There’s no doubt that the fashion trends for office and professional workwear has shifted dramatically over the last 20 years. Many young office workers in junior roles used to don suits just to sit in a cubicle and wear out the seats of their overpriced pants.

Generally speaking, this is no longer the case. So, in post-pandemic world where we’ve become accustomed to working from home in our jim-jams and have billionaire CEOs trotting around in hoodies, what should you be wearing to work now?

Obviously, if you’re in a trade or hospitality role, you’ll already know what to wear, but what about those dressier ‘professional’ circumstances?

It’s a bit more casual these days

“Professional wear” is less expected in the modern workplace; instead, the norm is usually ‘workplace casual’, so shirts, dresses, and jeans allowed. It’s not unusual to see the IT team in sneakers, or even upper management in slacks or skirts. This is especially true if your role is not client-facing.

Client-facing roles, however, are a different story – since your job is to make a good impression, you’ll want to make an effort. You won’t see many salespeople or real estate agents dressing down…we hope.

You can certainly be too casual

Don’t take it too far! A pair of thongs and a grubby old pair of tracky daks have no place here. You still need to be clean, neat, professional, and presentable.

If you go too casual, you run the risk of disrespecting your job, office, and colleagues by slumming it up to an intolerable degree. This isn’t your loungeroom. You’re not at the beach. It’s not muck around time in the backyard with the pooch and kiddies. You’re at work.

Neaten it up and always, always, make sure your clothes are clean and unmolested.

As Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion fades, only style remains the same.”

Take cues from colleagues and superiors

One of the best yardsticks is to err on the side of cation and dress up, not down.

You can get a great sense of where the level is at your particular workplace by observing your colleagues and management.

No, you don’t have to copy them: that would be unnerving. Instead, follow their lead for the dress code.

Are we talking slacks and dresses, or jeans and more casual skirts? Are we looking at dressier button up tops or laxer tees? Are we wearing boots and pumps or Converse and Vans? Take note and follow suit (with your personal flare, of course).

You want to feel confident

At the end of the day, you need to feel confident in what you wear in a professional setting. You’re almost always better off overdressing than under.

We’ve all seen that weird uncle at a wedding or funeral that rocked up in tatty jeans and a pub-stained tank top. Don’t be like Uncle Terry.

Confidence in a professional setting is key. You want to avoid anything that makes you feel underdressed or anxious about how you look. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

But that doesn’t mean your personality can’t shine! It should, just not so much that you besmirch the workplace setting, and your employer.

“There’s no need to dress like everyone else. It’s much more fun to create your own look” – Twiggy.

Get some stylish basic clothing options for your workplace

To start, it’s great to collect a few interchangeable classic clothing items that that don’t go out of style. Remember when every man in the CBD hemmed their suits above the ankle and wore sockless boat shoes? Those suits are ruined now.

For women, classic skirts, slacks, jeans, and dresses are a great start. Solid buttoned shirts in neutral colours that suit you like white, black, beige, blue, or red are useful to have, as well as stylish blouses, classy blazer jackets, and solid boots. (Pro-tip: make sure your belt matches your shoe colour).

For guys, dress jeans, plain shirts, neutral and neat shoes, a nice jacket, and yes, a decent suit waiting in the wardrobe will do you well.

It doesn’t really matter what you buy, though: the aim is to have a few easily swapped out combos that fit the bill, age well, and make you feel good.

Style Magazine recommends that for women in 2024,

“Every wardrobe should include essential fashion items that can be layered, mix-and-matched, and accessories for both office and weekend activities.”

For the men, Esquire recommends that it’s,

“All about looking put together, but not like you want people to comment on how put-together you look. It means making an effort, but not turning up in a three-piece suit.”

Having said all that, you really just need to feel confident, put together, and neat. If you feel out of place, unprofessional, and underdressed…you probably are.

Can you claim work clothes on your taxes?

When it comes to office attire, unfortunately no, you can’t claim your new blouse or slacks on your tax return.

However, if you wear a uniform, logoed shirt, or job-specific high vis or safety attire, then you probably can claim the purchase and washing of these items.

For full details of what clothes you can and can’t claim, look to the ATO.