Workwear for ‘stay at home’ scenario should be about not just comfort and ease, but also poise and chic. This is a tricky, yet an achievable, goal. Devender Kharb offers tips to ladies on choosing attire while working from home

The COVID-19 pandemic has left everyone with no other choice but to work from home. As people stay put in their houses, they can utilise the time to grow their fashion sense. The article discusses some of the fashion trends and tips that people can experiment with and yet stay stylish working from home.

It has become increasingly clear that the novel coronavirus is going to affect every individual in the foreseeable future in some way—physically, financially or otherwise. As we continue our social-distancing pledge, we are working from home at present.

As video conferencing as a work medium has become a default choice, it means we are obliged to look presentable.

This unusual stay at home situation, though daunting, has its own benefits like it encourages one to experiment with their looks in the safety of their familiar environs. The time saved on travelling can be utilised to putting thought into how to project oneself without any fear of judgement.

Workwear for ‘stay at home’ scenario should be about not just comfort and ease, but also poise and chic. This is a tricky, yet an achievable, goal. The idea is to be able to lounge around on the couch and work but be insta-ready about a Zoom meeting with your office team.

Always be prepared for a surprise

Imagine you are at your most comfortable and yet mostungroomed persona. It is likely that a known associate or family member maydrop by. An alarm gets triggered or God forbid you need to pop into the shopsfor essentials. It is therefore highly essential to build your lounge wearwhich tick marks all necessary requirement of cleanliness, decency and grace sothat in case you need to dazzle the world at a rather short notice, you areready.

The game is in the name—Ensure you read the label

Remember this is something you intend to wear at home butyet must be ready to dazzle if need be. Hence the garment must feel comfortableand make you look ready to take on the world at a moment's notice. One maincomponent to look at when one buys online is the fabric composition. Fabrics likesilk are soft, knit linen has silky luscious feel. Though spandex may not be achoice where denims are concerned but the stretchiness is a very desirablequality when we talk of it in terms of sweatpants. Pair with banker stripedshirts, which are one of the biggest trends this season for womenswear, withplenty of accessories.

Embrace the cosy

As seen at the Chanel Cruise show, leggings can be funagain. For the ultimate work-from-home uniform, adopt the Parisian way to wearthem by opting for high-waisted styles that are completely opaque. Again youcan pair with banker striped shirts.

Experiment with colour

For Indian summers, white is always a good idea.Off-whites and neutral tones work well with short, strappy kurtas. The garmentis not only on top of trends charts right now, it can be paired with rippeddenims, brocade pants or flared palazzos with equal sartorial impact.

Use this time to experiment with new colour combinations.Any outfit is elevated with a deep yellow tone and subtle gold finishes andworks well with the typical Indian skin tone. You can get more out of yourwardrobe by mixing and matching old favourites in new combinations.

Athleisure

Athleisure is getting revived again and having its moment.The idea is quality sweats look. Sweats can be and often are very much apurposeful choice. And given that they feel particularly relevant to our era offashion with the rise of athleisure, there is no way around the fact that theseare straight-up sweats. To make the casual wear look more polished, pair itwith a matching sweatshirt for a monochromatic moment. Also note the matchingtop and bottoms is the biggest summer trend this year.

The Pants

If you are not sure of getting away with sweatpants, trycropped wide-leg pull-on pants. If you don’t already own a good pair oftrousers, there is no better time to invest than now. Look for loose widelegged styles with fabrics with stretch for comfort.

TheT-shirt

Brands these days are all in a sort of loungewear spacerace to see who can produce the softest, lightest, stretchiest and cosiest.Cotton is always nice, but look out for modal, a super-soft fibre created fromthe beech tree that has an exceptionally good next-to-skin feel.

Also, the 70's Disco Collars (large oversized and pointy)are back. You can layer up by wearing the shirt under the crew neck T-shirt topto be on trend. Other notable trends this summer are transparency, cut outs ingeometric shapes and the waistcoat in checks or stripes.

Use a scarf to highlight or add a bit of formality to abasic top or T-shirt. I recommend wearing jersey or knitted dresses and if youprefer T-shirts, then hide the otherwise not work-appropriate necklines usingchunky chain-link or crystal-embellished necklaces.

Shirt dresses

Midi-length dresses and skirts are no-brainers; simplyupdate your wardrobe with one that is seasonally neutral in colour and print.Try polka dots for print as this trend is showing no signs of slowing down andis all over international catwalks.

When it comes to Indian wear, kurta is the most versatilesilhouette and new contemporary designer labels are doing styles that areminimalistic, trendy, easy and comfortable to wear without compromising onquality.

The Shorts Power Suit

In case you want to look overly formal you are in luck asthe Spring Summer trends for 2020 support the cause as well. One of the keytrends this summer is the shorts suit. Inspired from the 80's, more fun than askirt, and less formal than trousers, the trailblazing trend this season is oversizedblazers with tailor fit loose shorts.... the chic and feminine version of moredaunting power suits.

Other summer trends for 2020

Crochet is another reviving trend. It makes one think ofdainty dresses and cool evening wear. Its structure somehow reminds one of coolbreeze on a hot summer day. Handmade crochet structured into formal wear has avery quaint and unique touch to it.

Hot pants are making a comeback. Styling them with a pairof sheer leggings or footwear like high heeled pumps that emphasises thedaintiness of your feet or boots that showcase the adventurous part of yoursoul are a matter of choice but are an instant hit. 

Light tiered dresses that manage to offer volume, highdrama and maximum twirl-ability are in trend. You can try tiered skirts intulle with a T-shirt or crop tops.

Waistcoats are also intrend this season. There is something quite dapper and appealing—not to mentionendlessly flattering—about the almighty waistcoat.

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