Professional Yoga Pants and More Office Fashion Trends Post Covid-19

5min read

If somebody told you a year ago that you’d spend the majority of 2020 working from home, wearing professional yoga pants (yes, that’s a thing now) and sweatshirts and being surrounded by your kids and your significant other 24/7, you would’ve thought that’s crazy, wouldn’t you? Take a second to reflect on how you felt about your work arrangements in the last months. Did you feel comfier? Do you miss your pre-Covid-19 work outfits? Or you’re all about these new fashion trends and you’ve even forgotten what it feels like to wear a button-up and a pencil skirt?

Whether we like it or not, this is a trend which is here to stay.

So we need to adapt for the long term. But what should we expect? Mandatory face masks? Business casual office outfit any day of the week? Professional yoga pants? Keep on reading to find out the office fashion trends post-Covid-19.

Business casual: the new suited-and-booted

According to a survey by office wear blog Corporette, 78% of the women who are returning to the office now or in the near future wear or will wear business casual vs 22% for conservative office attire.

And with offices operating at a significantly reduced capacity, even if you went to the office, at least some of your colleagues will connect to work remotely. But it’s not fair for you to wear a professional conservative suit in the office when your colleague joins the Zoom meeting wearing a casual blouse and yoga pants, is it?

So is it time to bid farewell to the professional office dress code as we know it and shift to smart casual workwear for any day of the week? I like the idea of swapping heels for loafers and even sneakers, the plain button-up shirt with a t-shirt or light chiffon shirt. Here are 8 casual but elegant office outfits proving that business casual doesn’t mean messy or styleless.

The face mask: the new fashion accessory

As our society evolved, so did the fashion trends. Early humans didn’t wear shoes. Neither did they wear underwear. Now you won’t go outside barefoot (unless you’re on the beach of course). And we only started wearing underwear in the 19th century. Imagine leaving the house without underpants and a bra.

These clothing items were normalised as our society evolved.

Our society is now facing some major changes. Open-plan offices make the spread of viruses easy. And if the prediction of scientists that such viruses will become more common become reality, governments may mandate face masks to be worn everywhere in public, and therefore in the office. Just like shoes, clothes and everything else is the ‘norm’.

So from a style perspective, they may turn in just another accessory. Like shoes and handbags. And just like we choose a pair of shoes to go with our outfit, we may go as far as coordinating our face mask with the colour of our outfit.

In fact, big names such as Erdem or Prabal Gurung have already released designer versions of a face mask. And with sequined, embroidered versions flooding Etsy, you have plenty of stylish choices.

Luxury Embroidered Face Mask, Roopa Pemmaraju

The new work from home attire

If you got away with switching your camera off for your meetings, this will likely change. A poll by Gartner showed almost half of the employees will work remotely at least part of the time (vs just under a third now). As remote working is embraced more, managers will likely ask for more face-to-face rather than speaker-to-speaker meetings in order to increase the connection between people on a personal level.

It’s time we said goodbye to PJs, sweatshirts and messy buns.

Work from home outfit illustration by Tyler Feder. — Source: CNN, Adapted

If you’ve been living comfortably in such outfits in the last months it may feel daunting to change now. But here are some benefits of changing from your PJs into a comfortable business casual look, even when you’re working from home.

Following a similar routine to the one you follow in the office will signal to your brain that it’s time for work. So when you dress in your work outfit in the morning and go to your designated workspace you will enter work mode quicker and will be able to concentrate easier.
You will be ready and presentable for all of your Zoom meetings. And you needn’t worry about camera accidents!
You will be ready to go out on your daily walk. If you haven’t adopted this habit yet, it’s a great time to do it as daily walks reduce your stress and prevent you from burning out.

But if we’re ditching the PJs for good, that doesn’t mean wearing something uncomfortable. In fact, this is a core feature of a good work from home outfit:

Comfortable – when you’re at home, it’s comfort over anything else, right?
Looking good without a bra – working from home means being bra-less, doesn’t it?
Professional – it must look smart enough for your important Zoom meetings or even a virtual interview.
Stain-proof and/or machine washable – snaccidents and the ice-cream stains (oops!) will take their toll! And I’m not even counting having the kids around as schools are debated returning only some of the pupils back at any given time.
Crease-proof – who has time for ironing anyway?

Here are 5 work from home outfits which tick these boxes:

Work from home outfit #1: Wrap dress and cute earrings

A wrap dress is very versatile and can be worn in the office, on the weekend, and as an easy work from home outfit.

Work from home outfit #2: Stretch pants and a cute shirt

These stretch pants, a.k.a. professional yoga pants are as comfy as leggings but as professional as slim-fit trousers. Pair with a cute shirt for the perfect business casual look.

Work from home outfit #3: Bodysuit and mom jeans

I find most jeans become uncomfortable when worn in a seated position for longer than an hour. But not mom jeans! They’re so comfy, making them the perfect work from home fit. They look perfect when paired with a bodysuit.

Work from home outfit #4: Satin skirt, t-shirt and a statement necklace

A soft cotton t-shirt . Pleated fabrics are more crease-resistant but can still be washed in a washing machine!

Work from home outfit #5: Shirt dress and a hairband

Opt for a patterned one so that any small stains or creases are not visible. The hairband will sort out a messy hair day!

Conclusion

As this and possibly future pandemics unfold, our work schedules will continue to evolve, we are likely to work from home more often and have conflicting childcare and household demands. This will give rise to new fashion trends. The separation between workwear and home clothes will fuse, business casual will likely become the new suited-and-booted, we will shop for workwear less and the mask will become the new must-have (literally!) fashion accessory.

Which of these changes are you most excited about? Comment below.

But if you feel anxious instead and find it difficult to cope with the uncertainty, check out my practical tips on coping with changes and uncertainty in your life.