Since January started I have been working with many of you to sort out your wardrobes ready for the return to the office. It might only be 2/3 days per week right now but the feeling towards it has shifted as has the landscape. There is a real want for people to go back into their work environments, to chat in real life, work next to their colleagues and go back to work events again. But the days of wearing a suit and tie, a pencil skirt and jacket have gone as offices are embracing the smart/casual dress code that once was just saved for ‘dress down Fridays’.

What has changed since the pandemic?

The pandemic has accelerated the move towards smart/casual dressing with companies realising that you don’t need to be suited and booted to look professional and do your jobs properly.

What this does mean is you can’t rely on the old ‘uniform’ of throwing on a suit. Now it is acceptable to bring some personality and self expression to work, this means having a wardrobe full of smart separates instead. That requires a bit more creativity and can be overwhelming.

While it’s clear dress codes have relaxed massively, it’s still essential to look professional at work. It really is part of your tool kit for success as well as showing you mean business and you take your job seriously, Smart/casual can be tricky to master with many people getting it wrong and ending up looking too casual or too formal.

By adding a few key pieces you will get it spot on and hopefully enjoy dressing in a more creative and interesting way. It also means the lines have now blurred; your work wardrobe blends into your weekend wardrobe which definitely has its benefits. It means you can get more wear from everything and have a more sustainable wardrobe with less clothes but more ‘cost-per-wear’, this definitely feels like we have moved on.

What do you need in your work wardrobe for going back into the office?

There are 6 things that I believe by adding them into your wardrobe you will create lots of go-to outfits that will help when dressing every morning for work.

THE BLAZER

Now the blazer is an acceptable separate that can be worn over-sized, more casual and softer or to add interest and colour to your outfit.

THE DRESS

Update your look with shirt dresses and looser styles rather than fitted tailored dresses of old. Inject some pattern and colour to give your outfit some personality.

THE TROUSER

Any trouser shape goes from wide leg, barrel leg, ankle length and high waisted, its all about the trouser.

THE BLOUSE

Make sure a couple of your blouses at least are a bit statement to add interest and personality. Look for puff sleeves or pussy bow styles.

THE JUMPSUIT

Just this week on the new series of The Apprentice, Karren Brady was the belle of the boardroom wearing a bubblegum pink jumpsuit. This would have been unheard of just a few years ago but grab yourself a jumpsuit and take the stress out of getting dressed in the morning.

THE SHOES

Quite often this can be the hardest thing, flats vs heels, those LK Bennett court shoes just don’t feel right anymore, what can you wear instead? Boots, loafers and even smart trainers.

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Stuck in a rut? Bored of your style and your wardrobe? Have no idea what to wear everyday and feel frumpy? Then you need a wardrobe reboot!

If these past 2 years has taught us anything is that it is now socially acceptable to wear a tracksuit out for dinner and pretty much any social occasion, but if wearing loungewear doesn’t make you feel good then you need to take a good look at what you have in your wardrobe. If the thought of getting dressed everyday fills you with dread then you are not alone, it can be frustrating and even upsetting but it happens to everyone. A style rut usually takes years in the making and let’s be honest if the last time you put an outfit together that made you feel good was before Covid then it has been years.

Do any of these statements resonate with you?

You own many pieces of clothing that still have the tags attached

You have a safe, go-to colour that dominates your wardrobe
You’re in an endless buying cycle and quickly fall out of love with your purchases
You pick up the same designs and cuts when you go shopping
You have a huge wardrobe but wear less than 25% of your clothing
You’ve kept lots of ‘just incase’ pieces that you haven’t worn for years

If you read each of those and thought “that’s me!” then it’s safe to say you’re in a style rut, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. So, I have developed a 3 step process that helps me identify why I'm in a rut and helps me find the inspiration to take myself out of it. And I'm sharing that with you in this post so you can start to enjoy getting dressed again!

STEP ONE - ASSES WHERE YOU ARE & WHY YOU ARE IN THIS RUT

Before you start to try and get out of your style rut, it's a good idea to assess where you are at the moment, and how you got here, so spend 30 minute or so thinking about the following:

WHY ARE YOU IN A RUT?

Have there been any changes to your lifestyle recently?

Maybe it’s that you don’t feel like you have the knowledge or tools to be stylish, so you’ve put the blinders on and have just fallen into a rut?
Or maybe it’s as simple as the end of one fashion season and the start of another?

Taking the time to think about what the catalyst is, will help you to identify what you need to fix it, and what changes you could make to climb out of your rut.

WHAT DON’T YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR CURRENT LOOK?

What’s frustrating you?

Why do you think your style is boring?
What don’t you like about it?

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR CURRENT STYLE?

Some ideas on how to work this out are -

Try everything on in your wardrobe and think about how it makes you feel
Photograph your outfits everyday for a week and think about what you liked about them
Can you pick up on a theme of the things you like that will help you with your core style?

STEP TWO - FIGURE OUT WHAT DIRECTION TO TAKE YOUR STYLE

Now you’ve assessed where your style is and come to some conclusions you now need to re-build and discover what you want your style to be. Have a think about the following -

What inspires you?
What do you want your style to say about you?
What is your lifestyle?

Then get inspired, take some time to look at Instagram, Pinterest, online magazines or newspaper pull outs to help you get some ideas for your style. Make a mood board, look at online shopping and add things to your basket, don’t buy them just build up an image of what you want to buy and wear.

STEP THREE - START CREATING NEW LOOKS

Creating new looks and helping someone with their style is my absolute favourite part of my job, but if you are feeling overwhelmed and are still not sure what to do then here are some tips on how to pull together some new looks.

ADD SOME COLOUR

If you have no idea what colours suit you the best or struggle with colours then having your colours done by a professional then should be the first thing you do. If you have had your colours done but still don’t know how to add colour into your wardrobe then sort your wardrobe into colours and see what colours you have too much of and what you have none or very little of. This will give you a good indication of what colours to focus more on and what to stop buying into as you have enough of it. If solid colours are too much then look at adding in prints and stripes into your wardrobe this also mixes up your style.

ADD SOME GREAT ACCESSORIES

I’ve lost track of how many times a client has said to me that she couldn’t believe that the coloured bag I got her to buy has elevated every single outfit she wears, and she wears it with every single outfit! It is so important to get those accessories right and when you do you really can change your style. Choosing the right pair of trainers so that they add colour to neutral outfits. Pull out the accessories you own, challenge yourself to wear that statement necklace over your grey jumper, wear the leopard print boots you haven’t worn for 2 years with your jeans, I bet there is alot you can do with what you have you just need to experiment with it.

ADDING NEW PIECES TO YOUR WARDROBE

It’s important that from all the work that you have put in that you create a list of what you want and what you need and don’t deviate from this as impulse buying will bring you back to the start once more. Have a think about different retailers that you’ve never shopping in before, look at the concessions in department stores or look on Instagram to see whether you can find new brands that interest you.

ONE FINAL NOTE…

If you don’t have the budget to start from scratch with a whole new wardrobe it might be about just adding in 3 or 4 really important things that can work with everything else you have in your wardrobe, but be clear with what they are. Think about what your typical day and your lifestyle looks like, everyone’s is different and everyone’s wardrobe is different. Your wardrobe needs to service your life whilst making you feel fabulous at the same time. Lastly think about your body shape, are you buying the right pieces that work to flatter your body shape or is this where you are going wrong? As once you understand what works for you and why, you will find it that much easier to find clothes that look good on you and trust me, when you know your clothes look good on you, you enjoy wearing them a whole lot more!

As ever if you are struggling with getting out of a style rut then I am always on hand to help, just drop me an email or go to the contact page on my website.