I love the fact that the places are reopening and people have started going back to the office and are arranging in-person meetings! It’s great to get a bit of normality!
But as a personal stylist, I can also feel a lot of overwhelm and anxiety in the voices of my clients, who have to return to the office, or to face-to-face meetings, and they are completely out of touch with their work clothes and presentable wardrobes, as they’ve spent the last year and a bit in joggers.
No fear! I’m here to give you my 5 top tips on how to gently upgrade your wardrobe to its shining glory, without having to buy lots of new stuff.
Here are my 5 personal styling tips on how to gently kick-start your work wardrobe upgrade:
1. Go through all the work clothes you used to wear before the pandemic.
All the stuff which no longer fits, put in a bag/box, label it with the date and put away, so it doesn't overwhelm you when you see it every day in the mix with the stuff which fits. Put a reminder in your phone to try those things on in 6 months time - if they fit you, incorporate them back into your wardrobe, if not - give them away or sell.
You can find the ideas on how to ethically get rid of unwanted clothes here
2. Working from home tips - Create a separate section in your wardrobe for your online appearances.
Let’s face it, the transition to going back to the office and face to face is going to happen slowly and you are going to go back and forth between working from home online and seeing people in real life for months to come. So to speed things up in the mornings, it will be really helpful if you dedicate a section with a few hangers for just working from home.
Prioritise the colours which work for your colour type
Go for accent collars - as that’s pretty much all people can see through the screen
For the full list of working from home tips go here
3. Buy one pair of staple, black trousers.
No need for more at the moment, if they fit you properly - they will be a supporting essential staple for your statement tops and blazers. Better they fit - less noticeable they will be, which means people won’t think you only have one pair. (It’s like a good haircut - people don’t see you’ve had one as it looks so organic).
4. Use layering pieces.
Get one blazer and 3 blouses/tops.
Layering pieces, like blouses, blazers and trousers or skirts are easy to dress up and down for days in and off work.
If you, as the majority of us, gained weight during the lockdown and are not sure what shapes fit you anymore, here is a handy guide which will help
5. Get a pair loafers.
They are a great alternative to heels (which, let’s face it, we are not in a hurry to put back on).
So, to sum up, if you feel like you are due a major upgrade and want to go back to work in style, all you need to get are these 6 items:
3 tops
1 blazer
1 pair of trousers
1 pair of loafers
Once you are happy with that, you can add stuff on in the months to come!
I’ve been helping women refine their style for nearly 2 decades and worked with some amazing personalities along the way, like Lily James, Elizabeth Debicki. Nothing gives me more energy and drive than working with people and I treat each one as a true friend. Get in touch to arrange a free chat with me!
