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17.11.2021

 Office wear – is it the end of the suit?

 Office wear – is it the end of the suit?

 Have you found you work wardrobe has changed in the last few years?  If so, you’re not alone.

 Two in three Britons wear trainers to the office, according to a recent article in The Guardian Trainers to office-The Guardian, making the post-2019 office a different space to before. 

 As many of us worked from home over the past few years, with the return to the office still not back to normal (22.2% lower in October than pre pandemic levels Office return-MSN.com), leaving many much more relaxed in their choice of work attire.

 The ‘new normal’ is still finding its feet in all our lives, with many office employees working remotely or hybrid, the need for the traditional office suit is no longer essential.

 How does this correspond with making first impressions when going to an interview for a new job?  Is casual wear suitable in that situation too?

 Our Team Leader for Civil, Structures and Bridge Engineering Sebastian Robbins advises;

 “When going for an interview or meeting clients, a lasting first impression is key, so the traditional office wear/suit certainly does have it benefits. As we have adapted over the pandemic, and the trend even pre-pandemic, was seeing the traditional suit and tie being phased out of day to day with the term ‘smart casual’ being the norm. I would say, with office attire, it is very dependent on what industries you work in, such as a creative industries like Graphic Design or Branding, might have a more flexible approach to office attire as they want to breed creative thinking within the office space. I would say the norm, for typical industries you associate within being office space, Finance, Recruitment, Engineering etc will continue to be ‘smart casual’.”

Some retailers are reporting a bounce back in smart wear as we all enjoy being in more formal situations, especially with the approach of Christmas, so formal wear may make a big comeback, but I know for sure, the more relaxed approach is welcome to many, me included!