Thought Leadership: The Rules of What to Wear to Work has Changed – Here’s What They Are Now

I remember the first time I stepped foot into Orchan – it was for my internship interview. I was dressed to a tee, looking my best and ready to ace my interview! To my surprise, everyone I met that day at Orchan was dressed in their most comfortable outfit instead of the suits and / or dresses that I’ve anticipated. Clearly, I was overdressed and stood out like a sore thumb.

Throughout my experience at Orchan, I was allowed to wear comfortable shirts and jeans (except when we were arranged to meet our clients – remember to always look your best when meeting with your clients!). Well, I definitely consider wearing comfortable clothing at work a privilege; I am able to work in a more relaxed environment and not constantly fussing over how I look.

That being said, the same rule does not necessarily apply to other Public Relations companies. All companies have different cultures – some have strict dress codes, some allow their employees to dress up casually. To me, the most important thing about dress codes is knowing what to wear at the right place, right time. In the following article, Mallory Schlossberg discusses dress code for work, and how it has evolved from the days of suit-and-tie only. Nowadays, it is vital to dress appropriately AND fashionably.

The rules of what to wear to work have changed.

It’s still a necessity to wear a suit to work if you’re in certain more conservative industries.

But with the landscape continually changing in other, less conservative industries, it’s important to know that the rules have also changed.

So can you wear a hoodie to work? How do you stay casual but still look professional?

We’ve talked to some retail start-ups and an image consulting expert to figure out how to navigate workwear today.

Rule 1: You have to care, even if it’s OK to be casual.

Image consulting expert Sylvie di Giusto weighed in on how people have gotten way too casual. “People think that casual means you don’t have to care, but that’s absolutely wrong!” She said to Business Insider.

Rule 2: Dress appropriately for your industry.

People who work in finance generally dress more conservatively than people who work in creative industries dress, di Giusto said.

You can’t go wrong with a nice suit – but it might be a bit much for your workplace!

Rule 3: Know the purpose of your clothes.

People wear lots of active wear, like Lululemon’s iconic yoga pants, to work – but di Giusto said this shouldn’t be the standard.

“People misuse clothes when they go ‘casual everything,’” di Giusto said, explaining that all clothes have a purpose. Flip flops, for example, are for the beach. Yoga pants, she adds, are for yoga. “I promise you, 99% of those yoga pants never saw a yoga class,” she said. “People tend to misuse clothes.”

Rule 4: Don’t wear hoodies and flip flops. You are not Mark Zuckerberg.

“As long as you didn’t invent a billion dollar company in your garage, you do not have the right to wear a hoodie at work,” di Giusto said. “If you’re not Mark Zuckerberg, you cannot do that.”

The flip flops and hoodie look, she says, is part of “Mark Zuckerberg’s branding. That’s his story.” But it’s not everyone’s. 

Rule 5: Recognize that tech has made the workspace for casual, so layer and dress appropriately.

“As with fashion in general, workplace attire continues to trend more casual, driven by the start-up tech culture. Workplace attire is about versatility, outfits that can be worn in and outside of the office and from day to night. Layering and accessorizing is an important part of versatility, letting you tweak your workday look for a night event quickly,” ModCloth’s head of merchandising, Nicole Haase, explained to Business Insider.

Rule 6: It’s okay to be relaxed, but don’t be that guy. You know who he is.

“The combination of more relaxed dress codes and a greater awareness of the mental and physical health benefits of exercise have created workplaces where it’s not uncommon to see people in active wear,” Matt Taylor, founder and CEO of active wear company Tracksmith, said.

“That said, there’s nothing worse than a guy walking around the office in brightly coloured short-shorts. So if you are one of those people who brings your workout to work, be sure to dress accordingly,” Taylor said.

Rule 7: You probably shouldn’t wear a short suit.

Di Giusto can’t wrap her head around last year’s short suit trend.

Rule 8: Put effort into getting ready in the morning.

One bygone trend is how much effort people used to put into getting dressed to go to work. “It was like a ritual,” di Giusto said.

Now, she says, “People just don’t care anymore. They just wear a random piece very often and go to work.” She advises people to try to dress as well as they can – it represents their employers in a much better light.

Rule 9: Dress up your conservative clothing.

That’s what retail start-up Of Mercer set out to do – to let women who need to dress conservative still express themselves. The brand strives to create updated versions of traditional workwear – with flattering shapes and more flair than the pantsuit.

Rule 10: Embrace what makes you unique – it’s not a pants-and-suit uniform world anymore.

We can credit high-powered women who defy fashion norms for these changes.

“Look at people like Marissa Mayer, Michelle Obama, who are saying, ‘OK I’m a powerful woman, I’m smart, I’m successful, but I’m wearing a bright red A-line dress, and that’s my power suit … so really embracing what makes you unique and showing that off in the office,” Dorie Golkin, co-founder of Of Mercer, told Business Insider.

Rule 11: Don’t get too sexy.

“We still believe that a neckline that comes too low in the office is taking attention off of where it should be,” Of Mercer co-founder Emlyn Northway told Business Insider. “And so I think that’s one of the things that’s sort of a hard and fast rule.”

Rule 12: Balance it out.

“I think it’s really a balance of making sure – if you’re uncomfortable wearing a really bright color, the shape of [your dress] is conservative,” Northway explained to Business Insider. “Making sure if you are wearing a tank top, you’re also not wearing a short skirt. There’s sort of a combination of things to make sure that you’re just not going too much in any one direction.”

Rule 13: Streamline your wardrobe.

MM.LeFleur’s Bento Box program takes its shoppers a personalized survey to curate a “Bento box” of workwear. Each Bento Box is complete with 4–6 solid, professional workwear.

MM.LeFleur’s team wrote a book called “Wear to Work: A Guide to Building Your Professional Uniform,” that founder and CEO Sarah LeFleur told Business Insider, “advises women on how to cultivate a streamlined wardrobe that will empower them at work.”

Ultimately, a few great looks is better than a bunch of mediocre looks.