We've swapped office dress codes for a new kind of conformity

Fast Company

05-06-2025

In the years following the pandemic, our workplace dress codes have become the most casual they've ever been. For some, this shift has been welcomed with open arms. For those who enjoyed dressing up, it has felt like a departure from a wardrobe that made them feel confident and ready for their day. In the same way that some felt that pre-COVID dress codes were confining, others now feel the same kind of discomfort with an ultracasual work dress code.
Our workplaces have created a new unspoken expectation of how to dress that leaves little room for personal expression. In my work as a stylist, the feedback I've been hearing is that rejecting the dress 'code' will alienate people from their team—when in reality, dressing can, and should, be another way to bring your unique perspective to the workplace.
THE COST OF TRYING TO FIT IN
To avoid the risk of standing out, many professionals will dress like everyone else. Go into any workplace and you'll quickly see similarities in what people are wearing.
In formal environments like banking, legal, or financial industries, you'll be swimming in a sea of black, navy, beige, and other neutral-colored suits. When I worked in a small startup, where casual attire was encouraged, the norm was jeans (or yoga pants!), half-zip pullovers, and sneakers. I often felt out of place wearing my elevated jeans-and-blazer looks.
Yet, in ad agencies or trendy direct-to-consumer brands, 'quiet luxury' may be on trend and relevant. Over time, our desire to adhere to these unspoken rules outweighs our desire to lean into self-expression.
Contrary to what we've been told, there is no one way to 'dress for success.' Now that the dust has settled from our post-COVID phase, I believe the new norm of 'being comfortable' in work attire isn't a rule for how to dress, but a call to dress in a way that is more authentic to who we are.
What standout professionals know is that dressing to appease or fit a standard can diminish your confidence and energy. But when you dress in a way that is true to you, you show up with more determination, focus, enjoyment, and confidence.
What would it look like, then, to embrace a new definition of 'comfort' in your dress in the workplace?
Here are three tips to work with the current anything-goes dress code that's individual to you—without sacrificing comfort.
Notice how your clothes make you feel
If you want to leverage clothes as a tool, get in tune with how they make you feel.
When you put on an outfit, does it give you energy? Does it make you feel like you want to be more social or speak up? Or does it make you feel like going back to bed and hiding under the covers?
The clothes that give you an extra lift will set your day up for aligned results. In a study that has become known as the Batman Effect, we learned that children ages 4 to 6 exhibited much greater determination, confidence, and focus when they worked on a boring task while wearing a cape that made them feel like Batman.
In another study, researchers Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky concluded that what we wear affects how we think and behave, specifically our attentiveness and focus. This result was later coined as Enclothed Cognition.
All of this points to the fact that clothes are useful for more than status symbols and trends. They are tools we can use to access a different level of ourselves in the workplace and beyond.
Seek to stand out rather than fit in
The mark of a great brand isn't one that seeks to fit in, but to stand out. Your clothes, which are a part of your personal brand, are no different.
While wearing clothes that blend in with others in your industry may feel like the key to success (a mindset that might remind you of your high school days), the true marker of confidence is to express your most authentic self through your outfit.
In fact, think of the leaders in your workplace or your industry you admire. Do they wear what everyone else is wearing? Or do they forge their own path? Think of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg decades ago when they came onto the scene wearing clothes that bucked all work norms. It made the news because we all wondered, How could someone so successful show up wearing hoodies and sneakers?
Fast-forward to today: Some of my favorite female leaders who are daring to be bold and emblazon a new path with their style are Michelle Obama, Naima Judge, Rosalind Brewer, and Bozoma Saint John.
By owning their authenticity, they show us it's okay—and actually quite powerful—to be your authentic self. Judge was recently quoted saying, 'It takes energy to not be your authentic self. If I can be more authentic, I can then use my energy to focus on my clients and uplift the people who report to me.'
I couldn't agree more.
Notice what rules and beliefs are holding you back
Over time, we all collect rules about what is acceptable (or not acceptable) to wear to work. These rules can be influenced by our own families or social circles but also can be defined by beliefs about dress surrounding our age, whether we have children, the industry we work in, and so on.
The rules—sometimes without our realizing it—can become ingrained beliefs that affect our behaviors.
For example, if you work in an industry where everyone wears neutrals, you might subconsciously create a rule that neutrals are the only way to dress to be taken seriously. But if you're someone who loves color, questioning that rule might look like showing up in a teal suit that is not only professional but also showcases a part of your true self.
The first step in breaking free is to identify what rules have been guiding your decisions in terms of what to where and what you buy. A clue to determine whether these beliefs are unhelpful is if they're focused on others' expectations, rules, standards, and unquestioned beliefs. Then, ask yourself, Is this a rule that is still relevant and true in my life? Often, simply questioning what's true is the pathway to freedom and making choices that are more aligned with your authentic self.
While having less guidance on what to wear to work can feel frustrating, consider how it can also be liberating. Finally— finally!—we get to wear what makes us feel most like ourselves. And when you start to think of your clothes not just as a fashion statement but as fuel to achieve your goals, you realize the power that choosing your outfit each day holds.