The Dress Code: Workwear with Phia
Special edition with no HR violations
The Dress Code is a Kind of Cool series by G F. This special edition is in collaboration with Phia as we inspire, formulate and hunt down your new workwear fashion favorites.
Here’s the formula: very specific scenario + inspiration pull = outfit + where to find it IRL (secondhand)
YOU SPEND 9-5 AT YOUR DESK WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO ASK IF YOU WANT TO GRAB LUNCH
Picture this
You’re sat in a chair that supposedly supports your back and your desk is one of those ones that moves up and down, for when you want to stand for approximately thirty seconds and call it health conscious. In reality, you’re just waiting for the moment someone suggests grabbing a salad or sandwich for lunch so you can leave the office and catch up on the workplace goss. Your to-do list either gets done in the first couple of hours or in the last few. The in-betweens are like a casting call for who can look the busiest.
But the real competition for you is that of best dressed. The rules are pretty relaxed. It’s a room of creatives after all. Naturally, the best work will get done in the most true-to-self outfits. And you stay winning. Which is a given because you prep every fit the night before, trying on endless options until one just *clicks*. Let the votes roll in tomorrow morning.
Inspiration pull
Embrace the artistic slouch. Add pinstripes, greys, shirts and/or a sensible amount of bare skin. Let these opposites coexist at your desk. Erreuno F/W 1998-99 masters the office layering with a sweater-over-jacket look. Very inside-outside dressing but make it a little confusing for the sartorially clueless at the office. Keep them on their toes. 1999 Hermes and Paul Smith understood that comfort is chic with longline silhouettes and materials made to be affected by hands in pockets and movement throughout the day. Both Donna Karan and Alberta Ferretti got the all-black memo and made it subtly sexy in 1996. Although this is not a suggestion to bring sexiness to the office, a sliver of skin here and there can become its own accessory when paired with a monochrome look. Note the belts as key pieces too. Don’t underestimate the humble belt!
As for shoes, take the opportunity to wear heels and boots and sleek sandals and patent leather. Or suede clogs and Nike split-toe air rifts if you’re brave. It will only elevate the cultivated art that is each look you put together.
IRL
YOU WORK RANDOM HOURS, OFTEN ON YOUR FEET, MEETING & GREETING THE POTENTIAL WORST CUSTOMERS TO EVER EXIST
Picture this
There’s no such thing as a free weekend when you work in service, retail or hospitality. A couple weeks in you realized that any concept of training was merely a suggestion and it was every person for themself. Thank goodness for the floor staff who make it worth coming back for every shift. Well, that and your rent needs to be paid. Management said to look somewhat put together. Clean at the very least. Standing for most of the day has completely ruled out anything with heels, which you unfortunately learned the hard way.
Sometimes an extra layer of clothing is the only thing protecting you from the world’s worst customers who must have just landed on earth given their behaviour. They want impossible returns, no rules applied, items that don’t exist and for you to know it all. Sharing looks with colleagues across rooms is currently keeping you sane. But another year of this may be pushing it. You refresh the job boards as soon as you get home.
Inspiration pull
You're going to need comfort and utility above all else. That doesn’t mean the fit should lack personality. Mimic a traditional idea of workwear but with a little less effort. Consider oversized jumpers and baggy trousers that hang from your hips with big pockets in the style of Lacoste F/W 2016. Jeans are likely a welcome option, so size up and hem for a boyfriend fit that feels chic, like Bally S/S 2024, but allows for ease of movement when heavy lifting.
You can see a lot of navy in these images because it has a casual essence that can make clothes feel approachable, which you will need in anything customer-facing even if you’d rather not deal with it all today. You can make sheer textures work with layering. And some shop floors don’t mind a good jacket as part of your work uniform. Opt for no-logo, timeless pieces and you’ll be reaching for your work wardrobe every day.
The finishing touch is a long, textured coat to dramatise the last minute rush as you arrive with only a few minutes to spare, holding the coffee that almost made you late. Find the inspiration below in long leather jackets as seen on the Loewe girls, Greta Lee and Taylor Russell. Shoes have to be well-made and preferably flats. A sneaker (trainer) can lift the look with colour, or ground it in neutrals. Whatever floats your boat, and supports your arches.
IRL
YOU SPEND MOST DAYS IN MEETING ROOMS WITH CLIENTS WHO VALUE COMPANY RULES AND TRADITIONS
Picture this
It’s likely you’re arriving to one of many offices found in a tall glass building, surrounded by more glass buildings. Stepping off of elevators in groups of twos and threes. The clic-clac of court heels paces down the corridor in syncopating rhythms. You pass doors to boardrooms, doors to private rooms and doors to meeting rooms as fluorescent strips light the way to your desk overhead.
No time for waiting at the coffee machine. Your espresso is pouring as your laptop powers up as you fill your water glass and land back at your desk in under three minutes. You’re on the clock after all. The email inbox looks daunting but you love a challenge, otherwise you wouldn’t work here. You’ll probably have lunch at your desk, with a second round of inbox clear-up.
This is what it takes to get into one of those corner offices with a view and if anyone is up for the job it’s you. More importantly, if anyone is dressed for the job, it is you. And at least you’ve got work drinks with the office girls to look forward to in nine-ish hours time. The countdown is on.
Inspiration pull
Two words for you. Clean. Lines. Calvin Klein got it so right from 1996-99. See Michelle Pfeiffer in One Fine Day as a lesson on corporate layering. Cool suiting is exemplified here on Uma Thurman and Christy Turlington. Special mention to the single button row jackets and simple buttoning choices. A power blazer with an 80s shoulder is always a good idea, but for something more pared down this style is a great place to start.
The colour palette is dresser’s choice but neutrals can do no wrong, especially when clients are your main focus. Neutrals aren’t dull, just peaceful. Look at the textures and the way silhouettes are fitting. Those are the details that are going to make the sartorial difference. Where can a classic leather belt assist an outfit? Where would a matching loose wrap around work better? Like the CK dress here.
If in doubt add a structured jacket. And then a long coat. And then make it out of the house with your bags, laptop, keys, earphones, lunch without forgetting anything.
IRL
Thanks for reading!
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