Workwear Trends: 2024 Guide To An Office Refresh

Author Editor - February 02, 2024 - 7 minute read

For office outfit repeaters, sartorial success may not be at the top of your credentials. We’ve all been guilty of sticking to tried-and-tested combos - after all, who wants to add outfit planning to their AM routine? But a style rut can leave you uninspired and unmotivated; not exactly the makings of a ‘girl boss’.

If you’ve found yourself touting the same outfits day after day, no longer winning your colleagues' admiration, there are two strategies to regaining desk appeal: a new job, or a new wardrobe. Since a hasty career change is a slight overreaction to a style slump, we’d suggest a fashion overhaul is a far quicker and easier option. It’s simply a case of finding fresh inspiration, be it from the catwalks, fashion press, or street style scene.

When it comes to workwear trends, 2024 is full of promise. Not only has the ‘quiet luxury’ aesthetic continued to influence upcoming collections, with designers emulating office clothes for women to reinvent everyday staples with newfound elegance, but we’ve also spotted emerging trends that’ll instantly bring your workwear up to date.

In this guide, we break down the five latest office wear trends to inspire you with brand-new work outfit ideas to wow onlookers from bus route to boardroom.

What to wear to the office

It’s fair to say that in the past, there has been a strict office dress code for women across professions. However, the days of muted-tone work dresses and pencil skirts have largely disappeared, replaced with more individual styles as company cultures relax.

Weekend-only wear is cropping up more and more during business hours, while our designated ‘work clothes’ doubling up as casual clothing. Even smart work clothes - think structured blazers, button-up shirts, and fitted dresses - can be elevated on days you want to impress, but mix seamlessly with relaxed knitwear and polished jeans too.

By investing in pieces you can dress up or down, you’ll instantly get more wear - and value - out of your wardrobe, bringing your favourite styles across the threshold from weekend to weekday.

If you’re aiming for the burgeoning ‘business casual’ dress code, you may be looking to introduce a few beautiful but laid-back basics into your workwear outfits for some extra desk-side comfort. Or, perhaps even some directional pieces that’ll have you winning ‘Best Dressed Employee of the Month’. Whatever your HR rules, putting a personal stamp on your workwear is worth the investment when it's a core part of our closet space.

Top workwear trends for 2024

With unseen-before scope for artistic license in your Monday-to-Friday dressing, there’s plenty of opportunity to update your clothing for the office with a nod to the latest trends.

Although some highlights from the SS24 catwalks don’t lend themselves to corporate days - micro shorts and see-through skirts should probably be kept for off-duty looks - we’ve compiled the top 5 work-appropriate trends to inspire your workwear with the latest office fashion.

As the soon-to-be expert on this season’s workwear trends, 2024 is the fresh start your workwear wardrobe has been waiting for…simply scroll your way to business-chic.

1. Spring whites

The promise of blue skies and warmer climes has us longing for crisp, radiant whites. This SS24 trend is well-matched with a busy schedule, as head-to-toe white outfits look clean, curated, and high-calibre yet take no time at all to put together. Exactly what’s needed on a Monday morning.

All-over bright whites wouldn’t look out of place at Wimbledon, so for the office, you might rely less on tank tops and skorts and opt instead for classic tailoring like oxford shirts, dress pants, and blazers in this season’s freshest shade.

2. High-rise trousers

From both a style and practicality point of view, trousers are a mainstay of office wear for women. With endless cuts and fabrics to choose from, a pair of work trousers can be the basis of your workwear looks year-round, keeping you warm with woollen iterations in winter, or lightweight linens and silks for summer.

For 2024, we’re waving goodbye to the domination of low-rise waists and welcoming a new era of the super high-rise silhouette. For office attire, pair yours with a tucked-in or cropped shirt and skinny belt for leg-lengthening proportions.

3. Relaxed tailoring

Rules about office clothes for women that preferenced appearance over practicality have made workplace fashion a hot topic over the years. While most of us no longer have to don heels on the daily - for which we’re eternally grateful - some corporate dress codes still demand a smarter uniform. However, it's entirely possible to look sophisticated without sacrificing comfort.

Relaxed tailoring is the ultimate styling hack for winning compliments by the water cooler and sitting comfortably from nine ‘til five, and it’s trending this season. All it requires is simply to size up. Wide-leg trousers not only make for chic work clothes for women but come with plenty of movement, and likewise with oversized shirts and boyfriend blazers.

4. Prim and Preppy

For SS24, a trend made for your workwear rotation is the nostalgia-inducing preppy look that has delighted the front row, encapsulated by collegiate-style rugby shirts, V-neck sweaters and brogues.

For a boardroom-bound outfit, we’re putting a grown-up spin on this youthful aesthetic with a more subtle nod to sophomoric styling. Polo tops come in all shapes and sizes, but opt for more fitted versions in mature shades, be it deep navy, camel, or cream, that can be layered under a smart jacket or blazer, and swap the pleated mini skirts for suit trousers.

5. Quiet luxury

Not surprisingly, the fervour for quiet luxury has shown no signs of slowing in 2024. Characterised by timeless styles, clean lines, and pared-back colours, the quiet luxury era has seen professional staples embraced by designers, stylists, and fashion icons, elevating them from rudimentary women’s workwear to ‘cool-girl’ collectibles.

If you’re looking to refresh your clothes for work with some quiet luxury appeal, what’s key is to invest in classic pieces that you can wear and love again and again, updating with statement accessories and innovative styling each time. This could be a clean oxford shirt in high-quality cotton, or a camel trench coat to pair beautifully with sharp tailoring or blue denim for casual days.

5 new workwear outfit ideas

With rigorous office policies, unpredictable weather, and busy commutes on the agenda, it can be a struggle to keep coming up with new outfit ideas, easily resorting to wearing the same work clothes on repeat. If you want to break with routine and wow your colleagues, here are 5 fool-proof outfit formulas to try this season:

1. Skirt + Matching Jacket

Prone to hitting the snooze button? A matching co-ord saves precious time in the morning as you’re not hastily trialling different styles and colours to see what works. A tailored trouser suit is nothing new as far as office attire goes, but a matching skirt and jacket adds retro appeal to a trusty combo.

2. Midi Dress + Knitwear

A tailored shirt dress is an infallible office choice, combining businesslike sobriety with feminine elegance, but there are endless versions of the midi dress that can form the foundations of your office outfitting. Depending on the weather and your schedule, pair with relaxed knitwear like a crewneck sweater or cropped cardigan, or striking outerwear for career-building occasions.

3. Cropped Shirt + Midi Skirt

Tucked-in styling has lost prestige (the ‘millenial tuck’ especially has fallen foul of TikTok tastemakers), with baggier tops preferred loose over even baggier trousers. However, this nonchalant take can be too laidback for the average nine-to-five. For a more polished finish, switch to a modestly cropped shirt with a fitted skirt to balance the volume.

4. Pinafore Dress + Shirt

Sleeveless dresses might not be first to mind when appraising your clothes for work, but consider layering your workwear with a strictly business shirt to transform your bolder, after-dark styles into work-friendly wear. From strapless leather dresses to pinafore-style midis, this styling hack can also segway your office look seamlessly from day to night - just the solution for non-stop networking.

5. Smart Trousers + Blouse

One of the most effective ways to add interest to an outfit is through contrast, which is why a pair of sharply tailored trousers and a mannish jacket work well with an ultra-feminine top. From florals to frills, you can temper the coquettish charm of a delicate blouse with straight-laced, no-nonsense pieces elsewhere.

Ready for an office reshuffle? Our women’s workwear shop has everything you need to put your ideas into action.

Looking for editor's picks or more about the latest trends? Read more over on our blog.

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