What to Wear to Work When It Seems Like “Anything Goes” 

Owing to the pandemic’s abruptly imposed, and then gratefully extended, work-from-home requirement, we’ve had four years of rolling out of our beds and walking to our home computer in our sweatpants.  

Our lives have been devoid of professional attire, and putting on makeup, shaving, and hair styling have barely crossed our minds. Women who have visited their hairdressers monthly for covert root coverage have dispensed with the cost and have leaned in to their “silver foxiness.” Even many of those video conferencing with teams haven’t overly concerned themselves with personal grooming — either opting to use an avatar or turning off their camera altogether.   

But lately, as workers of every stripe have been called back to the office, you find yourself wondering how to dress when being around colleagues and clients. How do you maintain a working wardrobe now that slovenly is out? 

Here are some tips for making the move back into a more professional appearance today, when it seems like “everything goes.” 

1. Try on your old jackets and slacks. Take a deep breath. Then lay them out en masse and try them on, one by one. Do they still fit? If they’re classics, you can probably still get away with wearing them, but consider updating with a brand-new accessory, such as a fetching scarf or belt. 

2. Get inspired. Follow people with fashion sense on Pinterest, and don’t be afraid to appraise their style. Find one person who represents the person you would like to be. Then, go window shopping and check out the styles displayed at boutiques or designer stores. Or, bookmark brands you like online to keep up with their latest styles. 

3. Avoid fashion clash. Now that meetings at the office are being held in person again, you need to be stricter about your own appearance. No leggings under a dress. No sports watch with a suit. The wrong accoutrement or radically mismatched separate will have others looking askance at you. 

4. Get your hair trimmed. During the pandemic, hair ran long. It’s time for a more professional look. Pay a visit to your barber or schedule time with your hair stylist to tame those frizzy, overgrown locks. It may be time to behead that bedhead look. 

5. Remember to groom. Out-to-there nails or scraggly beards were acceptable during pandemic times. For better or worse, those times are over. Take stock of where you’ve become lax, and get back into your old grooming habits. Warning: You will have to look at yourself in the mirror once again. 

6. Seek out advice. If, after your extended time away, you feel that you’ve lost your flair for fashion, put together some outfits and send a selfie to your trusted fashionista friend for their scrutiny. Invite them to give you a thumbs up or thumbs down if you’ve combined some separates that are better left separated. 

7. Don’t take your cue from unkempt work mates. While some may continue to adopt a laid back attitude toward their work attire, don’t adopt their careless approach. You may find that colleagues will approach you for an opinion more often if you look pressed and put together than your coworker who dresses like they’ve just returned from a run. 

8. Stay within unspoken norms. If your workplace appears to have a nonexistent dress code, you still want to adhere to a sense of decorum. Stained tops, jeans with ripped knees, sandals that reveal your gnarled toenails may not give you pause, but believe me, your team members will be questioning your state of mind. 

9. Dress the part. Granted, a tie can look out of place in some offices — think a tech startup — but on the other hand, a backwards ball cap doesn’t signal a person to be taken seriously in a meeting to lure a new client. Plan your wardrobe according to what’s on your calendar for the day so that you don’t show up looking like you’re about to go clubbing if you have a presentation to make. 

10. Keep in mind that your clothes tell a story. What you choose to wear speaks volumes about you. Donning a garish print more suited for the beach will look like you’re screaming for attention. Similarly, showing cleavage or wearing skin-tight dresses will expose you as an amateur.  

Even in an “everything goes” atmosphere, you are better off leaning toward the demure rather than the dramatic or disheveled when you head back to the office. It will help you hit your stride again as you adjust to working around others. 

Written By Vicky Oliver 

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Vicky Oliver is a leading career development expert and the multi-best-selling author of five books, including Live Like a Millionaire (Without Having to Be One) (Skyhorse, 2015), 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Sourcebooks 2005), named in the top 10 list of “Best Books for HR Interview Prep,” and Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers, and Other Office Idiots (Sourcebooks 2008). She is a sought-after speaker and seminar presenter and a popular media source, having made over 901 appearances in broadcast, print, and online outlets. For more information, visit vickyoliver.com.