Business as Unusual
Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the workforce has changed. No more is the drudgery of a nine-five work day, instead emerging from the ashes is hybrid work: the long sought-after solution to burnout and the maintaining of a healthy work-life balance. Along with this shift from traditional work routines comes a new wardrobe, a reflection of emotions felt during the culmination of the pandemic and the need to express oneself as we explore a new “normal”. The pandemic caused a reset that forced everyone to reevaluate the pitfalls of traditional professionalism as we enter this new structure of work.
So, what does business casual even mean now? People are looking to Succession to understand the trend of “quiet luxury”, which has ironically sparked a loud conversation about the hush-hush exclusivity of high-end opulence. Quiet luxury moves away from overly adorned logomania and toward modern silhouettes with clean lines and sophisticated tailoring. Even Gwyneth Paltrow’s recent ski accident trial, popularly known as “skigate”, seemed to have a larger focus on her long-time championing of quiet luxury than the trial itself. Miu Miu and Rokh’s Fall 2023 shows were a vision of quiet luxury while also pushing the boundaries of conventional business casual, with more skin showing as people are done with conforming to what is considered normal or acceptable in the workplace. With employment seekers in charge, businesses have less of a say over what goes for dress code as they are responding to demands of flexibility and the reprioritization of workplace issues.
To contrast, some designers have instead rejected the idea of quiet luxury in businesswear altogether. While the job market is slowing down with interest rates increasing, job hunters continue to hold power over hiring, with “employers still adding workers faster than they did in 2019” (Horsley & Ahn, 2023). Many are also tired of this idea of quiet luxury, as it perpetuates the same elitist mentalities that younger generations have been fighting to dismantle. The saying that “money talks, but wealth whispers” is truer than ever today, as the secretive relationship the wealthy hold with their opulence remains exclusive to the one percent. Maison Margiela’s Fall 2023 show continued the maximalism trend for businesswear but turned it up ten notches with messier silhouettes and unbalanced textures that blur the lines of professionalism completely and renounces the minimalist shapes of quiet luxury.
Pre-pandemic styles were dictated by mainstream fashion, but coming out of this era stereotypes are abandoned as people embrace their authentic selves. Fey Fey Worldwide encourages embracing the weirdness of post-pandemic style with ties that go in all directions and blow up one pieces that put a literal interpretation to reclaiming space. In their I Love My Wife So Much campaign, unconventional textiles are combined to make businesswear fun; a tailored dress with iridescent, transparent vinyl cutouts and a bright red collared shirt with a fur trim for an added character to otherwise traditional basics.
While underwear-as-outerwear has previously been dominated by sheer slip dresses and lingerie, it is now reaching its peak as norms concerning body exposure are being redefined, especially in the workplace. Urte Kat explores this by transforming traditional button-downs and trousers with seductive cutouts that take power dressing to a new level. Paired with subversive prints, Kat’s designs reflect the ongoing demand for respect in the workplace no matter what is worn. Georgia’s emerging designer Lado Bokuchava cultivates businesswear that brings out the dominatrix in everyone, with their F/W 2023 collection presenting leather suits with buckle closures and metal embellishments reminiscent of body piercings. Designers have also been revising power dressing to be genderless, with skirts allowing everyone to express their authenticity with an anti-conformist attitude. Amsterdam-based designer Ninamounah’s F/W 2022 show was a perfect example of genderless power dressing, with models striding down the runway in hiked-up leather skirts and structured suit sets that demand your focus.
Businesswear is not as simple as it once was, instead, it has embraced individual interpretations of what is appropriate as traditional ideas of professionalism are reanalyzed. Progressive workplaces are now embracing the idea that respectability and integrity are not a reflection of what an employee wears, but the attitudes and ethics that they bring to work. Allowing employees to feel comfortable and confident also significantly increases their efficiency, as allowing employees to have more say over choices in the office increases morale. Moreover, as Gen Z enters the workforce, they are forcing the redefinition of body exposure norms and the promotion of genderless power dressing as the most inclusive and diverse generation to date. From quiet luxury to the rejection of norms through maximalist styles, designers are reshaping the boundaries of businesswear to fit the modern-day workplace.
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