Smart Casual Office Look

THE LOOK 

Style Notes

KEY PIECES

Structured blazer is one of the most practical pieces in the workwear wardrobe. It allows to create well-put-together outfits that look professional, even if you pair it with jeans.

Check blazers are a great example of a slow trend. They’ve become very popular 2 years ago and are still going very strong. So it is a safe investment to make as they won’t go out of fashion as such. If you stick to a modern cut (slightly elongated, not overly fitted), you’ll have this blazer for years to come without looking dated. 

Silky shirt is another must-have staple in the work wardrobe. Give preference to style that you can wear on their own as well as under blazers. A selection of light and bright colours will create a solid foundation for mixing & matching. 

Smart trousers are another must-have for a functional work wardrobe. There is a variety of styles to choose from (straight leg, tapered, wide leg, culottes) but a fitted 7/8 cut is always a safe reliable option. 

STYLING IDEAS

These 3 basics will create a solid foundation to play around with for both work and weekend. All you have to do is scale them – bring couple variations of each piece so you can mix & match.

Be careful when mixing navy and black in one capsule as on most occasions they don’t work well together. Black might seem like a very versatile colour, but navy is actually much easier to co-ordinate with as it goes with most colours.

Don’t limit yourself to black boring accessories. Colours like burgundy, teal, cognac, bottle green, mustard are all great versatile options for accessories – from shoes to bags. They also work all year around so you can get as much wear out of your wardrobe as possible.

Don’t forget about adding jewellery to the mix! Necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings are all great options to add an extra subtle touch to the looks. 

DECIDING IF THIS IS RIGHT FOR YOU

Different work places have different dress codes so if your workplace is on the casual side, simply choose your basics with a little bit less structure. 

Tailored trousers can be replaced with smart jeans and the casualness of jeans will balance out the dressiness of silk blouses and the structure of the blazer. 

If the jeans are not allowed in your workplace, but the blazer still feels too dressy, then make your blouses the core basics. Go for silky finishes and smart cuts. 

Alternatively, look for blazers with no lining – their structure is equal to the structure of a cardigan so won’t make you feel overdressed. 

more styling ideas

Additional Options

Dress Up

Introducing heels to the looks will further dress up structured blazers + silk blouses combinations. However, don’t limit yourself to basic courts. One of the biggest trends this season is an interesting heel on shoes. It’s a great way of spicing up an outfit made up of clean simple pieces. Also, this is a safe way of investing into trends as these shoes will stay contemporary even when the heels are not in the trend spotlight. 

Statement earrings are another trend that has been going strong for a few seasons and another safe (and very budget-friendly!) way of dipping your toe into the fashion world! Start building up a selection of interesting pieces that can give your basics a lift and a bit of an edge!

Adding another blazer to the capsule along with couple more blouses will create dozens of options to play with!

Dress Down

Blazers and blouses can easily migrate into your weekend wardrobe when paired with jeans.

Blue and cream are great options to get you started!

Colours

Blazers are the anchor pieces so start with them and then find blouses/tops to go inside. Having a printed blazer and block-coloured one gives you a great starting point. 

Toffee (blazer pictured) is a super versatile alternative to black and navy – it is dark enough to be practical but has enough of depth of colour to not look too dark in spring/summer. Blues, greens, yellows are all easy colours to co-ordinate it with.

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