Is It Time To Let Strict Office Dress Codes Die A Slow Death?

Given how much our work spaces (and hours!) have changed, maybe it’s time for us to re-think the concept of workwear, says Fashion Editor Cheryl Chan.

As a fashion editor working in a creative industry, I’ve never had to worry about an office dress code. Unlike most business professionals, to me, looking office-appropriate just meant no (skimpy) shorts… aaaannd that’s about it. I didn’t know what the rules of dressing appropriately were because they’ve never once applied to me.

But even so, when the world embraced athleisure, I, along with the rest of the fashion industry (one of the last few strongholds to even regard wearing ridiculous heels to work as a thing) threw my hands in the air and traded in my Miu Miu platforms for a pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons. Comfort was the new black, and it seemed like everyone wanted in.

NEW OFFICE, NEW RULES

And as I observed my friends in different industries struggle to get their respective office dress codes right, it made me wonder—why do we follow such archaic rules anymore? And who continues to enforce them? It made sense in the past, where people were able to have a much more separatist attitude (and the closets to go with it) towards what was considered working hours and personal time. But now that the lines have been blurred for so many of us, so have our wardrobe choices.