The pandemic has changed a lot of business habits. From board meetings to Zoom meetings, from 9 to 5, to work from home. And now it seems the work formal attire has had it’s time too.
Linkedin News and the Wall Street Journal reported that business formal has almost entirely fallen out of favour in 2021, even in traditonally suited industries.
Where once it was pressed shirts, buttoned suit jackets and trousers, now it seems it is perfectly acceptable to wear smart casual wear, such as collarless long sleeved shirts, chinos and stretch pants, or even t-shirts and cardigans.
So does this mean the end of the suit? Will your next meeting with a real estate advisor or banker be mostly in loose fitting pants with a muted colour pullover?
Well, probably not.
Industries such as banking and finance, property and law still require quite a formal appearance that is hard to replace with casual attire.
But with your tech startups like Google and Facebook making casual office wear the norm, it’s more likely that businesses with a less formal focus to allow their office workers a bit more slack when it comes to their work wear. Media, tech, recruitment and other similar industries are expected to loosen their ties a bit in the coming years and maybe even put their feet up on the desk.
OK maybe not that last part.
But as much of the world wakes up to remote working, it’s less likely that a custom suit will be a necessity, and more likely just a nice shirt and ironed trousers.
Do you think that the formal suit is on the way out? Should they be confined to weddings and funerals, or is there no replacement for the smart dress suit for your industry?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
