Office Outfit Survival Guide: Summer 2025
promise this is from someone who actually works in a corporate office!
I’ve spent the vast majority of my professional career in jobs that have required near 100% in office presence. Getting dressed for work everyday was second nature. Which is not to say that it wasn’t hard or that there weren’t days (or weeks) when I hated everything in my closet and had absolutely no idea what to wear (there were!). But, there were few days when I felt this way and thought that there was an alternative of any kind. I went to the office everyday — that’s just what I did.
My first job out of college required travel to clients at least every other week, and so not only was I used to going into an office everyday, I was used to packing for a 4-day visit to the client site on a regular basis, and also ready to adjust my outfits to meet a variety of dress codes — quite casual in my proper office, but anything varying from business casual to business formal when on site with clients.
2020-2024 looked really different and included lots of wfh time and a lot of hybrid time. The concept of matching sweat suits, and even blouses with soft pants were introduced into my closet. The habit of getting dressed every day started to look really different than it ever had before. The point of this piece isn’t to get into this time deeply, other than to remind us of the fact that after a multi-year period in which many people with corporate jobs worked primarily from home and then split time between working from home and going into an office, and so it makes sense that getting dressed everyday feels really different than it used to.
Dress codes have changed, office attendance patterns have changed, physical office spaces have changed, bodies have changed, styles and preferences have changed, our taste and what we want to wear has changed, tolerance for uncomfortable things (yes, I am looking at you, my old uniform of pencil skirts and high heels!) You name it, it’s different now!
Add in hot summer temps, high summer collections filled with pieces competing to be as little as possible (looking at you bloomers — cute but not very office friendly!) and it’s even harder to figure it all out. PS: Quick PSA that if anyone suggests that you can style bloomers for a corporate environment, this is your sign to click away.
But you know what? It doesn’t have to be! This can actually be fun, and a habit/routine that you add into your day that brings joy and focus and sets you up for success. I promise!!! I’m saying this as someone who has pretty much always had the “getting dressed” gene — since I was a kid it’s been important to me (and also drilled into me by my parents - I literally did not realize one might actually wear sweat pants outside your home for anything other than exercise until I went away to college!), so fair to take it with a grain of salt. BUT, just like anyone else who experienced major routine changes over the course of and after the pandemic, as well as becoming a mom x3 and experiencing body and style shifts, I’ve also had to figure out what this looks like for me.
These days, I have a job where I go into the office at least 4, and often 5 days a week — which has been a big (and wonderful) adjustment — but has meant that over the past year I’ve added more business-casual pieces into my closet, with a focus on things that I can wear for work (which is typically business casual but has plenty of business formal occasions) and for life. With only anecdotal information to back this claim up, it seems like more and more of us are heading in offices, at least a few days a week, and therefore more and more of us are getting dressed for work on a regular basis. And, it follows then, that many of us are looking for pieces that we can wear for work, for fun, for weekend, for all the different things we are getting dressed for in our lives! And, may I add, KINDLY, that the best inspo for getting ready for work everyday comes from other people who do the same (and often not from people who might have great taste and style but don’t have experience in the corporate world!) On that topic — I love when
and share what they wear for work! Who else does this & has a great substack? I’d love to have more inspo in my repertoire!And that’s exactly what this is — ideas, inspo, a guide — for getting dressed for work in an office, with the pieces that I lean on on a regular basis (a special emphasis on warm-weather-friendly pieces!), and the “recipes” that I’m following that make getting dressed for work everyday a fun ritual that set me up for a good day, versus a draining or daunting to-do!
Structured Tops - $ / $ / $$ (some dress codes may require a blazer or sweater over this one!) / $$ (I have this in red and wear it all the time) / $$ (not a vest, but SO chic!) / $$ (white button-down adjacent, but with a nice twist! / $$ (tunic-style) / $$$ (so fun & unique) / $$ (another tunic-style that is on my wishlist!)
Styling Tips: This could be a vest, a pintuck blouse, a blouse with ruching, or even just something with a tailored waist. It’s a great counter-balance to a more flow-y bottom (could be elastic-waist pants, could be a wide-leg trouser, could be a maxi skirt!), or even with a pair of tailored trousers).
Tailored, Wide Leg Pants - $$ / $$ / $$ / $$ (underrated place to shop for work clothes IMO!) / $$ / $$
Styling Tips: These are an all-year round kind of style, but in the summer you might think about having some more breathable fabrics in your rotation (as opposed to wool or heavy cotton). Look for linen, linen-blend, cotton, recycled tencel, those type of things. In summer, I think a nice, wide-leg linen trouser in an essential. You can wear these with simple, but elevated tees tucked in to balance out the weight of the pant.
Office-appropriate dresses - $$ / $$ (I love this!) / $$ (so chic) / $$ (pop a blazer on top and you can wear this to even a dressier office!) / $$ / $$ (this color is insane!) / $$$ (a power dress — for when you’ve got something big going on!)
Styling Tips: I like to look for something that is past the knee (appropriate for all office dress codes), has thick straps or short sleeves, and a conservative neckline. Fabric matters a lot in the summer, so I am usually looking for cotton, linen, linen-blend or recycled tencel, maybe silk from time-to-time. Ideally, at least some of these dresses (like this!) are wearable for other occasions — whether with a strappy sandal for a night out, or sneakers and a sweater or sweatshirt around your waist on the weekends.
Long Skirt - $ / $ (knit option!) / $$ / $$ (black alternative) / $$ (more of a slim-cut style!) / $$$
Styling Tips: An alternative to a dress when you don’t want to wear pants, and a great way to manage warm temperatures, plus tons of styling opportunities. Pair something more voluminous with a structured top like a vest, and something more slim cut with a button down - you an even add a belt on top!
Relaxed Trouser $ (I swear by this pair!) / $$ (love an easy crop for summer!) / $$ / $$$
Styling Tips: This is not that unlike your wide-leg pants, but you might also want something with a more relaxed look. Wear with simple tees, and also with buttoned down shirts or short sleeve shirts, or any summer polo or lightweight sweater.
Tailored, slim pant: $ / $$ (chic ecru pants for summer!)
Styling tips: I like a slim pant tailed with something to balance the slim line on the bottom, so pair with a structured top, or a button down
Summer Knits: $ / $$ (love this as a top also!) / $$ (perfect stripe!) / $$ (keep on your desk and throw on whenever you need it!) / $$ (perfect short-sleeve) / $$$ (another perfect stripe!)
Styling Tips— These are pieces that save you on freezing cold AC days, as well as temp-appropriate choices like short sleeve sweaters. Throw over your shoulders, tie around your waist, keep on your chair for emergencies!
Elastic-waist pant: $ / $$ / $$$ (silk!) / $$$
Styling Tips: Not just for the weekends, these can be work appropriate. If you prefer, you can cover the waistband by wearing them with a long-line vest, or pintuck blouse. Or, wear with a pointelle tee tucked in, or short-sleeve cardigan (or sweater)— tucked or untucked! If that’s too casual, add a simple blazer on top for some structure. Great for work travel, also! I have an overseas trip this summer and I’m thinking I will wear these on the flight + then also while I’m there!
Elevated tees: $ (pointelle!) / $$ / $$ / $$ (knit - with a sweater on top!)
Styling Tips: A slightly elevated tee with take you a long way. I love pointelle, ribbed or a textured knit. Wear with elastic-waist pants, a skirt, even a pair of jeans!
Button down (long-sleeve or short-sleeve): $ / $$ (simple but perfect) / $$ (a button-down need not be boring!) / $$ (I wear this weekly) / $$ (stripes forever) / $$$ (gorgeous!)
Styling tips: Wear these with EVERYTHING! Tucked into trousers, slim pants, wide-leg pants. Untucked with slimmer, tight-er fitting pieces. Wear with jean shorts on the weekends!
Thank you so much for reading! To wrap things up, I thought I would share some of my favorite places to shop for work and life-friendly pieces! If you’d like, all items in this piece can be found here. Be sure to subscribe & check back, because I’ll be sharing more of what I wear to work all summer long!
ICYMI
Getting Dressed Postpartum (or anytime after your body has changed) - Part 2
What the Heck Do I Wear for Work (a work-outfit inspo post from 2024)
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This is really helpful and feels so achievable at a lot of levels/price points, thank you
So much of this makes for an easy transition into fall too!