In today’s workplace, ‘smart-casual’ is open to the broadest interpretation. Here, experts weigh in on whether laid-back officewear still projects professionalism.
When PiChu Whitmore moved from Singapore to Tauranga four years ago, she experienced a fashion “culture shock”.
The former model turned personal stylist and owner of InVogue Styled by PiChu was surprised at how dressed-down some Kiwis are, especially in corporate settings, where she says we could “buck up”. However, she acknowledges that fashion is more expensive here.
Tauranga Business Chamber CEO Matt Cowley says New Zealanders have become more “liberal” with workwear. This could be a generational shift reflecting a younger generation of managers who lead employees and the post-Covid workplace.
For some, tolerance for conformity — and discomfort — has changed post-Covid as more people work between home and the office.
However, Mount Maunganui menswear store owner Mike Galvin says that fashion in New Zealand increased in casualness years before Covid.
His store, Mane, opened in 2009, and suit demand started dropping in 2016. Now, “stretch everything” is in.
“Dressy track pants” that men can wear to work, chinos, and stretch denim are popular.
“A comfy pair of cotton pants instead of a stiff pair of wool trousers. More shirts untucked, no French cuff,” he says.
Ans Hoyle, a former corporate banker, board trustee, and stylist from the charity Dress for Success Bay of Plenty, says you walk around town and wouldn’t know who works where anymore.
There is less separation in wardrobes of what used to be work clothes, weekend clothes, and going out clothes.
When helping to dress clients for job interviews, her message is no matter what you wear, “cleanliness” is foremost.
Those working from home can let themselves go, losing a sense of pride and discipline and taking a “real step back” from their workmates. She says this affects confidence and the ability to engage with others and create a presence.
Personality versus ‘Wild West’
A Wall Street Journal article acknowledged the workplace “Wild West” post-Covid when people returned to the office wearing more “jeans, T-shirts, Crocs, flip-flops, sandals, and pyjamas”.
Earlier this year, a new fashion trend flooded Xiaohongshu, a Chinese app similar to Instagram, with young workers sharing videos of themselves wearing their “grossest” clothes to the office.
Experts say it’s part of a wider rebellion by young people against the rigidity of the workplace. They also say they aren’t paid enough to look “fly”.
Cowley says that while you don’t want to hinder employees’ personalities - who doesn’t enjoy “colourful socks and suspenders?” - there is a limit.
Employees should be trusted to exercise their best fashion judgment, but regular office chats about workwear help.
He once had to chat with a foreign employee about her “very high-slit skirt”, which, unbeknown to her, wasn’t appropriate in a New Zealand setting when meeting with customers. “It’s like proactively telling people they’ve got a bit of food in their teeth.”
The golden rule is “firstly, don’t offend anyone”. Another example: “If you’re customer-facing, turning up in jeans and a hoodie isn’t a good idea.”
He says a good rule is to remember to dress according to a company’s customer base. Many companies opt for uniforms to standardise things.
PiChu Whitmore says depending on your role, your appearance can affect how clients view your capability.
“If you are a banker and come in with a very sloppy look, yes, you may have vast knowledge, but straight away, I might have doubts about whether you can provide me with the service I want.”
For example, she says in Singapore, wearing jeans to the office is unusual unless it’s Casual Friday.
In New Zealand, she accepts that jeans are worn any day. If you have an “artistic job like a graphic designer or architect”, jeans work. However, she says to “elevate them” by pairing them with a blazer, scarf, smart shirt or blouse, and footwear that complements the workplace environment.
How you dress “transforms” you and builds self-confidence. For women, this extends to hair and makeup and investing in a good handbag.
The business dress code is evolving
New Zealand fashion designer Teresa Hodges of the label BLAK, which has branches in Mount Maunganui and Newmarket, says “mixing dressy with relaxed” is a style she likes.
She gives the example of a typical outfit for her: a satin slip skirt with a simplistic, textured tailored T-shirt, blazer and boots.
Kiwis tend to mix and match to create their style rather than “typical boardroom or office attire”, but she also finds women worry they have lost touch with how to dress or the season’s style trends.
“They have lots in their wardrobe and don’t know what to do with it all.”
Having key, essential capsule wardrobe items can help you feel organised and in control of your style each day because you can build and play on the pieces.
Her must-haves are a blazer, wide-leg pants and a satin skirt.
“Then have fun with different blouses and tops to layer under. Work with mix-and-match colour palettes to combine different looks. For example, an all-ivory top-to-toe statement, then mix back your ivory blouse with a black blazer and pants for a monochrome feeling.”
She says to find what works for your body shape and personality, return to basics, and remember quality over quantity.
For male office workers, Galvin advises investing in basic coloured, stretch chinos — navy or tan — and a simple cotton or cotton-stretch Oxford shirt in white or black, which will cover your basics.
Kiwi guys are generally conservative and like to dress similarly, but there’s nothing wrong with going for “fun, floral prints”.
He likes to dress on the “weirder side” — green socks with foxes and bright yellow trainers — and encourages others to try it.
Shoes depend on the work environment, but he doesn’t think men should be forced into uncomfortable, tight dress shoes. As long as they’re appropriate for the job, alternatives like sneakers are acceptable.
He says Gen Z’s fashion rebellion on social media isn’t wrong either.
“They’ve got to stand up for themselves somehow, and if fashion is one of the weapons they’ve got in their arsenal, I think they should use it.”
However, taking pride in your appearance, even “simple” clothing, matters.
“It’s not so much what you wear, but wear it well. Don’t wear anything embarrassing to work, to you or the company, but wear something you are comfortable in too; there’s got to be compromise.”
Carly Gibbs is a weekend magazine writer for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post and has been a journalist for two decades. She is a former news and feature writer, for which she’s been both an awards finalist and winner.