Your Back-to-Office Style Guide Is Here

Lean into power casual.

Two women dressed in suits
(Image credit: Kat Irlin / Morgan McMullen)

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Without question, working from home has changed our minds about strict office dress codes. Still, the novelty of wearing sweats and track suits all day has worn off. According to an original Marie Claire x LinkedIn survey, almost half (47 percent) of respondents are looking forward to getting dressed up for work again and more than one third said they were shopping for a new work wardrobe. Now is the perfect time to invest in a few great pieces that will showcase your personal style. Make your back-to-work budget work smarter, not harder, by investing in items that you can mix-and-match for high-performing, down-to-business looks.


Back-to-Work Tops

Think beyond traditional suit shirts and stuffy button-downs. Instead, reach for blouses with feminine details like ruffles and blazers in unexpected fabrics and adorned with shiny hardware.

A woman in workwear

(Image credit: TYLER JOE)

Back-to-Work Pants

Forty-six percent of our survey respondents are shopping for the perfect back-to-office pants. But if "no jeans" is still the policy at your office post-pandemic, don't panic. Leg elongating high-waisted trousers, stretchy slacks, and minimalist patterned pants will give your look a leg up.

Two women in suits

(Image credit: KAT IRLIN)

Back-to-Work Shoes

Sorry, sky-high heels. We're just not that into you anymore. Commit to a commuter shoe, like a loafer, that's both comfy and cool.

Woman with shoes in a bag

(Image credit: ALLIE HOLLOWAY)

Back-to-Work Accessories

Thirty-seven percent of our survey respondents said they want to invest in new jewelry this season. So shake up your workwear with sleek belts and baubles that will add pizzaz to any boardroom ensemble.

Woman holding a handbag

(Image credit: Allie Holloway)

Back-to-Work Bags

No need to settle for a backpack to get you and your gear to-and-from the office. These chic back-to-work bags fit your laptop and then some.

Woman holding a handbag

(Image credit: ALLIE HOLLOWAY)

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Sara Holzman
Style Director

Sara Holzman is the Style Director at Marie Claire, where she has worked in various roles to ensure the brand's fashion content continues to inform, inspire, and shape the conversation around fashion's ever-evolving landscape. A Missouri School of Journalism graduate, she previously held fashion posts at Condé Nast’s Lucky and Self and covered style and travel for Equinox’s Furthermore blog. Over a decade in the industry, she’s guided shoots with top photographers and stylists from concept to cover. Based in NYC, Sara spends off-duty hours running, browsing the farmer's market, making a roast chicken, and hanging with her husband, dog, and cat. Find her on Instagram at @sarajonewyork.