I’m Elevating My Work Wardrobe and How to Dress at the Modern Workplace
My love for streetwear costs me a promotion, so let's not let that happen again lmao
My first job out of college was working for a well-known tech company as a sales representative. I didn’t make it three months, so when people ask me what my first job was I tell them it was a nearly two-year stint I had in wealth management. I had to wear a full suit - slacks, dress shoes, a shirt & tie, a jacket..the works - every day except Fridays where we could substitute our dress pants for jeans. I hated wearing a suit every day, especially in the sweltering hot Indian summer months of September and October.
It took about a year before the bossman got comfortable enough with the idea of losing the tie, and a couple of months after that we could take the jacket off, so I bought a fleece vest and looked like every other “financial man” in any given metropolitan area. I looked like such a douchebag in my brown double monk straps from Cole Haan, my blue Calvin Klein dress pants & powder blue shirt, Patagonia vest…and a combover. Yikes!!
By the time I got my first job in the fashion world, I may have bit off a bit more than I could chew. I didn’t repeat an outfit for the first 3 months. I was in deep, buying shit I didn’t need. My shoe closet was beginning to overflow and clothing was bulging from the small closet I was using at my parent’s house. I was wearing oversized clothes - I still do - to work from the likes of Supreme, Palace, early ALD, concert merch, baggy jeans, and t-shirts. Dressing like an avant-garde hypebeast was my jam. I was known to have some of the most eccentric styles in the office as I loved throwing together colorful pieces and mixing and mashing high and low brands. I bought a few designer pieces and wore them frequently. Frankly, I was too eccentric, too colorful. I was not a serious person. Maybe I was just bad at my job (a real possibility) but I believe I was not taken seriously in the office because I wore a neon yellow beanie and Supreme t-shirts on the reg. I never got promoted and those who were selected for promotion dressed very plain to the office - polo shirts, crewneck sweaters, chinos, desert boots, etc.
I’m an advocate of dressing however you want, but at a certain point, you’re taking a risk. Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried to switch it up and elevate my style in the office, but haven’t been able to take a leap of faith and fully commit. I started a new job yesterday that I am very excited about. I’ll be back in the fashion world after a brief exile, working for a brand that I find very chic. I’m 30 now, and I want to be taken seriously at work! I understand the game: feign confidence under any circumstances, never throw your boss under the bus, smile, etc. The one aspect I’ve never nailed was office style. I was hard-headed in my twenties about how I dressed, and it cost me.
For my new role, I started by purchasing a couple of pairs of black trousers - one from COS, and another from my favorite brand on planet Earth: Uniqlo. I also dug through the virtual discount bins on eBay and grabbed four vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Oxford shoes. I picked up some new socks and boxers to feel fresh. For my footwear, I have the monotone Doc Maarten’s derbies, the Supreme x Timberland Three Eye Lug shoe, a pair of Loafers from ALD, another from GH Bass, and a whole assortment of classic, minimal sneakers from the likes of Vans, Adidas, Margiela and New Balance. I top it off with a chore coat, blazer, or workwear jacket and I have a perfectly modern and stylish fit that will command respect at the office.
Going to a corporate office doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your personal style. You may have to tone it down if you’re the kind of person to peacock at a bar, but there are always ways to bring your personal style with you to and from the office.
I’ll argue that you can get away with three types of shirts at the office: a collared shirt, a blank t-shirt, and a crewneck sweater or sweatshirt. Blank t-shirts are fine as long as you have a smart layer on top such as a cardigan, a blazer, or a chore coat. Graphic tees should be kept to a minimum. Most people can swing a tasteful vintage tee to the office, but maybe leave the streetwear tees at home. Collared shirts, whether a polo shirt, a rugby shirt, or a long-sleeve button-down are the best option. If you don’t have a strict dress code it’s up to you whether or not you want to tuck it in. I don’t think tucking in my shirt is for me unless it’s with a suit, so I just let it hang. There is nothing more classic than an oxford cloth button-down shirt. It’s quite literally the most versatile shirt you can buy, and they’re inexpensive if you buy them second-hand. Sweaters are given in the cooler months.
The pants should fit well. If you’re the wide-pants guy, continue to wear them! Just don’t be sloppy. Wide denim can be very chic if worn at your natural waist. Anything other than that looks messy in my opinion. Just because most of your coworkers are still wearing the too-tight-for-you pants that blew up in Zara’s across the country in 2015 doesn’t mean you have to. If you like wide-fit pants, incorporate them while wearing other elevated pieces to bring the outfit together. Straight fit is the most classic and versatile kind of pant, and you can still get away with wearing slim-fit despite what your For You Page says.
I’m a big fan of dressing up chinos or dressing down dress pants. I have a pair of wide-legged trousers from Uniqlo that I love throwing together with an Oxford shirt and a pair of Gazelles. The high-low aspect gives the outfit balance, a yin and a yang if you will. The goal is to never look like you’re trying to dress up or like you’re trying to take things too casual. There is a happy middle ground to get to.
Ultimately you want to mix and match pieces to play with proportions and style. All you need is a handful of pieces - 3-4 shirts, a couple of sweaters, a pair of jeans, a pair of trousers, chic sneakers, some leather shoes, a couple of jackets, and a blazer. That’s all you need to be taken seriously at the workplace. Accessorize lightly. A watch, a chain, and a pair of earrings are enough. Don’t adhere to the “put that shit in approach” and keep it simple, dummy.
Before you go, I do want to touch on brands, because this is where you can take your work outfits to the next level. You can stick to the classic silhouettes at Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, or Uniqlo and look terrific, but several brands provide fresh takes on all the tried and true classics. The Scandinavian brands mfpen, Our Legacy, NN07, and A Kind of Guise are all playing with materials and proportions to make classic elevated basics more avant-garde. I have a beautiful wool Our Legacy shirt jacket that when worn with black trousers and a pair of Sambas will look great at the workplace. Japanese houses Flagstuff, Auralee, and Beams also create beautiful, elegant clothing that will ensure your status as the best-dressed member of the sales team. Then there’s Lemaire and Officine Generale out of France. If you’re feeling extra sexy, check out Husbands, the new youthful suits house based in Paris, taking inspiration from the 1970s.
Dressing for work is no more difficult than getting dressed for any other situation. As I’ve grown, I’ve learned the value of dressing better for the office. You’ll come off as more confident, intelligent, and capable. You never want to sacrifice your style just to start dressing in the finance-bro uniform of navy slacks and a white shirt under a Patagonia vest. Stick to your guns and research different brands, and you will soon be taken seriously by your superiors while being viewed as a fashionable god to your contemporaries. I hope you all get promoted soon and get the mf bag.
Peace and Love
