhaps if you’re under a strict dress code this may not be an option. However, if you just swap the top for a shirt and throw on a tie I don’t see why this wouldn’t be a perfectly appropriate yet fashionable outfit.
Now, brace yourselves boys, carrying a handbag is not going to make you less of a man. I promise.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt will actually make you much easier on the eyes. The ability to accessorise well will always drag an outfit out of the pits of boringness into the light of stylishness.
I know you guys have actual pockets as opposed to the teeny tiny fabric scraps that we technically can describe as pockets on women’s clothing, but a bag is FUN!
Jewellery will also not emasculate you, don’t be afraid to add a little sparkle to your outfit. Once again, its fun.
The ability to have fun with your outfits will undeniably make you more stylish.
#menwithhandbags2025
Anyone???
Okay maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.
Before I continue begging men to step out of their fashion comfort zones, I’ll leave you with this:
Though we sometimes have rules about what we can and cannot wear, that doesn’t mean we can’t exercise our creativity within these bounds and still feel good and comfortable in our clothes. And for the love of Vogue do not wear shorts to a job interview unless its for a lifeguard position at the local lido.
Freak out over.
