Gen Z women are leaning into office-inspired clothing — but they’re not wearing it to the office

Dress codes’ demise

Kirsten Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at Circana, said the end of the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the blurring of dress codes.

Events came back in full force. Suddenly inundated with places to be and people to see, plus the demands of some return-to-office orders, young people sought out clothing that could easily transition between contexts.

Classi-Zummo said she’s noticed young shoppers buying a lot of suits, skirts, and blazers. These pieces have a specific versatility: They can be worn to the office, out to dinner, and elsewhere.

She said the fluidity of the same clothes to move through different social spaces is a recent development.

“Ten, 15 years ago, we had completely separate wardrobes. For work, for working out, for going out, you bought separate pieces,” Classi-Zummo said. “Now … everything has kind of met in the middle.”

Corey Robinson, the chief product officer of Abercrombie & Fitch, cited the versatility of tailored pieces as a main factor in their popularity.

“Tailored clothing is not only great for the uptick in demand for wear-to-work, it’s also a trend that is versatile for work to happy hour to weekend,” Robinson said.

That versatility isn’t done by accident. Aritzia, a retailer Quang described as her go-to for office-inspired clothing, intentionally blurs the line between casual and professional clothing, according to its executive VP of product Heather McLean.

“We often blend elevated professional pieces with more casual items, and this effortless, sophisticated approach resonates with our community across all ages,” McLean said.

Playing the professional

Work creeps into other spaces — the coffee shop, your home, even the beach when you’re supposed to be on vacation.

Perhaps what we’re observing with the trickling of office attire into other spaces is just a reflection of how increasingly blurred our personal and professional lives have become.

To be sure, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen business clothing make it out of the office and onto the street.

In the 1970s, people embraced polos, collared shirts, and button-downs for day-to-day wear, leaning away from the baggy and boho chic of the previous decade, Nancy Deihl, a fashion historian at New York University, said.

Hansom added that business-casual structured vests and ties even made their way into clubbing outfits of the 2000s — an era of fashion Quang said was a huge inspiration point for the corporate-siren trend.

But the big difference between those earlier shifts and now is that Gen Z is online in almost every aspect of their lives: dating, socializing, and work.

And with remote and hybrid work here to stay, Gen Z is left play-acting at adulthood, as its typical markers have slipped further out of reach.

After all, Quang said, the ideal office siren isn’t a real person — she’s an idea. And the people commenting on her videos that she’d “get sent to HR” if she wore these outfits to work are missing the point.

“Obviously, I’m not wearing this to the office,” Quang said. “The office siren is just a character I’m playing.”