dressing up for work
for the non work from home crowd
Hello and welcome to clipboard, a lifestyle newsletter about doing your best. This bank holiday Monday, we're talking about getting dressed for the office.
One of the things I dislike about a lot of men's fashion media and content is that too often it's devoid of context.
Where are you going? What's the vibe? What will everyone else be wearing? What do you want to say about yourself in that context? These are, at least for me, the questions I'm asking when I'm picking an outfit. Getting dressed is an exercise in fitting in, in standing out, in making a statement, and those statements exist as part of a conversation.
Despite this, much of the fashion content we get served is free of the contexts that real people find themselves in. TikTok and Instagram influencers are by and large optimising their fits not for a real life experience, but for what looks cool in 2D, and affiliate marketing Substackers are optimising for driving sales and commerce.
What I want this new iteration of clipboard to do is relate back to something resembling real life: the experiences we have when we aren't taking artsy pictures to signal our ability to recognise cool typography in the wild, or whatever.
This issue is about how I get dressed for work, as a cishet man who works at an email job that doesn't have a dress code, loves clothes and cares a lot about being good at my job. I'm hoping it can bring some insights, some tips and maybe a couple of good recommendations for your own work wardrobe, whether that's a corporate 9-5 or hopping between WeWorks and cafes.
First, quick background on the kind of job I have and the kind of person I want to be at work. Most weeks I work 5 days in the office, because I think I work better there and I like the routine of getting out of the house. My new office has a huge range of outfits, from one or two suits to patterned overalls and tracksuits, but mostly nets out at how I expect most tech companies might dress: practical footwear, jeans, t shirt and a light jacket or jumper.
I like to dress up for work: if I could get away with a suit and tie in my role I'd probably wear that at least some of the time (alas, I would certainly get laughed out of the room). That's both because it's fun to dress up and because I like what a suit signals about you in the workplace.
With all that in mind, my work wardrobe is an exercise in striking the balance between fitting into an office that tends creative rather than buttoned up, communicating professionalism, my desire to get dressed up, and the practicalities of existing in the big city.
general themes
My work wardrobe leans classic: silhouettes that have been around for a long time because they work
I get my steps in: my clothes have to allow for a lot of walking around town, and literally take me from the office to the pub without being uncomfortable
I buy multiples: when there's a piece that hits the spot, I buy multiple of them - 5 days in the office is a lot of outfits!
Layering is critical: not a particularly original one, but absolutely required when the AC isn't set quite right
Show the wear: a key part of my relationship with clothes across the board is that I want to wear them until they start to get unique, repair them when needed, and keep wearing them until they don't serve anymore. I bring that to work, so not everything will always be perfectly pressed or box fresh
my core pieces
Good casual shirts: I like to wear a collared shirt to work - it makes me feel put together, particularly when it's too warm for knitwear or jackets. The days of the 5 pack of Charles Tyrwhitt are mostly gone (unless you're in finance), but we live in a golden age of ideas about what shirts can be. Because we've just moved and I don't have a lot of stuff, I mostly own plain shirts at the moment, but over time I'd love to expand into patterns, embroidery and interesting colours.
Pleated trousers: A good pair of pleated trousers is bang on for what I'm looking for at work - dressy ish, an interesting silhouette without making too much of a statement, and room for activity and movement through the day.
Dark jeans: Last year I bought my first pair of "proper" raw denim jeans, and plenty of wear later I'm starting to see why menswear nerds get so insane about fading. There's something so satisfying about seeing the way you wear your clothes in the garment themselves, it makes you feel like you're a part of creating those jeans through wearing them. Plus, they go with everything and they look cool.
Non-white sneakers: White sneakers cannot survive in London, and I think I've gone off them even before we got here. I find that they draw the eye too much, and if they're dirty they look proper bad. I like sneakers for work because they're practical, but I like them in grey, navy, green, brown.
Light jackets: Since moving to London we have lived in four different places (with one more coming at the end of the month), and every time I'm a little shook at how many light jackets I have to hang up. They're perfect for the same reason as casual shirts are: you can throw one over a t shirt and feel like you've made an effort, and the ability to switch up depending on the office climate is very useful at this time of year.
A watch: Some people disregard the value of a watch when your computer and phone will tell you the time, but I love wearing a watch to work. I'm not a horology nerd or watch person particularly, but I think they look cool, they're practical and they serve the same role as good jewellery. My nice watch is busted at the moment so I've just been wearing a cheap Casio, but it makes me feel more like I've got my shit together to have a watch on at all.
multi buys
Uniqlo U tees: Moving to a city with Uniqlo in it has been life changing for building a wardrobe mostly from scratch, and along with the socks, the Uniqlo U tee (100% cotton, not the Airism one the TikTok people like) is the item I've bought the most of over the years. They fit well, have a nice handfeel to the fabric, and they're cheap enough to have one for every day of the week.
Oxford Cloth Button Downs: The OCBD is the building block of the classic American menswear wardrobe for a reason. I currently own two (Uniqlo again, although one day I might upgrade) and could probably do with one or two more. Again, they get better with wear, they can be dressed up and down, and they look good without too much effort. I wear them open over a tee, done up, tucked in or out depending on my jacket choice, and even with a tie on a fancy night out.
Thom Morison crewneck knits: I wrote a whole piece about my love of these knits for my friend Mitchell's newsletter (read that here), but suffice to say that these are great pieces of knitwear that I love very deeply. If I could have afforded it, I would have bought a full colour run of this style, which is now impossible because the brand has shut down.
wish list
Clarks Wallabees: I owned a pair of Wallabees that I wore a lot to work in New Zealand, but sold them to clear luggage space. High on the list to expand my wardrobe is a new pair to wear when I don't feel like a sneaker or leather shoe vibe.
Horatio Rugby Shirt: I have been loving recently the vibe of a rugby shirt thrown on over an OCBD as a kind of classic ivy, "I don't care" kind of look. Horatio is a London brand that epitomises that style, and just released a line of garment dyed rugby shirts that I am very keen on, in some great colours.
Service Works pleated shorts: I've never worked in an office where shorts are appropriate before, but the minute the temperature crossed 20 this week the knees where out. As such, I'm looking to pick up some work appropriate shorts, and I really like these ones from Service Works as an option.
Zip knit: I have not allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security by the recent good weather, and so some knitwear is also on the agenda. Ever since I tried this one on at Checks back home, I've been hankering for a full zip jumper with a funnel neck. I can't find really get Checks one here, and this Anglo Italian one is too expensive, so I'm on the lookout for something vintage or elsewhere.
Casual suit: I love to wear a suit, and while a worsted wool might be out of place in my office, I'd love to have something like a cotton Drake's Games suit that I could wear with a t-shirt or knit when I want to be a bit fancy.
Vans: I used to wear Vans Authentics a lot as a kid and I actually think they look great with the kind of stuff I wear to work, so I'm plotting to pick up a pair to mix up the footwear rotation.
clips
In related content to this newsletter, I loved Louis Cheslaw's roundup of menswear "guys'" bags in the most recent Magasin menswear column. I love this kind of content, and there are a bunch of great recommendations in here for those of us looking to upgrade our accessory games.
Another banger Substack post: Isaac Rangaswami on who exactly ruins the vibe of pubs
We were in Brighton on Saturday and popped into Peggs and Son for a peruse. This Beams Plus shirt was fantastic in person, and it was great to get hands on with some Story MFG as well, a brand I've long admired from afar.
Very pumped for Met Gala content today, I love to see rich people get dressed up and I'm interested to see how the tailoring theme resonates
I have been really enjoying The Fence as a source of interesting, smart writing about Britain since getting here. The media ecosystem here is so different to back home, and it's great to see cool independent media telling unique stories in amongst all the huge brands.
weekly london rec
Victoria Park Market
Auckland's Victoria Park Market is a bit rubbish, but London's is really fantastic, especially when the weather is as good as it has been. It's just around the corner from where we're staying, and has an awesome range of street food, baked goods and produce. Plus, if you'd like, you can buy a takeaway tap beer or a cocktail and take it to your picnic. Shout out to Britain's licensing laws!
That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks so much for reading! If you enjoy clipboard, I’d love it if you could share it with your cool friends, drop it in the group chat! I’ll be back again this Sunday, and until then, you can follow clipboard on Instagram and get in touch via the DMs.