If you’re a summer person, it’s time to start planning outfits for your favourite season. If not, you may need a little more help when it comes to looks – especially work outfits – that’ll keep you looking good and staying cool throughout the warmer months. And if your job doesn’t require a uniform, then you can have fun playing around with different looks depending on your style.
To make it easier for you to get ready every morning (and allow you to hit snooze one more time), we’ve rounded up seven outfits you’ll want to copy and paste into your own wardrobe for spring/summer 2023 – including some of the biggest trends around. And trust us, they’re guaranteed to make all your colleagues ask “Where did you get your new outfit from?”
1) Trouser suit
Office outfits needn’t be corporate, but that’s not to say they can’t be smart – enter: the neutral suit. Instead of a typical black, grey or navy trouser suit, opt for a slouchy style in a softer shade of beige, cream or camel. Soft tailoring looks effortless and you can either style up your new summer work outfit with heels (like Duito Ajoku) or you could even wear with a white trainer, chunky sandal or loafer. And we think the trouser suit is the best option when it comes to what to wear for a work interview.
The best part about a suit is you can break up the set to wear on its own, so there are multiple outfit opportunities to be had – from a blazer over a dress to trousers worn with a vest top.
2) Knit Dress
If your work environment is pretty chill, you’ll be able to get away with more playful outfits. When it comes to dresses, a knit style is one of the most versatile styles you can wear across all seasons. Just look at Lauren in this fun printed style in zesty shades of green worn with chunky Y2K sandals. If you prefer flats, you could also wear this with sporty trainers and add an oversized linen shirt over the top to wear on heavy rotation as one of your go-to casual summer work outfits.
3) All black
Summer black is a thing, and Mariielle is here to give us all a lesson in how to style it as a smart/casual work outfit. Adding a classic vest top to a silky maxi skirt, the fashion influencer keeps it on theme with chic black accessories and a slightly oversized-fit blazer. There’s no doubt about it, this combination is one we want to copy over and over again. Psst, it would also look incredible worn with heels for a work summer party outfit.
4) Shirt and mini skirt
For a Miu Miu vibe, a striped shirt worn with a beige mini skirt is the way to do it for less. Nnenna shows how a mini can work in the office by buttoning up the shirt and wearing the duo with preppy white socks and loafers – a key accessories trend this year. If you’re not ready to embrace the throwback skirt into your summer work outfits then a midi in the same colour will also work for an on-duty look.
5) Go top-to-toe tonal
An easy way to look polished (with minimal effort) is by doing crayon colour dressing. What does this mean? It’s basically when you pick any colour and wear matching-matchy pieces in similar tones to create a top-to-toe look that’ll never fail. Sharon goes for the colour of the year in Barbie pink but you can go for any shade you like when it comes to your outfits to wear to work. Note: this is also a good styling tip to stick to for a night out.
6) Slouchy trousers
For those days when you just don’t know what to wear, a pair of slouchy white trousers will be your saviour for summer work outfits. Sure, you’ll have to be careful on the morning coffee run but it’ll be worth it as they always look good worn with a vest top, shirt, or both (just like Michelle, here). They don’t have to be white either, any other classic shade will be the base to many great work outfits.
7) Double denim
Some trends always come back around, and double denim is one of them. Big news for summer, it’s a cool way to wear your jeans to the office. Style influencer Emili Sindlev wears the same wash denim for both her shirt and jeans (aka the Canadian tuxedo), but any types will work together to create a cool summer work look. Another way to wear it for 2023 is by wearing jeans with denim shoes or a bag – trust us, it works!
We’re hoping this handy guide to summer work outfits will take some stress out of getting dressed in the morning – and no doubt you already have some of these items in your wardrobe so no need for a shopping spree! To really get ahead, you may want to take a look at our guide to autumn work outfits.