Expert explains how the office dress code has changed in recent years

From strict rules to individuality

Over the past few years, office wardrobes have noticeably shifted away from rigid corporate requirements toward individuality. This was stated to Gazeta.Ru by fashion expertNatalya Semenova, art director of the French brand Michel Kataná. According to her, as corporate rules have softened, employees' attitudes toward their own clothing have changed as well — especially among the younger generation, for whom clothing has become one of the ways of self-expression.

What has changed in practice

Whereas a dress code once largely determined an employee's appearance, now the employee more often puts together their look themselves. The absence of strict restrictions, the expert emphasizes, does not mean carelessness: the choice of clothing has become more deliberate — a person pays attention to how items combine, silhouettes, and the impression they want to make. At the same time, even in companies without an official dress code, unspoken requirements remain: one's appearance should match the work environment, the corporate culture, and the nature of upcoming meetings.

The role of the pandemic and the hybrid approach

According to Semenova, the real test for the familiar dress code was the pandemic. The mass shift to remote work changed not only work processes but also attitudes toward appearance: home clothes became part of the work wardrobe, and on video calls it was enough to look formal only in the upper part of the frame — a shirt could be paired with pajama pants, and requirements for shoes and accessories practically lost their meaning. After returning to offices, the old rules were by no means restored everywhere: many companies, the expert notes, follow a hybrid approach, in which the employee chooses their own clothes but takes the circumstances into account — a relaxed look is fine for an ordinary workday, while a meeting with a client or an official event may call for a more formal outfit.