Business Attire Trends
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A New York Times article describes new approaches to what people wear to work, which could influence what students wear on interviews and on their first day at the office. Since the pandemic, new language has emerged: “business comfort,” “workleisure,” and “power casual.” Dress is more relaxed, with more elastic waistbands and stretchier fabrics. The article author says that trends follow the economy: in bad times, people dress up to impress recruiters and managers, while in good times (tight labor markets like today), people tend to dress down.
This advice for recent grads seems reasonable for now:
J.T. O’Donnell, a former human-resources executive and founder of the career coaching platform Work It Daily, said she would not recommend that job applicants or recent graduates automatically buy interview suits these days. While that may work for some industries, like banking and consulting, she said, job candidates should research potential employers on social media to get a sense of how people at the company dress, then “dress slightly higher than what their proclaimed style is.”
“It can be very easy to say right now that they’re lucky to even have me walk through the door, so I just don’t care about my appearance right now,” Ms. O’Donnell said. But “you do want to not be wrinkly, have stuff tucked in, look like you made an effort.” She advises job hunters to wear clothing suitable for visiting their grandmothers.
In addition to reducing stress, the new attire may reflect students’ authenticity—who they are and what they like to wear. Both are good results of new clothes instead of the black/gray/navy suit-costumes of the past.
