How to dress for work post COVID-19

Covid-19 changed a lot of things. In March 2020 we were told to stay home. The world stopped or slowed down considerably for us all. In the beginning, some of us were wearing our pyjama's under Zoom shirts and dresses for working from home. As time wore on we got worn down by the stress, the grief and the boredom and showing up as our best selves on our video calls became either a chore or something we didn't want to think about. A year is a long time, from the ashes of COVID a new way of working is emerging, a new way of living our lives is being realised, so where do our office clothes go from here?

Image of Jenna Lyons from Pinterest

Those of us who rely on a group environment, specialist equipment and specialist buildings will be back in the office for at least a few days a week. Those of us that can do some of our work from home, will be able to do so. Flexible working is likely to become the norm.

With other variants of the virus still spreading Covid-19 is not going to easily go away.

With more people vaccinated offices are opening up again but what employees want, and are likely to seek out from employers is different post-COVID-19. In order for companies to keep talented individuals, they are going to have to rethink what people want now from their workspace and their organisation, particularly after a year of seeing and connecting with family more. Traditional offices are likely to be reimagined. Gone will be traditional, hierarchical office spaces and ushered in will be more flat, collaborative workspaces where workers can innovate, build and maintain community and be inspired. Examples of companies doing this include Portas Agency and Social Chain. With a move to more modern, flexible and innovative working, dress codes have followed these trends. Pulled together casual styles are the norm where jeans, t-shirts and trainers are the uniform.

Toning down a smart skirt with a tshirt and denim jacket gives the outfit more versatility

When it comes to owning a small business standing out from the competition for the right reasons is crucial. There were 5.9 million small business in the UK in 2020 and 60% of those businesses will fail in the first 5 years. Ensuring your personal brand flows through your image is important. Your personal brand is the complete experience others get from you. A consistent personal brand builds trust by letting people know the experience they will get from you is the same, whenever they work with you. What do you want to be known for?

We are all physically and emotionally altered by 2020. We are approaching the dawn of a new world where many, I believe, are not blindly sleeping walking through a job they are miserable at, and everyday injustices that they witness or are directed at them. As a community we want to do more; for the planet, for equality and for mental health and wellbeing. For our local and global communities. Many of us have had enough of the status quo.

“This pandemic has magnified every existing inequality in our society – like systemic racism, gender inequality, and poverty,” said Melinda Gates in an interview in September.

How does this manifest into our clothing and image?

Our image is our shop window to others, it always has been. How we present ourselves helps others know if we may be for them, or not. It helps us demonstrate the type of person we are and what values we hold dear.

It's important to know what's important to you now, and accept that you are still showing up in front others, be it on Zoom calls, social media or face to face.

It is easy to feel lulled into a false sense of security that what we wear doesn't matter, but as an employee or small business owner people are watching. Style and substance are both crucial.

It has been proven in various studies that different clothing can alter our mental state. Knowing what clothes put you in a work frame of mine, a relaxing state and a fun-loving state are important. Dress appropriately.

The new rules of dressing include:

1. Adding your personality to an outfit. Corporate clone dressing is now outdated. A sea of black and navy ill fitting suits are not the way to show up for your business.

2. Clothing that flexes with your day and lifestyle. Before the pandemic, we swapped our heels for trainers when travelling. Now we can go from school run to the home office, to a coffee date, to work video meetings with a few key changes of our outfit. We may put on some lipstick for our video call, we may swap our t-shirt for a white shirt and statement necklace, we may swap our trainers for comfy statement shoes.

3. Social and ethical awareness dressing. More of us are buying from small businesses and we are buying from communities we want to actively support. We are shunning fast fashion in larger numbers and we are seeking to buy from companies that are kind and that care about their staff and the planet.

I have kept the below clothing edit simple and it is for ALL style personalities. We have a statement necklace and shoe, classic and city-chic tailoring, a classic but feminine blouse, classic trousers, natural jeans and sandals. All of these items can be mixed and matched. These items will work hard in your wardrobe and earn their space.

How has COVID-19 impacted your work? Please drop me a message in the comments below. Let's chat.

We may earn a small commission on some of the items listed.