Let Your Work Outfit do the Talking

Picture this, you’re at your desk, typing away, scrambling to finish the day’s work, when you hear footsteps approaching. Unconsciously, you crane your neck to see who’s passing by, and you get wowed.

She is amicably and elegantly dressed in workwear attire. The kind of outfit that does the talking. In short, her outfit is already speaking volumes way before she opens her mouth to speak, making you want to emulate her style and wow people with your workwear outfits.

You may be fresh out of university and still navigating your way around official wear as you settle into the corporate world. Or maybe you’ve been in the workplace for awhile but your office wardrobe has gotten a bit rusty and needs a refresh.

To be honest, it’s not as easy to look confident and elegant in your style as it seems. For one, picking a style and working with it may be a bit confusing. There are so many colors, prints, fabrics, styles, your own preferences, and your comfort to consider.

The solution is to take the time to build a functional, chic, and professional closet. Whether you are new to professional outfits or need a bit of a refresh, here are steps you can follow to build such a closet. 

 Take a Spin

First, we need to get a little inspiration and an idea of what your style is. This will inform a whole lot of decisions that follow. Visit Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube and check out your favorite creators. What are they wearing? How are they styling their outfits? Are they sharing any hacks?

Note down what you like and don't like and have a rough idea of what may look good on you. Try to brainstorm, are there ways you can recreate the outfits you’ve liked in your own way? Go ahead and create a Pinterest board and pin everything that tickles your fancy.

Well, I may be exaggerating a tiny bit when I say that it’s a mess, but it's probably a hotchpotch of pieces that you may not know how to pair. I’m talking about your wardrobe sis.

Just because you are building a new wardrobe, doesn’t mean that you have to throw away all your ‘old’ clothes. Peruse through the mess, and take account of what you have and what you need to add.

This is about to be a long section so buckle up.

First and foremost, we need to pick out the colors. To ensure that you don’t find yourself in the ‘ I don’t know what to wear’ category, you need to choose a color palette.

Have some base colors which could include: black, navy blue, brown, and white. Add a few pops of color and a few patterns.

Secondly, buy clothes that fit you well. Not baggy clothes (unless you’re going for the baggy aesthetic), and neither clothes that are too tight. If they don’t fit right you have the option to get them tailored.

Vary the items that you purchase. This may call for the adventurous part of you that may want to play around with different styles. Give dresses a try, checked pants, floral shirts, and tops, your options are endless.

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It's time to buy thee clothes. Do take time to choose your outfits and don’t buy clothes on a whim. Only purchase clothes with quality fabrics that will give you good service and that you can create good memories with.

Lastly, keep in mind that building a wardrobe and figuring out your style is not an overnight process. Sometimes what you envisioned doesn’t actually come alive when you try it out. You need to be patient and open-minded. Trust the process. A good start would be making sure you have wardrobe basics in place first then building on them.
That said here are some work outfit ideas you can add to your inspiration board.

  

   

Virginia Gachuru
Guest Writer