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Enter any corporate office, and you will see people wearing similar kinds of dress. I don’t mean everyone will be wearing Gucci shirts, but the basic kind of attire will be the same. You won’t expect to see a man emerging from the office in torn jeans, or a guy walking beside you in a Hawaiian shirt. All people step into the office wearing formal dress – it is their dress code.
However, over the past few years, things have changed for good. Go back ten years, and you will see people wearing a suit and tie in offices no matter what. But the millennial office scene is different – it has toned down, broken strict boundaries, and become casual. Not in a sense that you can wear shorts in the office, but you also don’t have to cage your neck in a tie either (necessarily!).
According to a study by UNC, 2020 will be the year when millennials are expected to take a majority hold of U.S. offices – 46 percent to be more precise. As more and more youngsters are expected to take control of the office, casual office attire is expected to rise in 2020.
Don’t believe me? Here is a guide to what kind of dress codes you should expect in offices in 2020, so that you’ll know the right tricks to dressing appropriately and bagging that next promotion.
Business Formal Attire:
Okay, we’ve discussed how the modern workforce is turning towards casual by ditching ties and choosing button-ups. But it doesn’t mean that ‘business’ attire, formal wear in every possible sense of the word ‘formal’ is totally out of the game. Some types of professional workplaces, like law firms, can’t stay away from formal wear. So, men’s tailored suits and ties, and women’s pleats and pumps will still be along in 2020. When it is about professional events or some high-level professional meetings, business formal will still be worn.
Business Casual Attire:
In business casual attire, things get casual but remain within certain boundaries. If your employee dress code says business casual dress, you don’t have to stick to suits and ties, you can experiment. But it doesn’t mean that you can go all out with ripped jeans. You can play with patterns and colors while sticking to professionalism. You can pair up jeans and jacket or go with a blazer and casual pants. In other words, anything that gives you a relaxed, yet decent and professional look is acceptable in 2020 under the category of business casual attire.
Casual Attire:
This is what we have been talking about from the beginning: casual attire. Casual attire is all about celebrating freedom in your dress, but the meaning of casual differs from industry to industry and the kind of job you do. In startups filled with energetic millennials, casual might mean wearing shorts and tees. But in other types of workplaces, you can expect to see polos and casual pants with sneakers. Don’t forget to press and wear neat and clean clothes no matter what.
It is good to see that 2020 is going to dawn with more focus on productivity rather than focusing on what you should and shouldn’t wear. Hope to see some more freedom and fun in the upcoming years!
