The rise of casual wear post-covid
Will our wardrobes be any different after covid? I wanted to pull together some thoughts already expressed in a piecemeal fashion here and on Instagram about how the remarkable events of the last year have changed our use of clothes.
Being stuck at home has meant that our suits, work clothes and formal wear have been largely untouched. A natural response to being stuck at home with little face to face contact with others has often been to adopt more casual clothing. It's easier to pull on a pair of trackies than to iron a shirt and wear tailored clothing.
Comfort and ease of use have governed our sartorial style for over twelve months now. Meetings over Zoom have, I suspect, reduced our use of highly-patterned and colourful clothing, simply because muted colours look better online.
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| Tailoring with tailoring or jeans? Post-covid styles |
While the fall of the suit and tailoring and the rise of smart casual has been highlighted by events over the last year, in reality that trend begun some time ago. We tend to credit major events with changes of direction but such shifts are multi-factorial and simply highlighted by a particular event. Men started to move away from formal work wear some years ago with the rise of dress down Friday which coincided with the increase in popularity of leisure sportswear and 'athleisure' in the form of cashmere tracksuits and luxury leather trainers/sneakers.
This trend will probably continue. Many of us will be working more from home as employers realise that productivity can be high among home workers and that office costs can be reduced. This means that our work wardrobes will be reduced in size.
Tailoring and post-covid menswear
However, comfortable, monochromatic Zoom-friendly casual begins to pall after a while. Most of us enjoy dressing up and presenting our best sides to the world. Life seems tedious without a little pattern and colour and without the more flattering shapes inherent in tailored clothes. I suspect that we will be keen to return to smarter, tailored shapes as soon as we can.
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| Tailoring with cords and good quality knitwear |
Developing a new smart casual look
We have an opportunity here to find new comfortable yet smarter ways of dressing. I've been mixing casual and tailoring. A blazer with shirt and tie can be paired with a pair of jeans so that you look smart on those Zoom calls while feeling more comfortable sitting at your desk at home.
Making an effort is good for our mental wellbeing. Simply letting go and relapsing into grunge isn't going to provide any benefits from the point of view of self-confidence or how we project ourselves to others as we resume our work and social lives after lockdown has ended.
My suggestions?
- Use the rest of lockdown to sort through your wardrobe. Sell or give to charity what you don't wear; keep what you really like. Aim for a smaller, higher quality capsule wardrobe with the emphasis on smart casual.
- Make sure that you have a few well-made trousers and jackets that you can wear with more casual clothes. A tailored blazer and flannel trousers can be worn with jeans and knitwear respectively and you will feel comfortable yet smart.
- Aim to retain a smaller, more sustainable wardrobe in future. Buy locally made where you can. Buy the best quality you can afford; have some good knitwear to complement your favourite casual and tailored pieces.
- Visit a tailor to have your best clothes reshaped to fit you or to have a good blazer and a couple of pairs of trousers made.
See also my recent feature: The Suit: Will It Survive Covid?