The big office comeback sees beige, oversized blazers, chunky loafers as key

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 15, 2021

There's been a long debate in the past 18 months around whether consumers would ever return to traditional office clothing after having worked from home for so long in comfortable loungewear, and current shop and search behaviour is giving us plenty of clues. 

And one key trend that seems to have emerged this year as bosses have tried to coax workers back to their desks is that consumers are moving away from dark tones and opting more for neutrals. That's according to the latest trend research from fashion search engine Stylight, which went as far as to say that beige is the new black and it has highlighted this as its trend of the month for October.

Beige is seen as versatile (so it's a colour that can go from working at home to working in the office) and it can work with plenty of other colours in people’s wardrobes. And with influencers choosing it for staple pieces like boots, bags, and coats, head-to-toe beige looks are becoming popular. 

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At Stylight, there’s been a 43% increase in clicks on beige products so far this year. And going along with the neutral trend, there’s also been a 108% increase in clicks on nude tones as well. 

This has been a slow-burn trend during the year, but other style choices consumers have been making for the big return to the office have seen click rates surging in just the past few weeks. 

They include chunky-sole loafers with labels such as Gucci, Prada and Ganni popular. Clicks on them have risen 59% during the first weeks of September compared to August. And that’s been accompanied by a 52% rise in clicks for the high sock.

The corporate jacket has always been a must-have office piece but returning workers appear to be varying this and opting for oversized leather blazers with clicks up 26%. And to go with it, the big choice is a canvas tote bag, which is up 23%.

And while beige is big, colour still has its place. In fact, searches for brightly coloured suits, blazers and pants are up 13% with kermit green and pink proving popular.

These pieces are being teamed with timeless turtleneck sweaters (up 41%) and also on the knit front, knitted midi dresses have seen a 30% increase.

And while we’ve already commented on the trend for chunky loafers, New Balance sneakers (991 or 530 models) are also strong with a 32% increase, proving that the sneaker remains the shoe of choice for many.