Men’s lifestyle blogs encourage you to wear extroverted Italian double-breasted suits like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I’m going to do you a favour: Your colleagues would find it hilarious if you rocked up in that. What you need is realistic post-pandemic office wear for men.
Think smart
I’m about to reveal more about the relative lack of busyness in my life than I probably should. I am delighted that there is no option to ‘unsubscribe’ from this website but I can feel many people emotionally checking out in two paragraphs time.
This year I didn’t make any grandiose declarations as part of my New Years resolutions. I didn’t vow to take up transcendental meditation, to delete my Uber Eats account and I’m not waiting on the delivery of an ill-advised smoothie maker. No gym has by direct debit details and I’m not typing this from the downward dog position. I visit the pub with the same amount of alarming regularity as I did this time 12 months ago.
This year I gave myself one whole resolution: wear smarter trousers.
What a life.
Realistic post-pandemic office wear for men
Clearly I have more going on than that resolution implies. This resolution will not be the all-consuming change that will flip my life on its head. This also obviously won’t be the only piece of advice that this article dispenses.
But I do believe in making resolutions achievable and this year I have no excuse.
The aim is to up my office-wear game. But what are the new office smart rules?
You can still wear your suit if you want to
Like you need permission from me anyway. Do what you want.
Many men’s lifestyle blogs show dapper men in double breasted jackets, pocket square foppishly hanging out of the top pocket, like they’re hanging out in the French Riviera and it’s the most natural look in the world.
I know this, you know this: Very few people wear that. It’s a huge jump to make if you’re currently dressing ‘normally’. There will be no subtly walking into the office on Monday morning and quietly sitting at your desk.
Post-pandemic there’s a certain accepted look of smart-smart-casual that’s one down from a suit. The key to elevating yourself above everyone else is not to dress more extrovertly, it’s to nail a look well.
Make it look effortless and you will look 100% smarter.
Create a clear distinction between your home and office wardrobe
It seems obvious and yet it’s so easy to continue your weekend smart clothes through to Monday for work.
You might consider your clothes equally as smart, but by having that distinction you’re creating a different mindset as much as anything else.
My resolution was prompted by too often returning to my jeans. Viewed in isolation, they’re a smart-casual slim fit that works well with shirts and sweaters. But it’s the regularity that makes them casual, so I’m changing it up more.
Keep your shirts slim fit but roll the sleeves up
Hey, you’re a fun-casual-smart-serious-easy-going-important-decision-making executive. You need to show that.
Keep the rolled sleeves just below the elbow, you’re not about to lean over a car engine.
This allows you to keep wearing your shirt to work without it looking like you missed the post-pandemic memo about more relaxed dressing.
Business on top, party at the bottom
If you’re going for colour above the belt then keep it monochrome with the trousers, but if you have kept it black or white up top then add some colour with your trousers.
I’m not advocating mad, jazzy trainers, all sequins and rainforest prints. Keep it to blocks of colour but feel free to choose a coloured pairs of trousers if your top is a block of black, white or somewhere in between.
If you’re going pair a coloured top with coloured trousers then best to save that for Cancun.
Saville Row tailor Alexandra Wood suggests: “Choose twill, cords, smart jeans, flannel or wool for your trouser options.”
Embrace the zip neck
Admittedly it’s a little bit ‘weekend at the Hamptons/in Richmond’ (delete based on your country). But our vibe is smart-smart-casual, that’s two smarts to one casual. Wearing a jumper shouldn’t be revolutionary.
You can wear it over a shirt. This is especially useful if you’ve turned up to work in a shirt and the Facilities team have been slow to crank up the heating.
Realistic post-pandemic office wear for men: Up your jumper game
This doesn’t have to always be a shirt situation.
Again, slim fit is key. A baggy jumper will not help you if you’re looking to cut through the meeting noise. A solid block of colour in a refined jumper is more likely to.
Don’t wear a collar underneath your jumper. I can’t tell you why but just don’t.
Do think about the colour of your t-shirt. The round neck will show as your jumper slips over the course of the day so make it complimentary, and if in doubt, make it white.
Deploy the white trainers selectively
Crisp, white trainers are great for keeping it casual while ensuring your outfit remains smart.
They key word is crisp. If you wear your battered everyday trainers you’ve lost the battle and you’ve lost the war.
Try not to wear white trainers every day. Like jeans, frequency reduces the smartness. But white trainers can add something to an outfit that’s already heavy on dark colours.
Make Friday your test day
Fridays are great. Everyone’s relaxed and the rules are out the window. Also importantly, if you have a hybrid working situation, less people are in the office as more choose to work from home.
If you’re nervous about going a step braver then wear an outfit on Friday. A few people will see it first. There’s less reason to be nervous as it’s a smaller audience and when you wear it again on a busy day a group of people are already used to it.