I began my second job at Business Insider when a reporter at Business Insider after graduating from college, like some pandemic graduates, and we spent the first few months video calls with my manager and coworkers.
At the time, I had very few work-appropriate things. My clothing mostly consisted of grain heads, jeans, sweatpants, sweatshirts, and other items that represented top college life.
I was told that BI’s clothing code was more casual and formal, but I actually did. I was still unsure about what to wear when the business switched to a hybrid-working type a few months afterwards.
When I came into the office, some persons opted for pants, shirts, or garments, and some of the younger people also wore crop top. It took me a while to figure out what was suitable while still preserving my fashion.
Some young experts are wearing garments, and researchers say it could have an effect on their perception.
“If somebody’s dressed sort of haphazardly, we may make the assumption that they’re not all that honest,” Ryan Vogel, an associate professor at Fox School of Business at Temple University, just told BI.
“If they’re not going to take the time to put themselves together, they similarly won’t take the time to put their report together in a similar kind of fashion,” he added.
And a person who is poorly dressed may get overlooked when it comes to, he said.
We spoke with two commercial stylists to learn how the younger years can improve their work environments.
1. “From fingers to knees,” you should be covered.
Everyday use such as crop top and skirts have no place in the office, Maree Ellard, a based in Australia, told BI.
Ellard helps her clients balance alternative fashion aesthetics with corporate workwear and charges around $600 Australian dollars, or about $391, to create a capsule-style wardrobe of 25 mix-and-match pieces and $750 AU$, or about $490, to create five unique outfits for the workweek.
She demonstrated in a new video how wearing a miniskirt to work made it difficult to bend down or sit perfectly because it exposed more than was correct.
“From fingers to legs, you are effectively making sure you are covered,” she said, adding that there should be no cause to have your neck, lower legs, or belly exposed.
According to Leonard, wearing uneasy clothing only makes things worse because it requires a lot of emotional strength to manoeuvre in them.
“If you can’t functionally move and you’re only basing your outfit on just standing straight, you need to cut that out,” she added.
2. Quality over quantity
Liz Teich, a, said that many Gen Zers factory at fast-fashion stores such as Zara and stock up on items that aren’t good value.
They believe they must purchase a bit, and I believe they are ignoring the versatility of style when they approach it.
It’s not about spending lots of money, but buying fewer better-quality items that you can type with several garments, she said, using a suit as an example.
A “great suit styled in various techniques with a dress, with dress pants, with jeans, it can be the training of a outfit,” she said.
Rather than buying five blazers you don’t love, buy one great one that will last forever, she added.
Teich advised young professionals to shop on sites such as eBay, Poshmark, and The RealReal for good quality pre-owned items.
And if you can, invest in tailoring. She claimed it’s worth paying a little extra to have men’s suits and pants custom-fitted to fit because they can look sloppy if they don’t fit well.
3. Purchase some excellent work shoes
It’s time to put those casual shoes to the side and invest in more fashionable work shoes, Teich said.
“People need to really step up their shoe game,” she said, adding that since the pandemic, workers have become more casual in their footwear choices. “Now they don’t know what kind of shoes to wear. “
While Teich said that high heels might not suit every office culture, flat pumps are a good alternative.
Loafers, flats, booties, and certain types of sneakers— such as fashion or retro styles — are also appropriate choices for women, she said.
Meanwhile, dress shoes, boots, or white court sneakers — which are based on the design of tennis sneakers — from brands such as Veja, Common Projects, and Nisolo work well for men. Adidas Stan Smiths, Gazelles, and Sambas are also great options for men.
It’s not enough to only wear the right shoes — there’s a level of upkeep to keep them looking presentable. Teich advised taking dress shoes to the cobbler if they need polishing or repair, and purchasing a magic eraser or shoe cleaner for sneakers.
She said that another way to revive worn-out sneakers is to switch the laces or bleach them.
4. Play around with accessories, details, and color
Don’t always sacrifice your sense of style by sticking to a strict dress code.
If your workplace has a business-casual or business-formal dress code, Ellard said you have to “translate your style” which means incorporating elements of your aesthetic into your workwear.
She cited a person’s example of a modern take on functional clothing and how that can be applied to business attire.
She said a gorpcore fan might choose to wear tailored, structured pants with lots of pockets or a belt that cinched in their waists.
Playing with colors and accessories can also enhance an outfit.
“When in doubt, accessories are my way to do it,” she said. This includes earrings, necklaces, watches, belts, bracelets, or headbands and clips to style the hair.
Additionally, Leonardo suggested wearing monochromatic clothing. Bold pastels can look great, but more muted colors such as navy, charcoal, or chocolate brown also work in more formal offices.
5. Keep the designer logos to a minimum.
Wearing designer clothing can improve your appearance by making the logos subtle and understated.
“I think if you wear too many flashy logos, that might be inappropriate and might not convey the right message to your coworkers,” Teich said.
She argued that having high-quality items in your wardrobe and developing your own style are better ways to show that you can think independently.
“You always hear ,’dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have,'” she said. “You don’t want to look like you’re entry-level … you want to look like you are ready to get a promotion. “