Working from home has its own very specific dress code. You want to be comfortable enough to sit at your laptop all day, warm enough that you don’t start eyeing up the heating by 10am, but presentable enough that an unexpected Zoom call doesn’t cause absolute panic. This is basically my answer: loungewear, slippers and just enough evidence that you’ve made an effort.
The grey loungewear set is doing most of the heavy lifting. It’s soft and relaxed, with wide-leg trousers rather than anything tight or restrictive, so it has that properly comfortable at-home feel without looking like you’ve simply stayed in your pyjamas. Which, admittedly, is sometimes tempting.
Then there’s the fluffy pastel cardigan. This is exactly the sort of layer I want when I’m working from home because you can throw it on when you’re cold, take it off when you’re not, and somehow it makes the whole outfit look considerably more intentional. The pink and lilac stripes also stop all that grey from becoming a bit too sensible.
And obviously, we’re wearing slippers.
The pink pair add a little bit of colour and look ridiculously cosy. Nobody on Zoom needs to know what’s happening below desk level anyway, so this is one area where I see absolutely no reason to compromise.
The clever bit is what happens from the shoulders upwards.
A pair of blue light glasses and your hair twisted into a claw clip can take you from I’ve been sitting here answering emails since eight to yes, of course I remembered we had a meeting remarkably quickly. They’re tiny details, but they’re exactly what makes this work as an actual working from home outfit rather than simply a lounge set.
And then we come to the mug.
“Hold On Let Me ChatGPT This.”
Quite frankly, no notes.
This is the kind of plus size workwear I want to see more of because work doesn’t always happen in an office. Plenty of us work from kitchen tables, spare bedrooms and little desks squeezed into corners of our homes. What we wear on those days deserves to be comfortable, practical and still make us feel reasonably put together.
You don’t need tailoring. You don’t need heels. You definitely don’t need to dress as though you’re commuting into the City when your actual commute is approximately ten steps.
You just need something cosy, a decent pair of glasses, coffee within reach and an expression that says, what on earth am I reading?
Preferably while wearing excellent slippers.
