Will Stay-at-Home Impact Classic Menswear?

[barrelbowl]

First time poster, long-time lurker. Like many of you I have now been working from home for six weeks now. I work in the financial services industry, and am one of the few remaining that wear a suit and tie to work. At the beginning of my quarantine, I opted for more business casual dress (e.g. collared shirts, merino sweaters, etc.). As the weeks piled on though, my dress became more and more casual (softer textures, more relaxed fits, etc.). In fact, I was reminded of an interview I read with Antonio Ciongoli from before he started 18 East. He mentioned his transition to WFH started to inform stylistic choices regarding silhouette and fit, a lot of which is on display with 18East. The corporate world is expected to transition to a more dynamic WFH paradigm when this is all over. How do you all think this will impact both the prevalence of classic menswear, and texture, as well as silhouette?

 

[zzzzzynxng]

Yes, I've been curious about this as well...

Are your workplaces going to start implementing more wfh days from now on for the foreseeable future?
What kinds of clothes do you think you'll be investing in post-covid?

 

[barrelbowl]

I think so. We were theoretically set-up to WFH before, but it wasn't until Covid-19 that we really made sure the infrastructure worked well. My boss has traditionally been the flag-bearer for traditional menswear, and also working in the office versus from home. By week 6 though, he has been seen wearing cozier clothing too (on video calls), and seemingly adjusting to being more efficient remotely. My menswear wardrobe is predominantly suits and ties... but to your question, while we have not made a policy shift yet, I'm wondering whether the odd jacket, trousers, casual shirts section will start to occupy a larger share of my work wardrobe.

 

[dauster]

I think so. We were theoretically set-up to WFH before, but it wasn't until Covid-19 that we really made sure the infrastructure worked well. My boss has traditionally been the flag-bearer for traditional menswear, and also working in the office versus from home. By week 6 though, he has been seen wearing cozier clothing too (on video calls), and seemingly adjusting to being more efficient remotely. My menswear wardrobe is predominantly suits and ties... but to your question, while we have not made a policy shift yet, I'm wondering whether the odd jacket, trousers, casual shirts section will start to occupy a larger share of my work wardrobe.

I work in San Francisco which is already really casual some would say too causal - so expecting nothing to change- maybe WFH a bit more. May I ask where and in what profession do you work?

 

[barrelbowl]

I work in San Francisco which is already really casual some would say too causal - so expecting nothing to change- maybe WFH a bit more. May I ask where and in what profession do you work?

I work in NYC in the financial services industry.. so probably the most conservative dress in the U.S., outside of maybe Congress and the White House.

 

[mak1277]

I'm wondering whether the odd jacket, trousers, casual shirts section will start to occupy a larger share of my work wardrobe.

I think this is unlikely. I've worked at two separate companies that went from business formal (suits) to business casual. Almost nobody at either company ever wore odd jackets. Jackets (and ties) disappeared altogether.

I still wear an odd jacket a couple days a week and am still always asked "why are you dressed up"?

 

[vida]

I think some standard of formal business dress will always be required when at the office or meeting clients. However, if you are at home and are not seen then clothing should not be anything more than personal preference. If more people end up truly working at home then you may have a smaller need for a large classic wardrobe. But at the same time I could see a surge in formal clothing simply as an expression of professionalism when outside of the home. Who knows, really? We all saw the suit make a come back after the great recession and this may also be the case this time.

 

[suitedcboy]

Yes, masks of tweed, corduroy, herringbone, seersucker, etc, etc will be worn to keep the theme. Maybe even a few with leather patches.
(don't throw used sanitizing wipes at me for my COVID humor)

 

[comrade]

"We all saw the suit make a come back after the great recession and this may also be the case this time."

Really? Where? Certainly not in the Bay Area. " The suit is back". That was the mantra that I heard from menswear salesmen in 2010- 2012 at now shrunken departments and closed stores.

 

[offshoremm]

I think that maintaining a certain level of dress standard is quite helpful while quarantined, and will make the transition back to work much easier as well. I've been stuck at home for nearly 2 months, as I am in the part of the world where the outbreak began. From past experience, I know that personally, dressing down either lead to or combined with other forms of slacking, like not shaving etc. which have a tendency to snowball, at least with me.

Maintaining your personal style and grooming regime is a form of self discipline. Self discipline is an admirable quality worth maintaining.

As for me, I'm wearing the same office attire I'd normally wear, minus the jacket and tie. As I'm doing more sitting than standing, no point in wrinkling the jackets. I also make it a point to go outside at least once a day, to help maintain my sanity.