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| Shirt: Equipment. Culottes: Great Plains (buy similar here). Bag: Atterley Road. Shoes: Dune. Watch: Mondaine |
I have an apology to make. I came to realise recently, that I have been doing many of you an injustice. I swan around in my jeans, Birkenstocks, bomber jackets and tell you what should be wearing everyday whilst forgetting that a lot of people have a dress code for work. And it’s hard…right? How to look smart, presentable, appropriate and chic – now that’s a challenge.
The amount of time I scream at the television during The Apprentice asking “why are they wearing that? Do people dress like that in an office?” – and don’t even get me started on their choice of footwear…
Anyway, I digress, but I thought the best place to start would be for me to dress work appropriate myself (and abiding by a covered up, closed toe rulebook). So I’ve decided after my #WeekInDenim on Instagram to dedicate a week to workwear – I hope you like!
I’m not sure how much convincing I have to do with an Equipment shirt – I have an abundance of shirts and wear them regularly but a really good shirt, in a great fabric is never to be underestimated. Yes, they’re expensive but you only really need one (okay, maybe 2) in your life. And they do come up on The Outnet too. My Margaret Howell chambray shirt is without doubt the most useful piece in my wardrobe – it looks great on holiday with a bikini, tucked into smart culottes, rolled up under my dungarees…
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| Cotton shirt: £215, Equipment at Net A Porter |
Culottes are a great alternative to trousers, especially for the spring – and they look great paired with a lace-up court. Plus, these are possibly the only style of trouser that look just as good when you change into your trainers for the commute home!
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| Coat: Asos (in the sale now). Trainers: Adidas |
…and did you know that Marks & Spencer have a pair of those leather culottes online?! Get them while you can…
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| Leather culottes: £199, Marks & Spencer |
Yay, this is a great post…looking forward to this week (and re: your comment about the apprentice, yes people in offices really do dress like that unless they are older in which case it's sensible boot cut trousers and v neck jumpers)!
I have one question that really puzzles me…..how on earth do you and other bloggers manage to wear an amazing shirt over a bikini on holiday and then manage to wear it again in a more formal manner…..any shirt I seem to use for holiday attire always seems to eternally smell of suntan lotion and if it's white, has turned a lovely shade of yellow, again from suntan lotion! What's the secret?. X
Bootcut trousers!! Brilliant. Re: the shirt – my Margaret Howell shirt is the lightest, softest fabric that it lends itself to the beach very well – it's not your average crisp cotton shirt (like uniqlo, for instance, which I love but agree make-up on the collar and suncream etc as it's so starchy)…but saying that, I probably don't wear it as much to the 'office' as most 9-5 people do…
I too love this post – thanks Alex. It can be a little galling when bloggers repeatedly wear jeans (not to mention the expensive freebies that most of us do not get) when we are wrestling with what to wear for work where jeans are no go and the dress code is pretty limited. I too really look forward to this week on The Frugality.
I never really think about how hard it is, actually. Closed toe shoes, no shoe string straps in summer…and I'm also not one for too much colour so it has proved tricky! xx
Thank you so much for this post! Have loved your blog for a long time and would love some more workwear ideas. I'm a medic and hospital wards are pretty tricky to dress for… I need to look smart but be comfortable enough to be able to run around (sometimes literally) for 15 hours a day (or night), I want to look approachable without being dowdy, and of course everything needs to be easy to wash!! To top it off, I'm 5ft 11, and although it's easy to find jeans and casual clothes, looking tailored and smart is really tricky and I often end up feeling scruffy! Please help! Excited for the rest of your ideas! x
Can you wear trainers?! I am on my feet all day through my work, which is why I'm pretty much always in flats – couldn't do it without!
Sadly I can't wear trainers (always in them when not at work though to let my feet recover!), so always on the lookout for comfy flats… Heels are a definite no! x
New Look actually has a great selection of affordable flats which are comfy, too! And Next is really upping their shoe game, too x