Being up-to-date on the latest fashion trends is a pretty easy job, but being able to actually wear them is a different story.
When people think about fashion, the aspects of creativity, individuality, and expression are often kept in mind. And while these concepts are essentially ideal, they’re not necessarily easy to embody on a daily basis, especially when office uniform suppliers have to consider dress codes enforced for professionality.
In what is considered corporate wear, for example, mini skirts, gym shoes, denim, and tube tops might be the biggest no-gos. No matter how trendy these items are, there are always restrictions and appropriate settings to wear them.
Don’t fret when you feel like being trendy in the office is impossible! As a matter of fact, fashion comes in a wide spectrum and all you have to do is reach out to your workday wardrobe and make the right choices.
After all, all it takes are a few tweaks and a bit of fashion knowledge on how to amp up your usual office wear.
So if you’re aiming to look stylish and snatched even in your corporate attire, here are seven trends ruling the fashion industry to try:
Monochrome Fashion
From the word itself, monochrome fashion is simply using one solid color in an outfit. Dressing up with a monochrome style can be amped up by using either different textures, patterns, or shades from a single color family.
The monochromatic looks exude crisp and polishness that seem to never go old nor wrong regardless of the season. It also sets the tone of your overall look based on the color you wear. You can look laid back and chic with black and white or bold and commanding with reds, oranges, and purples.
A tip to a good monochrome styling is using colors that would flatter your skin tone and creating a silhouette that suits your body type.
Color Blocking
Color blocking is almost like the nemesis of monochrome fashion; principles are at contrasting poles, but their impacts are equally powerful. Compared to monochromatic style, color blocking focuses on using two or more colors as statement elements of an outfit.
Its main and common rule is using two or three bright contrasting colors in large areas of a clothing piece. You can achieve this by using clothing pieces with large patterns or layering with two plain yet differently-colored items.
The key to color blocking is a mindful technique on layering and a good grasp of color theory. Tasteful placements and combinations of color are what make an outfit stand out. Otherwise, you will end up looking more messy than fashionable.
Neutral and Camel Shades
Neutral clothing can be considered as an extension of minimalist fashion. In essence, its main point is to look “less” without necessarily taking away the hints of style in your outfit.
While minimalism focuses on using fewer elements in the clothing, neutrals are all about using fewer colors. Black, white, beige, sage, and khaki are some of the winning neutral colors that are easy to style on any occasion.
And with the fondness of the modern era to pay homage to vintage nostalgia, 70’s fashion is now being incorporated in neutral clothing. The popular camel shades in folk and hippie-themed garments are back on trend with items like boots, flare pants, and bell sleeves being the easiest ensemble to match.
Power Suits
The use of suits has become more common in the workplace in comparison to the past decades for women. In today’s time where women are being celebrated and empowered for their place in the professional arena, wearing power suits that are structured from a typical men’s suit is a trend.
Not only does this style give a gender-bending flair, but it’s also a nod to the recognizable shoulder pad trend that rose to popularity from the late ’80s to early ’90s.
Styling power suits can be diverse and flexible based on your personality. Some pair it with oversized trousers or with jeans for the bottoms and with heels, oxfords, or sneakers for the shoes.
What makes power suits live up to their name is their ability to match different styles with just a few tweaks and changes in accessories.
Puffy Sleeves
Another fashionable way to reference the 80’s is incorporating prominent sleeves in clothing. Puffy sleeves were made popular because of bold and striking fashion choices before, but today, more feminine shapes and designs can be seen all over the market.
For example, more elaborate balloon sleeves mimic a princess-like cut but can also be styled with a more contemporary taste by pairing it with jeans or trousers.
The sleeves can also take form in different clothing such as dresses, jumpsuits, and even crop tops which lets you be more adventurous with the variety of fits.
Platforms and Chunky Shoes
Platforms and chunky shoes are mainly tributes to the early 2000’s grunge aesthetic but styles are becoming hybrid by combining different aesthetics in one outfit.
Platforms and chunky shoes can be worn with suits, dresses, and midi skirts to balance fluidity with structure and form.
It also helps in adding a few inches of height without having to wear heels so you can stay comfortable wearing them at work for long periods of time. Comfortability and functionality are some of the most important aspects of work as feeling at ease with how you look and what you wear contributes to improved productivity at the end of the day.
Key Takeaway
Being stylish when you are limited to wearing attires suitable for work can be challenging for some. It might feel limiting when the choices of clothes you can wear seem to be close to none.
Wearing the same thing to work over and over is not bad. If anything, it can actually help you save time thinking of what to wear in the morning.
However, it’s also not wrong to want to amp things up and feel even more confident at work with fashion. It has been proven by psychologists that self-esteem and overall confidence at work are improved when you like what you wear and that’s exactly what this article is for.
Looking stylish at the office is a piece of cake as long as you’re familiar with the styles you can play with.
To share a little wisdom from American designer Rachel Roy, “Dress for yourself. Don’t follow the trends. Observe the trends, read about the trends, and apply them to yourself in a way that feels unique”.
While having knowledge of what the trends are so you can stay inspired with your fashion choices, it’s also important to note that fashion is not, in any way, a pressure on you to dress a certain way. You can use them as guides to make better choices, but clothing will always boil down to whatever makes you feel comfortable with yourself.
