How Officewear Has Evolved Through The Years: Then & Now

The nature of work has undergone tremendous change over the past years. From 9-5 office to work-from-home culture, the global workforce has come a long way. Similarly, office goers have also changed their dressing style remarkably. Officewear has greatly evolved today. 

From men wearing suits and pants to women wearing blouses and skirts, office fashion too, is seen becoming gender fluid and more casual than ever. 

There is a certain narrative attached to what people wear at their workplaces. A company that makes wearing formal outfits mandatory is usually understood to ‘mean business’ or be professional whereas a company that expects its employees to wear something semi-formal or doesn’t really have a dress code is considered to be casual in its approach, more flexible and relaxed in terms of work. 

This however has changed in the present times. Now, companies are making peace with casual outfits at the workplace putting employees’ comfort and convenience first in order to maintain productivity. 

Let’s have a look at how officewear has evolved over the years 

Men used to wear suits and pants while women went with simple blouses and long skirts 

Gradually, women started donning collared shirts and pairing them with shirts. Similarly, men’s fashion also loosened up a bit. Suits were let loose and formal shirts with vests came to the surface. 

Women soon started wearing trousers just like men.  

Then came the blazers. It was the executives who majorly sported blazers, both men and women alike.

The vintage officewear then transitioned into corporate formal wear where men began wearing shirts, and trousers and paired them with a tie. Women on the other hand began wearing formal collared tops or shirts with either trousers or skirts as the bottoms. 

Now, however, this has changed drastically. Many employees are wearing casual T-shirts and denims at work. 

In India as officewear, while men wore dhoti kurta or suit and pant at work, women in the olden days donned pretty sarees paired with huge hair buns wrapped with ‘gajra’ or garland.

Gradually, women began to wear salwar/churidar suits to work while men began wearing formal shirts tucked in trousers. 

Working women in India now either wear Kurtis and leggings, western formals or casual tops and denims to work. Similarly, men too have been wearing semi-formal or casual shirts and denims to work. 

Employees today are choosing comfort over looks to be able to work efficiently at offices. While it is important to dress formally for office events and meetings, wearing something casual and comfortable at the office every day doesn’t seem so incorrect or unprofessional now. As long as you do your work well, what you wear doesn’t really matter much!