(As Wall Street workers returned to their offices in the financial district of New York earlier this summer, one thing was sure — there were no suits, ties, pencil skirts, or heels in sight. Instead, a relaxed dress code has now taken its place, speaking volumes about a post-pandemic cultural shift that’s already underway. Ahead, we show you three ways to play by the new rules of casual boardroom dressing while looking just as sharp.
1. Business on top, relaxed on the bottomAs much as we’re in favour of the new transition in workwear dressing, there’s a fine line between business casual and downright casual that can begin to get blurry. Besides, it’s hard to be taken seriously if you’re sporting your Sunday best during a Monday meeting. The best way to strike a balance is to retain some of those workwear staples in relaxed shapes and team them with crisp casuals that are tailored for comfort. Men can trade in their slim-fit shirts for breezy hemp shirts and pair them with elasticated waistband joggers instead. While women can choose loose-fitted jackets and swap those snug skirts in favour of some wide-leg trousers.
Your daily commute back to the office will be incomplete without some transitional outerwear. Make sure you’re covered in a lightweight jacket that’s so versatile, you can wear it just about anything. Women can ditch those frigid coats and turn to a multi-purpose TENCEL™ denim mac coat or utility jacket as a casual substitute. While the men can opt for a slick hemp bomber that looks just as good layered over a shirt as it does on a t-shirt.
A tried and true workwear classic, the white shirt has been an office staple for as long as we can remember. But now that we’ve received the memo on relaxed style, perhaps it’s time we traded in those dull whites for some colourful fervour instead. For the men who are tired of heavy shirts that cling, a lightweight TENCEL™ shirt in a grandad collar might just be your answer. The grandad collar tends to keep the overall impression casual, while still looking tidy and tailored. Women can choose a to layer loose-fitted hemp shirt in a size-up over a tank and cinch it at the waist with a slim belt.
Published by: Vibhuti Vazirani/ 2021-09-07