For this project, FasionNZ ponders what looking ‘professional’ means over a well-timed public holiday.
At long last, another public holiday is upon us. Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an 8-hour working day. In fact, New Zealand workers were some of the first in the world to claim this right in 1840 (and we gained an official day of celebration for this in 1890).
Our approach to work has shifted in the hundred or so years since – the most momentous being the need to Work From Home (WFH) during pandemic times. As many now return to the office, and others explore new ‘places of work’, workwear has ironically become a cultural pastime.
Suiting, for example, is having a moment in fashion focus groups, with the most promoted being Bella Hadid for YSL. Coming across this writer’s desks via TikTok, the ‘office siren’ trend (often filmed in the most inappropriate of places for a laptop) is another playful ode to the most basic of office outfits that seem surreal now.
@ggabrielaa_98 Office siren in miami #office #siren #officesiren #beach #miami #officeoutfit #laptop
But between celebrities cosplaying as corporates (like Kim the konsultant in her Nipple Bra campaign) and online influencers offering outlandish officewear inspiration (this one is satire), choosing what to wear to work is becoming more complicated than ever.
But let’s circle back. Just as New Zealanders were some of the first to campaign for worker’s rights, our designers are some of the first to pitch work outfits that are a joy to wear whilst seeing you through the most serious of brainstorming sessions – whether via Zoom or in the meeting room.
Known to dress world leaders, from Jacinda Ardern to Taylor Swift, Juliette Hogan’s clothes are for business leaders who lean into soft tailoring and ‘soft power’. For spring, such looks come in the form of silk linen shirt dresses (elegant and easy-wearing) and the blossom silk print (doing all the fashion work for you).
For fashion labels with a special skill set, creating ‘put-together’ outfits does not mean the wearer will lose themselves behind a look. Take notes on Gregory’s tonal outfits, including its almost neutral mint blazer and skirt that looks subtly striking when worn together, and will compliment myriad outfit combinations in the working weeks to come.
Carlson, meanwhile, nails navy dresses and skirts, which have endless possibilities when styled with other workwear colour stapes – white, black and grey.
At Shjark, on-call clothing is inspired by switched-off European summers, such as the Amalfi dress and the Santorini blouse. Hinting at dream holidays, in reality-based corporate cuts, they bring just the right amount of work-life-dressing balance.
Whilst we don’t condone working overtime this Labour Weekend, your workwear always can.